Beijing Trip Summary and Reflections on China

Here is a quick summary of what I did on my trip to Beijing:

On day one (Friday, 7 October 2005) the tour group left at 1 am from Bangkok on a Air China flight. We arrived in Beijing around 7 am local time. Beijing time is one hour ahead of Bangkok time. We went to Lama temple. Then we ate lunch. Then most of us took a nap. Then we saw an acrobat show. On day two we went to Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Summer Palace. On day three we went to The Great Wall, a Chinese Traditional medicine company, a Jade company, Dr. Tea company, and shopping at Wangfajing walking market. On day four we went to the Temple of Heaven and its park. Then I met Chris Johnson at lunch. He’s a friend of mine who teaches English an hour away from Beijing. We then went to a pearl company. Then we went shopping again for three hours. After that we had dinner. Then two of my friends left to catch a train to Shanghai. The rest of us went to the airport. I got back to Bangkok at 1 am local time on Tuesday.

Before I give more details I want to write some of my thoughts and questions about China.

Is China a country forgetting its past as it creates its future?

I’ve wondered how much contemporary China has preserved from its ancient past. China was once mainly Confucian, Buddhist, and Taoist. Nearly all of that is gone. My tour guide and other people who have been to China told me it is an amoral society. It could be because of communism or Maoism. Mao Zedong (sometimes spelled Mao Tse Tung) came to power in 1914 (I need to check this date). The Cultural Revolution wiped away many intellectuals and traditions of the past. The cultural change also could be attributed to the economic boom.

How will communism and capitalism mix in the capital of China?

"Socialism with Chinese characteristics" is the phrase many scholars use to describe China's political and economic model. It doesn't fit into any category exactly. Communism in theory means everyone is equal in terms of their standard of living. China is surely not that today and never really was. But certainly it has many institutions controlled by the government. Deng Xiaoping led reforms to privatise many of these. In Beijing the system seems to be working well. The city looks modern. The government seems to be firmly in control of society, yet most are prosperous. Of course there were still beggars in the city. But overall, Beijing looked impressive and poised to host the 2008 olympics.

Will I witness any public government crackdown on dissent? Will I feel watched?

I only saw a few minor conflicts. A cop chased some young men who were passing out advertisements printed on small cards. A man in Tianaman square shouted at cops and pounded his hand against a van parked in the square. A crowd was forming to watch but I didn't see what happened because the cops motioned for us to disperse.

All tours to Tiananman are required to be filmed. I don't know if this is because they are used to identify foreigners or if it is simply to pressure tourists to buy the video. I didn't try to test the government and find out how much I could do.

Chinese Economy

Many economists predict China could have the largest economy in the world by 2020. Meanwhile, America has a huge trading deficit with China. Obviously, America’s status as a world-superpower is being challenged.

The China Yuan Renminibi or RMB is the most widely used currency. Currently, the exchange rate is 1 US dollar to 8 RMB. (1 USD is equal to 8 Hong Kong dollars.) The RMB has only recently been changed so that it is not pegged to the dollar. American economists have been complaining that the Yuan is still too low in value. They also say it creates an unfair advantage in the global economy. Chinese labor is very cheap because there are so many Chinese workers and the government has not allowed unions or forced companies to raise workers’ salaries very much. As a result products are usually cheaper as well.

Beijing certainly looked like a booming metropolis. My first major impression of Beijing was how big everything was. The roads, skyscrapers, malls, temples, and parks are huge. Tiananmen Square is the world’s largest public square according to a Lonely Planet guidebook.

I read an article from Reuters. It said that China has the seventh biggest and the fastest growing economy. Experts warn that inequality in China is a major problem for the future. If China is to maintain its economic boom it will need to spread the wealth. Protests and mass discontent could stop economic growth and also topple the Chinese Communist government. The Chinese government recently approved a five year economic plan to address the problem.

Beijing and Bangkok

I could not avoid drawing comparisons between the two capitals. Beijing is much cooler in October. I’m glad I brought a long sleeve shirt that I have worn on only a couple of trips to Northern Thailand. Beijing is better organized. The traffic was much better. The whole time I was there I didn’t experience any traffic jams like the traffic nightmares in Bangkok. Many people riding bicycles there. I only saw a few motorbikes and Chinese “tuk-tuks.” Tuk-tuks in Thailand are motorbikes with carriages attached. The Chinese ones are thinner and less noisy.

There were also less street vendors. Some guys sold apples that were very dry and bland. One stall by a large shopping mall sold caramelized fruit. I spotted some stalls in a back alley selling things like squid on a stick. In the same alley there was a vendor of pirated DVDs. They were even cheaper than Bangkok.

Here are some quick facts about Beijing below.
Population: 13.8 million
Number of cars: 2 million
Number of taxis: 63,000
Number of high rise buildings: 2000+
Expat population: 50,000

Information from the Lonely Planet Beijing City Guide.