There seems to be a haze that hangs over the entire province of Beijing, not just the city - for the great wall trip took me through the countryside, where the same haze prevailed in the skies as it did in the city. Which makes it nearly impossible for you to get your bearings and to grasp how large the city is - quite simply, it's massive, and the smallest of walks take ten minutes. And then once you add overpasses and underpasses, it becomes quite a confusing mess. However apparently the city was restructured by the communists to make it more sensible, so they have several straight boulevards intersecting through the city - although these boulevards are ten lane freeways, you still cannot see ten blocks in front of you because of the dust and air pollution. Uniform government housing apartments don't help either. It is as if there is a mass of ancient chinese alleyways harnessed by grandiose communist design, both of which are sprouting sections of metropolitan Asian style tall glass buildings. There is no skyline in Beijing - even though it is apparently built in a square fashion with Tianmen square as the centre, it still doesn't make sense since you can never see Tianmen square unless you're a block away from it thanks to the haze. The haze gives the area a dream like quality, it adds to the surreal nature of the place in that you never really know what is going on, you're never sure if you're headed in the right direction or if you were just ripped off. There is an air of uncertainty about the city's growth, but I'm sure the Chinese political party have had it all figured out for quite some time. From what I can tell, Hong Kong will not become entirely communist, but China will not stay communist - it seems as though they are moving toward some sort of socialized capitalist society. If they can get it to work, it would be great for the country - but nothing in Beijing seems to work properly.

And capitalist customs are all but foreign here - the bus trip from the hotel I was staying at up to the great wall is a prime example. We had all paid our money for the trip, and had been given a receipt. Three days later, when it was time for the trip, we were standing outside waiting for the bus for 45 minutes past when it was supposed to arrive when someone went back into the lobby and asked a girl at the desk where the bus was - apparently it had broken down, and wasn't going to the wall today. It had been breaking down for the past two days. The westerners here were quite peeved indeed, and started telling her what she had to do - we all paid our money, so she should provide a different method of transportation to the wall - get us all taxis for the same price. "Expensive!" she said, smiling. "This isn't funny!" said a British fellow, and he was right. We paid for a service, got a receipt in return, they are responsible for fulfilling their end of what is assumed to be a contract. They don't understand this, just as they don't understand customer satisfaction - there is no real competition in China as we know it here, as the government makes sure everything is regulated in some way. If they got near bankruptcy, they would probably just get subsidized by the government.



Which brings us to the mystery of the Chinese communist system - how does it work? There are always people everywhere, just sitting around doing nothing. Does everyone here get a free house and car, and then a job? Or, do they just get a welfare cheque? Why are there so many beggars in a communist country? Perhaps because that's how they can make some extra money. And why isn't everyone happy with what they have? Why is every single Chinese person trying to sell you something? Old women approach you with apples trying to sell them to you, or have a basket with a melon and some leaves trying to sell the melon to you, and when you don't want the melon she tries to sell you the leaves, and if you don't want the leaves she'll try and sell you the basket. Are these people stupid, or just missing the point of capitalism? Not having to compete for their positions in life has made them a laid back people, and I am certain that none of them would hurt a fly - if only for the fact that they would be executed if they did. They have been raised to be passive and accepting, and perhaps their education system only allows for the most simplified of descriptions. The fabric of communist China has many holes in it.

And to top it all off, the city and its people are filthy - there was a canal that smelled of untreated human waste right beside my hotel, and at night people would socialize along the canal. I was practically gagging while walking along because of the smell. They are always spitting on the ground, and one night when I was taking a pedicab back to my hotel I saw people chucking raw garbage into piles along the side of the street - no garbage bags, just organic garbage, and huge piles of it were lined up along the street. In the morning, it was gone - is this their garbage collection? It must be the most unsanitary way to collect garbage. Bacteria runs amok in this city, and it's no surprise that bottled water is a big seller wherever you go - even up the great wall, where there are three or four locals following you all the way trying to sell you a Coca Cola, bottled water or postcards. Then when you say no and walk some more then stop to rest, they ask again. If you have your own water and were smart enough to bring it up with you, they'll watch and wait until you're done your bottle and then ask you again. I had a hell of a time arguing with a girl about postcards because she was trying to lower the price on me - she didn't understand that it wasn't the price, it was the fact that I didn't want the postcards. I had to say it three times to her, and she just looked at me dumbfounded. Once again an example of their obsession with selling things to foreigners.

