The first thing that strikes you about China when you are passing through on the train is that you pass by lots of huge cities that you've never heard of, such as Guangzhou, Ningbo, Xi'an etc, etc, etc. The unbelievable aspect is that these places all have populations in excess of 10 million people. You fly through these massive high-rise metropolises and it gives you a feeling for exactly how large China is. People are everywhere in China, thats just how it is, and you have to get along with that straight away, there's nothing else for it.

 

I stayed in the workers stadium in central Beijing, which is preparing to host the Olympic games in 2006, I believe. It's quite near the Sanlitun road area which has a few bars and resturants where ex pats hang out, although the bars are very much chinese style, with some of the worst music i've ever heard. Each to their own I suppose.

 

The first thing to strike me was the wealth which is on display in Beijing. The average view of China is that it's a very poor country, which still holds true, particularly in rural areas. China, however has recently woken up and is preparing itself to be an economic powerhouse in the very near future. Already the worlds economies are feeling the effects of the massive boom and Chinese people are now dedicated consumers. Prices of world oil, steel and other commodities are all on the rise due to the Chinese demand for these products. In Beijing, I noticed that every second or third car on the road was an Audi A6 or Volkswagen Passat and all brand new. There are beautiful shopping centres in the centre of Beijing selling every western luxury good you can imagine. China is not at all the way you might imagine it.

 

One of the more amusing aspects of China, was that I used to get accosted on each street corner by young girls about 15 years of age, all wanting to be "friends" and practice their English on me. Some of them were asking me to come and vist art exhibitions with them, go to coffee houses etc etc. I don't know how genuine all of this was or whether it was a front for something else, either trying to sell me something or worse, but I did stay and chat to a few which was quite nice. On balance I think it was genuine students wanting to practice English, and I think that the Chinese culture is more open than the European way. People are more likely to want to make friends with you on the streets and find it acceptable to approach complete strangers. The other alternative is that it's just my super handsome Scottish / greasy spic demeanor which makes me irresistible to teenage Chinese girls. Maybe not though.

 

I took a day trip and completed a 10 km hike across the great wall from Jinshanling to Simatai. The great wall is fantastic although it's a falllacy that it can be seen from space. It can't. The great wall straddles  the Chinese / Mongolian border and stretches for thousands of kilometres across the tops of mountain ranges and in some places is so steep you have to get down on all fours to climb up it. Trust me I know. My 10 km hike was carried out in blistering 35 degree heat. It was real tough for a keep fat freak like me. All along the way these little Mongolian women would latch onto you and attempt to be your guide which as you can imagine is a bit frustrating. I attempted to lose mine by setting off at a fast pace and  i virtually ran the first couple of kilometres. I had to stop in one of the watchtowers to regain my equilibrium since i thought I was going to faint with the exertion. Two minutes later my little Mongolian woman saunters in without even having broken sweat. I decided it was a lost cause after that. She was with me the rest of the way. The great wall was tremendous. I loved it.

 

I visited Tianannmen Square in the centre of Beijing which was where the students protested back in the 80's. Everyone remembers the iconic images of the guy laying down in front of the tanks. The authorities are supposed to have killed a number of those students on those dark days. Sometimes we don't know how lucky we are to live in a democracy. China is still a communist country and free press and freedom of speech are still unheard of. Anywhere you go, there are lots of military around and the Chinese government is still accused of many human rights abuses.

 

I also visited the Forbidden City which was where emperors of yester year used to hole up in Beijing or Peking as it was known. It's  almost like a small walled town within the city and is full of beatiful papalces and temples. It's said that the courts who lived there very rarely left the area since they never needed to.

 

A word about the food - I love Peking duck and where better to have it than Peking! Pancakes, plum sauce, spring onions, cucumber and gorgeous succulent duck meat. My god, I'm drooling just thinking about it. They have duck restaurants where you order a duck meal and you get all of the above with duck soup (Which incidentally, the Chinese eat after their main meal). The chefs come out with the ducks on metal trolleys and carve it up in front of you. Divine.

 

Beijing is a surprising place. Just like the rest of China.