Olympic Diary, Day 2: China’s lonely chairman
By my count, there are more Gucci stores in Beijing than there are barbeque stands. Thus far, Gucci: BBQ = 3:1. And it’s not just for the foreigners. It is because the people in Beijing are changing: Even the back-pocket-sized map of Olympic highlights refers unabashedly to the “rapidly disappearing hutongs” (densly packed, traditional Beijing ...
By my count, there are more Gucci stores in Beijing than there are barbeque stands. Thus far, Gucci: BBQ = 3:1.
By my count, there are more Gucci stores in Beijing than there are barbeque stands. Thus far, Gucci: BBQ = 3:1.
And it’s not just for the foreigners. It is because the people in Beijing are changing: Even the back-pocket-sized map of Olympic highlights refers unabashedly to the “rapidly disappearing hutongs” (densly packed, traditional Beijing neighborhoods). Stretches of Hugo Boss, Coach and Porche — literally rows of new cars on the sidewalk — line up in their place.
There are some changes just for foreigners, such as this “nonrecyclable” sign:
Who exactly do they think they’re fooling here? The sign on the left says “recycle” and the one on the right says “trash” in Chinese, but both go to the same bin. In today’s China, modernization only goes so deep.
But on this day — 08 08 08 — when China is supposed to throw its doors open to the world, the Forbidden City lives up to its name. Full tour groups, Chinese waving Chinese flags, and everyone in between were cleared out of Tiananmen Square today by soldiers. The middle of the city stood completely empty as if no one had thought to visit Beijing’s main tourist attraction on the city’s biggest day. If Chinese officials are waiting for a blue skies to open the Forbidden City to the public, we’ll be waiting a long time.
Guess Mao will be watching the fireworks all by himself tonight.
Editor’s note: Zoe Chace is an independent public radio producer who is in Beijing for the Olympics. She is traveling with her friend and advisor Lizzy Berryman, who is fluent in Mandarin and lived in China four years ago. She’ll be filing periodic dispatches for Passport about what it’s like to be in the middle of the world’s biggest spectacle, the 2008 Olympic Games. Got any questions or thoughts on what she should report on? Post your thoughts in the comments below.
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