But back on to dirt - there is so much dust and pollution in the city, that everything becomes covered in a layer of grime. They renovate their stone buildings by knocking out all of the walls inside, using hammers and human labour of course, creating even more dust. I didn't smell one pleasant smell when I was there, and here's some more food for thought - you know you're near a public washroom because you can smell it a good twenty feet away; foreign particles in their bottled water aren't measured in parts per million, but in milligrams. People don't take care of their city, and in many ways the city doesn't take care of itself - it's simply too big and disordered that anywhere except along the major boulevards falls into a state of neglect. There are a great deal of neglected things in Beijing, and probably all of China.

And within this madness there is an evolving Asian city which is becoming as cosmopolitan as Hong Kong, sitting alongside the ancient China and the communist China. The three don't seem to interact at all - if anyone ever said that there was no class system in China, they must be wrong. If there was no class system, then the guy fixing his bicycle should have the same opportunity as the guy whipping past him in his Audi. What seems to be happening is that China likes the success of Hong Kong and wishes to emulate its riches - by bringing in foreign investment to the city, allowing franchises such as McDonald's, A&W, and Domino's Pizza to set up shop, perhaps they are hoping to emulate the success of Hong Kong - not for the good of the average person of course, although these things will always provide jobs - but to get larger profits into the hands of the government, and who knows what they do in the government. People on the outside have no clue how the government works, and people on the inside are probably just as oblivious - one gets the idea that it's much like how the freemasons control the U.S.A. A select group of people which no one knows about are pulling all of the strings, and everyone must follow. Mao still resides in the dead centre of the city, his enbalmed body watching over the people. And the Chinese are taught to worship him, as the saviour of their country. Buddhists are permitted to do their practice, as are all other religions - but all Chinese are taught of the glories of Mao, and once again the communist system seem to become a simple excuse and complex tool of a dictator and his cronies. People seem so very insignificant in Beijing, and perhaps this is because of the lopsided opportunities that this equal opportunity system provides. Furthermore people are not as hard pressed to do a good job, as the government must have a thousand make work programs lined up. People restoring the great wall? Take your time. If you finish restoring it too quickly, the party will just have to think up another way to give all of you jobs. China's economy may never become like that of Hong Kong's because of its mandate to keep all people working and happy, although ultimately the work they receive might slow down the businesses because of the communist's desire to keep people in work and keep them out of unemployment.

But who is employed and who's not employed? Does asking westerners to buy your CD ROM count as employed? Hawking stuff on the street at night? Are there any taxes in this country? And I thought that there was some sort of law against informal gathering - but in Beijing, a crowd of 100 people can mass together in seconds. There was a McDonald's two blocks away from the hotel I was staying at, and at night a large stone area in front of it was cleared away, and a boom box was brought out, blasting Casio versions of soft rock hits. And people were dancing to it, seriously waltzing and tangoing to it. There were dozens of people unloading their wares onto the sidewalk beside the dancefloor, and in a parking lot a block away there were 50 people watching another 50 people get dancing lessons - and this happens every night. So howcome these people don't overthrow their government, if they can gather so easily?

Perhaps because the government is appeasing them. Allowing McDonald's in was a great move, their restaurants are the most popular in the country - on weekends there is a lineup to get inside any of Beijing's 5 or so McDonald's I am told. And beside that, the lack of free press surely tells everyone of the glories of China's communist system(or at least fails to mention its shortcomings), and no one knows different enough to call this into question - although I wonder about this, because Chinese people are permitted to travel abroad. However the oppression against change of the system is great in China - no officers on the street have guns, and only a handful of security guards in front of major banks have stun rods. So who has the guns? The military. And only the military. This ensures that any sort of uprising is dealt with quickly without any real retaliation, and keeps the average citizen in a state of paranoia about pleading for social change. I do not predict abrupt social change in China - a battered economy usually precludes abrupt social change, and China's economy is strong. However in 10 years Beijing will be a completely different city than what it is now, that I can guarantee. As for a sensible and efficient economy in China, it is doubtful that it would happen - maintaining a low unemployment rate leaves fewer people angry. And yet there are still a fair amount of beggars in Beijing.

Perhaps the most telling sign of the shortcomings of the communist system is the fact that everyone is trying to make a buck off of you - either people aren't getting paid enough, or they don't get paid anything at all and are simply provided with a place to live. As I said, it doesn't make any sense. The communist system seems to be a facade for an oppressive government. There is a massive sign hanging in front of the Chinese Museum of the Revolution which has a digital clock counting down the seconds to the handover of Macau in 1999. One has to wonder what China will focus on getting back after Macau - if it's Taiwan, then the whole world has a problem.

And you don't have to go far to see the effects of the government, as there are officers everywhere. But as I said, none of them have guns. However they appear to have unlimited power when dealing with civilians, and considering what we know about the harshness of punishment in China people are generally abiding. Of course as a westerner one is hassled, and it's a pastime of children to shout at you to try and get your attention. They're just curious, although I was amazed at how people still stared at me in a city with so many westerners like Beijing - one can imagine how bad it would be if you were in a more remote part of the country.

