Thoughts on a week in Beijing

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I was wrong. It is possible to have a sunny day without smog in Beijing, as proved over the last day and a half. Once the heavy rain of Monday night and Tuesday morning cleared away, out came the sun between clouds, and it has been delightful with a light breeze and temperature in the mid-20s.

Getting one's head around Beijing is hard. To begin, it is BIG! Think of the main business and top hotel areas of Singapore or Hong Kong, or other modern Asian cities, add them together then multiply by your age, and that is what Beijing seems like. Fabulous modern buildings of 20 to 30 stories plus are replacing the older ones everywhere, and there is some concern about loss of heritage and displacement of locals.

The Olympics are dominating many things, with renovation of relic sites and construction of new ones continuing at a furious pace aiming to be ready for 2008. A few weeks ago, they had a traffic trial with only taxis and even numbered rego plates allowed on the roads one day, and odd numbers the next. Apparently it worked wonders for the car parks, also known as ring roads. Taxi drivers thought it was great.

Today, Heather and I visited the Temple of Heaven (one of several UNESCO heritage listed sites begun in the Ming Dynasty around 1420). Nearby is the Pearl Market which also contains many other tempting shops for electricals, clothes, handbags etc, so after the dose of history and culture we decided to have lunch and hit the shops. We passed a subway station and thought we might return home to the Embassy that way, but sadly it was not yet open. It and many others are scheduled to begin operating next year despite all the encouraging signs. Instead we took a taxi which sat in a traffic jam for half an hour, taking a full hour to return to the diplomatic quarter, and cost 41 kwai, rather than 25 coming out. But at only A$7 for an hour, it still did not break the bank.

People at the embassy reckon prices will go sky-high during and around the Olympics, so if you are a serious shopper, be warned and come here another time.

Anyone coming to Beijing should do far more research into shopping options than I did. My friend Heather was much better organised. For example, she purchased eight doonas for friends, which our hostess will arrange to post back to Australia. She also bought quality pearls, and had some delightful outfits tailored in both silk and cashmere at absurdly low cost. I went along for the ride, but did get some new prescription reading glasses organised within an hour at the 'glasses market' for about $40, while cursing my lack of research on gifts for friends and family. No degree in retail therapy for me!

Cheers

Georgie

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Photos

Temple of Heaven
Temple of Heaven