You and your foreign friends are trapped. A place heretofore friendly and deferential to foreigners, Beijing has suddenly decided that all of you are enemies who should be butchered. The government, not wishing to provoke too much international retribution, creates a giant terrorist army of warriors ready to die for China, but not before killing as many of you as possible.
No paranoid fantasy, thus lay the scene a mere 109 years ago. Don’t think that’s ancient history. Many are you who’ve recently muttered, “Oh my god, it’s 2009 already?” In fact, England’s got a platoon of old birds who were wearing Victorian diapers 109 years ago. Times were so antiquated in Beijing that infants wore assless pants, of all things. The point being that, though the surface may have been a lot less WTO-y, Beijing was still Beijing, and the expats were a lot like you and me.
Ya know, sometimes I worry that the good people running Beijing might be facing an insurmountable challenge, what with the rampant growth and environmental degradation, etcetera ad nauseum. Turns out there's a big modern facility called the Beijing Planning Exhibition Center, a modern three-story megalith featuring all sorts of high tech displays about where Beijing's been, and where it's going. We can rest easy - every problem Beijing faces, from transportation to waste-water management, is well in hand. Phew, and to think I had my doubts there for a while...well, if you can put up with the snapshots marred by reflective glass and plastic, you'll pick up some useful tidbits concerning Beijing's future, if you're one of those diehards planning to hang around until 2010.
Say what you like about Beijing - it will outlast you. Most of the buildings pictured in black and white were ancient when they were photographed. The people, however, were not. They didn't think of themselves as part of Beijing's tumultuous, fathomless past. Do you? Of course not. But do keep in mind that someday, more than likely, someone will look at a picture of you. And you'll be long gone. History. So will many of the buildings in the color pictures once again be dust. Will it matter? Will you?
Beijing's modern facade is impressive but thin. That's okay though. If you don't come from a farm, what's behind the facade is far more interesting, a rich urban stew of new and old, traditional and experimental, comfortable and squalid.
Just behind the mighty LG Twin Towers, two of the many glass and steel titans in the heart of Beijing's commercial district, lies a real slice of Chinese life. While Main Street is for corpocrats and their employees, just behind it are earthy neighborhoods where one may spend hours marveling at the fascinating blend of old and new. These pictures and their comments are an attempt to capture the essence of the blend, for the old will certainly fade away, but the spirit and culture of those who live in the side streets are indelible.
China Expat’s readership hails from across the country. However, at some point or another everyone ends up in Beijing, either on business, travel, or passing through on an international route. The city itself gets almost no snow during its winters, but it does have some beautiful mountains just outside its limits that are worth a look. If you have a hard time believing that just because you cannot usually see them through Beijing’s gray air, a short trip out there will help you realize how much lies just past the capital’s urban exterior. Some of the area ski slopes are surprisingly good, and a delightful way to get out of the city.
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