Beijing

Amongst other you're moving to China advice I was given, the most astute has been 'the sky is never blue in China.'  Shades of yellow, grey, even green, yes but that's all.  Nowhere is this more true than in Beijing, the country's capital.  Its geographical position ensures it has cold, harsh winters that start early and end late.  And because the Chinese are a little bit more than superstitious about the cold, heaters, and therefore coal factories, work overtime to heat people's homes.  But houses are tile-floored and insulation is sparse so the coal factories work even harder.  Pollution in Beijing in the wintertime is unbearable, so I've been told.

Imagine my surprise this morning when stepping out of my Beijing hotel room after a three-day IB training course and into a crisp, blue, autumnal sky.

As it turns out, the government has the ability to control the colour of the sky.  Our visit coincided with the annual APEC Conference, a gathering of the Asia Pacific region's governments, with a goal of fostering stronger economic ties between the countries.  And because of this rather prestigious gathering, the government decided upon a few drastic measures: 1. close all schools and public offices and give everyone a week's holiday to get the hell out of the city.  2. limit the cars on the road by only allowing odd number plates on the road on one day and even numbers on another 3. shut down all major factories.  And this trifecta of wisdom (control?) sent pollution levels plummeting to all time lows.  Where in else in the world could a government make this happen?

All in all, Beijing surprised me.  It was the Chinese city I was expecting when I moved here--bright lights, easy to walk places, accessible public transport.  Granted, I didn't see all that much of it.  We spent 8am-5pm for three days of a conference at WAB, the Western Academy of Beijing, a school so impressively sprawling, it's got its own cafe.  With an indoor river. And a waterfall.

But in the downtime, I made friends with two girls from a school in Cambodia and we made it as far as: the Irish pub across the street; Sanlitun; Gui Jie--a street crammed with Chinese restaurants serving Beijing duck and langoustines.

 Of course, we found apt signage:

Gui Jie was crammed to the rafters with Chinese people waiting patiently outside restaurants that were crammed to the rafters indoors.  People were wrapped up tightly in layers of scarves and coats whilst sitting on stools munching on sunflower seeds and discarding the shells in spitfire fashion.  An automated LED number system indicated to them when their table was ready.  Considering that in most everyday situations the Chinese don't wait very patiently, the food must've been good.   

 On the end of our last evening, we even found a bowling alley in our hotel.

As for the major tourist sights, those'll have to wait for next time.