Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Fortunately, not everyone is like this, but unfortunately the wealthy and their glittering
goods can shine such a blinding light on the day-to-day life that you sometimes find your-
self looking at the city through glasses that are anything but rose-colored. Rather than see-
ing the good, it becomes easy to see greed and arrogance. Step out to cross a road and a
black Audi muscles its way past you; suddenly all your blissful thoughts burst like soap
bubbles. Breathe deeply, and think back to your lovely Chinese teacher or your charming
colleague.
An easy way to access the warm spirit of Beijing is to spend some time within the Se-
cond Ring Road, where
hútòng
life is still strong and the sense of community apparent. The
majority of people here are Beijingers who have been in the city for generations. Folks sit
around in large groups late into the summer nights and are extremely neighborly, sharing
food they've cooked or brought back from the market, or jumping to help when a prob-
lem arises. They're extremely proud of their heritage, and will spend an hour telling you all
about their culture and traditions if you give them an ear. Sadly, this flavor of life begins to
disperse as you leave the limits of the Second Ring and is almost nonexistent between the
Third and Fifth. In the older apartment communities, resident retirees will say hello as you
come and go, and keep an eye on your bicycle for you. In the newer, flashier complexes,
life is anonymous. Get in the elevator of your apartment complex on your way to work in
the morning and your neighbors may be more likely to stand preening themselves in the
mirror on the way down than to say hello.
The Chinese pride themselves on being hardworking, and in your time here you'll meet
people who will validate this idea in every regard, and others who will blot it from your
mind entirely; you'll encounter people who'll go to extraordinary, selfless efforts to help
you, and others who won't lift a finger or simply raise a suggestion if your issue strays even
slightly from their immediate area of concern. It's this constant stream of contradictions
that keeps Beijing intriguing. There are those who are fiercely nationalistic and those who
try feverishly to assimilate to Western ways; there are many who look down on physical
risk-taking as an insult to their parents who gave them their body, while others play chicken
with cars and buses while riding their scooters. Some value beauty above any other qual-
ity, and some dress for work like they had planned to spend the day at home on the couch.
There are twenty-somethings who giggle with embarrassment when you ask them if they
have a boyfriend and others who use abortion as a regular form of contraception. Some are
