And so it begins...

Only two weeks here, and things are a tiny bit less overwhelming each day. I am officially an expat! Having fled my country, mired in political malaise, I now enter a few years of adventure with my new wife, delving into a fascinating melange. I'd have to say that Beijing right now is one of the most exciting places in the world to be at this juncture. With the Olympics of 2008 fast approaching, Beijing is bursting with intent to change, to show a good face to the world.

I look out from my apartment and see cranes just in front of me and on the horizons. Destruction and creation is everywhere in Beijing. The towers just below me are quickly rising higher, now obstructing my view of the Fourth Ring Road and the park beyond. Around them I still see the hutung behind it, a slice of old Beijing barely surviving here and likely doomed. The hutung is the traditional neighborhood of one-story courtyards, with small lanes, shared public bathrooms, small storefronts, tiny enclosed markets. Only twenty-so years ago almost all Beijing apparently was like that. Now, and especially with the Olympic pressure, many of those old areas have been replaced with high-rises just like the one I enjoy now. But don't weep too much for the loss of "old" Beijing. Those old courtyards had no plumbing or heating or sewage, and most Beijingers happily prefer the amenities of a basic apartment. Many westerners can be very simplistic in wanting to find the "real" China and seem to prefer some time-warped Disneyland stasis of demure footbound China dolls and bike-riding peasants. I much prefer the actual China! It’s a palpable explosion of individual expression, fighting daily battles against the one party machine. It’s a billion-plus longing to escape poverty, to reclaim a lost greatness, to enjoy the fruits of the globe. And Beijing, the capital of the country of the next century, on the cusp of China’s 2008 coming out party, is acutely aware of its central role.