Beijing: An Eastern City with Western Problems
November 19, 2008
People dance with colorful folding fans on a sidewalk in Beijing, China.
A large police bus stands parked along a fence surrounding Beijing 2008 Olympic venues in Beijing, China. The stadiums and other venues built for the 2008 Olympics are now a major tourist attraction in Beijing and access is tightly controlled through ticket sales.
Security guards stand at the edge of a pool surrounding the OSC Stadium in the Olympic Village in Beijing, China. The stadiums and other venues built for the 2008 Olympics are now a major tourist attraction in Beijing and access is tightly controlled through ticket sales.
A man prayers near statues in Dongyue Temple, a taoist temple, in Beijing, China.
A man eats snack food outside of the Beijing West Railway Station in Beijing, China.
A worker looks through a hole in a fence around a construction site in Beijing, China.
Crowds flood out from the Beijing West Railway Station in Beijing, China, during the national holiday’s so-called Golden Week. Official statistics state that the record numbers of travelers packed China’s various modes of transportation during the Golden Week.
A man and woman take pictures in front of a wall near the Yong He Gong Lama Temple, a Tibetan Buddhist temple, in Beijing, China.
A man looks at a city map in the Chaoyang area of Beijing, China.
A public security volunteer sleeps under a McDonald’s umbrella on a pedestrian overpass near the Beijing Railway Station in Beijing, China.
People ride on a crowded subway train in Beijing, China.
City lights illuminate the city at night in the Sanlitun district of Beijing, China.
A direction sign in the Olympic Village lays on the ground of a plaza in Beijing, China. The stadiums and other venues built for the 2008 Olympics are now a major tourist attraction in Beijing and access is tightly controlled through ticket sales.
A woman uses exercise equipment near a Mandarin-only sign instructing citizens to follow polite social customs in Beijing, China.
A traffic sign stands against a wall in the Forbidden City in Beijing, China.
Tourists take pictures in the Forbidden City in Beijing, China.
A People’s Armed Police soldier stands guard near the portrait of Mao Zedong hanging above the Tiananmen Gate on the southern end of the Forbidden City in Beijing, China.
People stand and sit on a sidewalk in Beijing, China.
A security guard looks out of a luxury jewelry store through a window display in Beijing, China.
Beijing was at the top of everyone's attention in late summer 2008, but the Olympics came and went and the city continues to hum along. Like many other places in China, growth is relatively unchecked, in spite of a faltering economy. The international business community has been looking toward Beijing for help as the world's markets collapse, and Beijing is often the first stop in China for major multinational brands. The luxury market is booming in the city, and unlike other cities in China there's a large population in Beijing capable of patronizing the fancy stores. But in order to accomodate this growth, the old hutongs have been bulldozed and people have been relocated to other, further out parts of the city. The signs of McDonalds and Louis Vitton glow just steps away from the lights festooning the roofpeaks of the Forbidden Palace and Tiananmen Square, ever the target of protestors and would-be terrorists, is a high-security DisneyLand of Chairman Mao propaganda. The city's subways are protected by the world's only complete and continuous public transportation bag check x-ray system and the demand for fast and plentiful automobile transportation has made bicycle and foot travel in the city difficult and dangerous. The city isn't done growing, of course. It probably won't be until the desert swallows it up.