Lesson of the week- Hong Kong is definitely not China. I thought I had a good sense of what China was like, after spending last summer in Hong Kong and venturing into the southern bit of Mainland China for a week of factory tours and enlightenment. But after having lived the spoiled life in HK and an admittedly glamorous weekend in Shanghai in a glitzy hotel, Beijing felt totally foreign.
While in Beijing, my travel buddy (and good friend from middle school/high school, Vivian) and I were staying with Ryan, another friend from high school, who is currently working as an intern for a Chinese M&A bank. He is subletting a co-workers friend's place in the heart of a typical native Beijing neighborhood. It was a great insight to life as a Beijing-er. Let's start with the apartment itself.
The exterior consists mainly of drab gray concrete with rows of plain, single pane windows lining each floor. Beneath each set of windows is a mass of thin wires which double as the family drying rack for everything from grandmother's faded, ancient flowered blouses to little children's superman pajamas. The interior, however, has a much livelier design scheme- the styles, textures, and colors were dizzying. Imagine worn burnt orange wrap-around leather couches, a contemporary glass and steel dining room set, and 50's era pea green curtains all neatly organized within a pastel apartment which largely resembles my first Barbie playhouse. Rose pinks, petal greens, and subtle yellows intersected diagonally on each wall, creating soft geometric patterns. This California Barbie color palette contrasted nicely with the black and white three dimensional cubes protruding abruptly approx 3 inches from the corners of each wall.
Onto the city itself.
I've never encountered such a difficult language barrier. Between the heavy Beijing Chinese accent in which every word is pronounced with a pirate-like "arrrr" and surprising lack of English text translation or speakers in an "international" city, I was never more thankful for Ryan and Vivian who both speak excellent Chinese. However, even with Ryan the amazing tour guide and Vivian the expert in Chinese language, Beijing still held many frustrations. Considering that it's the capital city of a nation who's central-planning government decided it would now welcome (to an extent, of course) capitalism and western culture, that it holds hundreds of tourist attractions and will be hosting the Olympic games in 3 years, I thought it reasonable to expect comparable levels of modernity I've experienced in other Asian cities. Not so. It was polluted, extremely over-crowded, dusty, stuck in the seventies in terms of technology and totally un-navigable to an English speaking tourist. The underdevelopment and "non-westernness" was little daunting, especially as I reflect on my move to India.
* Small, possibly insignificant point of admission that could affect my assessment of Beijing- I was traveling with no guidebook and only bought a map on my third day. But this mode of traveling and exploring has never failed me before! Example 1: A drive moving my and my roommate's belongings after college from Washington, DC to Austin, TX was successfully completed in a mere 27 hours with only directions from Mapquest.com scribbled on page 3 of Kant's Intro to Ethics, a case of Starbucks Espresso Double Shot, a full Ipod of Celine Dion and Amr Diab techno remixes, and an insanely accurate sense of direction. Example 2: Explored and loved Bangkok guided only by a sense of adventure and a gaggle of similarly-minded friends. No map, no plan, no guidebook. quod erat demonstrandum. Highlights of Beijing Part 2- The Forbidden City. Massive amounts of opulence, grandeur, homage to ancient tradition, with everything constructed on a large scale. Huge ceilings, gardens, temples, artwork. My favorite part was the 5-ft wide marble walkway which connected the major temples and gates: it was reserved for hundreds of years only to be trodden by the sacred feet of the Emperor- and I stood on it. And strolled around on it.
My second favorite part- a Starbucks coffee shop smack dab in the middle of the plaza/courtyard surrounding the most impressive temple. Only the green inconspicuous "Starbucks" sign gave away its presence, but my radar for espresso picked up the signal within 0.3 seconds of entering the courtyard. What a perfect example of one of the most closed cultures only a couple decades ago now opening up a portion of their most historical and revered spaces to be controlled by a western capitalist (and considered by some, evil) organization.
I bought an iced mocha. Grande.
Another highlght- The Summer Palace. Serence, peaceful, and much cooler than the Forbidden City. Ryan, Vivian and I hiked to the top of the mountain to escape the crowds and soak up the beauty of the area. Didn't spend much time there since it was jammed full of mainland schoolchildren groups on their foray into the big city- a scene perfectly equivalent to the US school-organized trips to Washington, DC in which thousands of kids are driven by the busloads to gawk at a gigantic Lincoln sitting in his chair seemingly monitoring the bums gathered around reflecting pool, and to clog the Smithsonian museums with their graffitied backpacks and loud chatter. After four years in DC witnessing this pubescent mayhem I still have this image perfectly etched into my memory.
Time to meet up with Vivian, as tonight we're heading up to the peak to admire the most impressive view I have ever witnessed. Hong Kong at dusk, viewed from a mountain top high above the glittering lights, crowds, and noise. Will be uploading photos soon...
The colorful pathway at the Summer Palace
Ryan taking a break hiking
Guards clearing out Tianenmen Square (in the background, across the street) because the Spanish Prime Minister was about to arrive
Me at the end of an ancient tunnel
