Beijing (off off Tokyo): August 2-4, 2010

I walked around Beijing and Shanghai in the first week of August.

It was my first time to visit Beijing in about 10 years and Shanghai in about five years.

I was impressed with the rapid development of the country and the dynamic energy from the Chinese people.


All people I met in Beijing said that the city has completely changed in the last five years. What triggered the changes was, of course,  the Beijing Olympic Games.

Wangfujing, the city’s busiest commercial area (only two blocs east from Gugong and the Tiananmen Square) was crowded with shoppers as ten years ago. But the appearance of the area was quite different.

It has been modernized and cleaner. New shopping centers and department stores have been developed. Gucci and other famous brand companies have stores there.

There are also traditional Chinese shops and restaurants in the area. I enjoyed Peking Duck dinner at Quanjude.

Qianmen’s shopping street (south from the Tinanmen Square) was also redeveloped before the Beijing Olympic Games. Traditional Chinese stores, brand shops and many other shops were there. The street was off-vehicle

Some old towns are preserved.

Many old houses – most of them are traditional Siheyuan -- remain in the northern part of Gugong. Eash house has a garden inside and they grow trees (mainly jujube trees).

Many tricycles were waiting tourists in some parts of the area when I visited there. Most of the drivers are from rural areas. They are reported to be low paid and are spending hard days. The rich-poor gap problem was there. But I also saw some drivers talking by their mobile phones while driving their tricycles.

IT companies and IT shops gather in Zhongguancun, northwest part of Beijing. Is is about 45 minites by subway from the central Beijing.

Beijing University and Tsinghua University are in the area. The Founder Group, the Lenovo Group, and the Stone Grouu have grown from the area.

Electronic shops were crowded with people. Traders sell watermelons outside.

The city's scene from the Park Hyatt Hotel's bar in the 63th floor was excellent.

Beijing Map