Casey
Wokai is the thick of Olympic activity with our office only a 5 minute bike ride from the Worker's Stadium, an Olympic venue hosting Soccer, Boxing, and various other events in Beijing. The highlight of my week was leaving the office at 1:20pm to meet my friends for a 1:30pm boxing match.
It's amazing what China has created for the Olympics. During the Olympic countdown, every time either a Westerner or Chinese person mentioned the Olympics, he or she would inevitably bring up the subject of one of various issues, whether it be protests, pollution, or the Tibetan conflict, sabotaging the "coming out party" China has dreamt of for the past few years as it anticipated the Olympics.
Ten days into the Olympics, everything in Beijing seems to be going flawlessly. All of the serial Olympic attendees that I have talked to so far claim that this is either THE best or one of the best Olympics that they have attended. I met an American Olympic water polo player who said, "the Olympic Village in Athens pails in comparison to Beijing...In Athens, they hadn't even completed construction by the time we moved in. Here in Beijing, everything, down to the last detail of the fish and fountains in each of the hundreds of small gardens surounding our dorms, is perfect."
Three of my friends were here visiting for the past ten days. It was interesting to see the city from their eyes. They came to China expecting Tai-Chi, traditional architecture, and Chinese medicine. Instead, they were welcomed with the new CCTV tower, latest Apple Store, MacDonalds, and the Bird's Nest. (See pics below).
What's most amazing is that the Beijing that they see is completely different than the city that I moved into 2 years ago. When I arrived in Beijing, there were only a handful of good Western restaurants, bars, and grocery stores. Today, at least three or four swanky modern spots open up every weekend. I would guess that at least half of the shopping and dining areas that are now being frequented by Olympic visitors were still under construction a month and a half ago. The Starbucks where I am sitting writing this blog only opened its doors about two weeks ago.
Its crazy to think where Beijing and the res tof China will be 5 years from now, let alone 5 months from now.
Is that a bad thing? Is that a good thing? Is it good that China open its doors and completely wash its red hands and put on western gloves? People have mixed opinions on this. I personally don't think its an all or nothing outcome. I like the way Beijing has been moving forward works. Beijing is still China. It is American capitalism with Beijing kwarks. For instance, next to the apple store you still have a Chinese pharmacy, Chinese medicine doctor and local supermarket. And all of those are next two or three 6 story living quarters for old Beijiners. Beijing seems to do a fairly good job of mixing the old with the new.
It is the Shanghai that I worry about. It reminds me of New York on steroids. Shanghai seems to have completely wiped away the Chinese-style buildings and quaint local eateries for Ritz Carltons and fast-food joints. Not sure if that is the direction wants to ultimately head. But unless one of the 175 readers of this blog is someone important from the communist party, not sure if we can change that direction.
Bird's Nest in Chaoyang.
Beijing's CCTV tower in the Central Business District.
Apple Store opened two weeks ago in a new outdoor mall area in Beijing's Sanlitun area. The Apple Store's neighbors include a four story Addidas building, Nike Store, North Face, Cold Stone Ice Cream, and five star hotel.
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