I am impressed at how clean this place is. Apparently there is an army of street cleaners working all the time, it shows. Even the air has been very clear. I had heard that this place has terrible smog. Other than a sand/dust storm the first day I have not noticed any smog at all. I think that the dust really helped keep in the fumes…
There are a zillion little steps that are around 2 to 3 inches tall everywhere. I never expect them and I’m afraid that I’ll really hurt myself before I leave. they’re on the sidewalks, in my hotel rooms, in the tourist areas, etc. Not sure why they have so many of them, I wonder if it is just a “fudge factor” from sloppy construction.
They still really think highly of Mao despite the fact that prosperity has been gained by doing exactly the opposite of what he taught and did. Our first tour guide gave the impression that he thinks the world of Mao. I really don’t understand. Clearly he led them down the wrong path, the trail of millions of bodies and unrelenting poverty should have been a tip off. How they can revere him and enjoy the current growth boggles my mind. Mao and Stalin are my two least favorite people of all time. Sure Hitler and Pol Pot are down there too, but these guys set the bar. Stalin probably had a higher deliberate body count, but the famines that Mao initiated are unforgivable. When are the Chinese going to realize that they could have had a “revolution” without so many deaths? When are they going to realize that Mao set them back a 100 years or more? When are they going to realize that if they did back then what they are doing now, they might be as wealthy as the US today? Like I said, I don’t get it…
I expect that people will eventually stop eating entrails here as the wealth of the country goes up. I doubt that many Irish or Brits still eat sheep’s heads or kidneys. As they got more wealthy, they stopped eating the slop and went to the good stuff. Maybe in 20 or 30 years you will no longer be able to order duck webbing, goose intestines, fish heads, or tripe from a decent restaurant here.
Most of the crafts here will be very successful with the domestic market, but demand from the west will lag behind unless they make stuff that is more to the liking of westerners. With the exceptions of the silk rugs and pearls, almost everything else is geared towards the Chinese. It will be interesting to see what happens as people’s spending money goes up here. They will be able to buy the cloisonné that their parents only dreamed about owning. On the other hand, it will become more and more expensive to make this stuff as wages go up. It will be interesting to see what happens, but this may be the golden age for crafts such as silk rugs and cloisonné. It may just be too expensive to make here anymore in 20 years…
They are very proud of the fact that the olympics are going to be here in 2008. Our guide was quick to point out signs and the new stadiums. He even suggested that we pose in a certain place at the Great Wall in order to get in the “2008 summer olympics in Beijing!” sign in the background. He seemed a little annoyed/dismayed that we didn’t react with glee when he took us to an official olympics souvenir stand. We couldn’t think of a polite way to tell him that we really don’t care…
I’m sure other things will pop into my head later, I’ll add them later.