Beijing is far and away the most "becoming" or "on the way" city S or I have ever been to. The air of the future wafts through the air (carried, or course, by the smog). There are impressive collections of ancient imperial buildings (the main tourists draws, e.g. the Forbidden City), but the Beijing that is leading China's furious economic development (China's economy is predicted to overtake Germany's No. 3 position by the end of the year) can be found in its ever evolving skyline of corporate towers, banks, swank hotels, and posh shopping centers. Beijing has the feel that New York must have had in the first quarter of the 20th Century: teeming with life and casting itself with the confidence that the world will soon follow suit. And indeed the city evokes the sentiment that we are at the beginning of the end of American global hegemony.



Nowhere can China's global aspirations be better seen than in its proud and intensely focused energy on the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The slogan "One World, One Dream" is pasted all over the city and vendors of all sorts are already peddling T-shirts, hats, and other Olympic paraphernalia. All of the major historical monuments are under renovation, which, in the Chinese context, seems to mean rebuilding more than anything else. Much of the Forbidden City is, for instance, in under scaffolding. This didn't disappoint us too much as we share a fundamental allergy for all things imperial and royal (NB: on our week long Paris trip two years ago we willfully avoided Versailles and plan never to go!) There is, after all, only so much interest one can feign in buildings constructed for the purpose of receiving presents on one's birthday! There can be, however, I admit, aesthetic value to such things, but my proletarian sensibilities will always protest.



It is sad that all this construction has resulted in the razing of what many would argue are the most culturally interesting areas of Beijing. These are, namely, the famed Hutongs -- labynthine windy-street neighborhoods that once proliferated in this imperial city, but which now face the threat of extinction as huge boulevards and thoroughfares slice their way through town. This said, some of the Olympic contruction projects are truly amazing. First amongst them is the new National Stadium, which is without a doubt one of the most inspiring architectural forms that we've ever seen (for a picture see: http://www.worldstadia.com/ws/show-page.php?menuCommand=stadium&menuData=827).