Two travel bees

In six blog posts we are sharing our experiences from our encounter with three very different versions of China: the polluted and  political Beijing with its wonders of the world, the more average Chinese city, Xian, and the seemingly progressive metropolitan Shanghai.

The capital of the People's Republic, Beijing
Beijing is a diverse experience of narrow alleys, noisy food streets, grand squares and buildings where ancient China meets the modern world.

Although the Great Wall and the Forbidden City are unparalleled and we were impressed by the mixture of ancient and modern grand architecture of the inner city, we experienced the capital with slightly mixed feelings.
 

Its large squares and massive monuments are impressive, but appear somewhat too polished and orchestrated. The inner city of Beijing underwent an intensive face-lift prior to the Olympics in 2008. The same (fake) brick-tiles are used on all facades to mimic old buildings and give concrete houses a facelift and many of the food and clothing markets have been moved out of the city, or inside shopping malls.The inner city walkways are strictly regulated with large fences dictating which way and where you can walk, leading you to security check-points at every metro station, public building and monument.

At the same time, dense smog from the polluting factories south of Beijing lies over the city as a heavy lid and was at record breaking hazardous levels during our visit. We became short of breath and the air particles stung in our nose and throat. Even the sun cannot penetrate the thick smog and every sunny day (all but one) during our stay, appeared cloudy and foggy with 50m visibility.

We sincerely hope to visit a future Beijing with a blue sky and breathable air, something we take so for granted in other parts of the world.