And driving in Beijing is a practice which takes great skill and nerves, good luck and a loud horn; people are always using their horn here. If someone is standing on the side of the road looking like they might cross, a car will just barrel ahead while honking. Traffic is backed up and congested beyond belief, which I suppose is to be expected; but what is not to be expected is the fact that some taxi drivers and miandi drivers(have any of you seen these? They are like oversized toasters with wheels, or very small minivans) pass slow drivers by swerving left into oncoming traffic and then swerving back into the right lane just before they hit the other car heading toward them. In Canada we have a two second following distance and a space cushion of several feet in every direction in theory - in China a couple millimetres between vehicles will do just fine. People will walk across freeways where everyone is doing 90 kilometres an hour, standing on the white line while two vehicles whip past them on each side. I only saw one accident, but it wasn't a serious accident. People are on their toes around here when it comes to roads, at least the drivers. On the smaller country roads there is no real driving law - if there's two lanes, just drive down the middle to pass the guy in the right lane and keep middle enough so that the oncoming traffic can drive around you. I saw many cars driving on the wrong side of the road for extended periods of time, which made me nervous when I saw them drive around a blind corner on the wrong side of the road.

But one positive thing can be said about China, and that is that their roads are in good shape, at least the highways. But on that same note, most of the taxis and vehicles that one uses are absolute garbage, so the good repair of the roads doesn't make a difference. And when on the roads, a driver is always competing with twice as many cyclists(ten times as many cyclists in Beijing - seeing three rows of parked bicycles 300 feet long is quite the amazing sight), mules riding carts, and massive work trucks. Bicycles are the main form of transportation in Beijing, even for goods - people have tricycles with a flat area on the back, and they pile items seven feet high on them. Cycling is big business in China, and I probably could have bought a bike for under 20 bucks if I had wanted - but since a 30 minute taxi ride usually only costs 5 dollars, there's no real need.

Which brings us to discussing costs - Beijing has a very wide range of prices. It is one of those places in the world where beer is cheaper than water - 40 cents for a bottle of beer, 60 cents for a bottle of water about the same size. And the beer isn't bad at all. My dinners were less than four dollars a night, and the youth hostel I stayed at had dorm beds for seven dollars a night. And on the other hand, it's not difficult to find a hotel which would cost over 100 dollars a night, and dinners which would run you over 40 dollars a night. The price differences are massive, just as the range of incomes in this city are massive - the impoverished families clinging to the safety net of the communist system alongside the rich travelling businessmen.

I actually had a chance to meet one of the better off businessmen in the city - a woman had met my parents and she was quite keen on me meeting this fellow, who is the deputy manager for China of Jardine and Matheson. His office was at the China World Trade Centre, so I walked there one morning and called him from the lobby. He was sort of confused at who I was, but was nice enough to take 40 minutes out of his schedule to talk to me over tea. It was interesting to meet someone who lived there, and get his opinion on the city. The building he works in is probably the ritziest in the city - expensive western stores everywhere, shining marble tile floors and walls. And then a block away there is some man with only one eye and two badly burned hands begging for money - sort of reminds me of the states. Except the extremes are far more apparent here, and even the nicest parts of town are still grungy - except for the occasional closed block of fancy buildings which have a security checkpoint.

His name was Jackson Wang, and he used to live in Vancouver - and the woman my parents met and whom I contacted, Judith, was very keen on me meeting this fellow. He helped me to make some sense of the construction of the city, although his explanation was only of marginal help as the city is too large and too all over the place to really get a good idea of anything in a short period of time. It was obvious that he was one of the people who had made the most of this city, although I suppose you could say that he is a foreigner working for a foreign company investing in China. Perhaps these are the rich people in China - the people from other countries doing business here, while the locals have no real means of ascending up their career ladder to that point. The classier jobs are perhaps external. Which of course creates a sort of class system in China of the haves and have nots - specifically the average Chinese person being a have not. At least, there are enough people down on their luck in Beijing for a woman and her kid begging me for money and not letting me close the taxi door. Or perhaps, that's what they do with their free time since they get their welfare cheque anyways.



And my meeting with him, on the morning just before I left, was sort of a small solution to the questions I had about the city - although as I said, I left with more questions than answers. Why are there so many beggars? How can all of those people just hang out at night around that foul smelling canal? Why does everyone desperately want to learn to waltz in Beijing? Why are the streets so poorly marked? Why didn't I see one dog on the street in the entire time I was there? How can they fly their kites so high - about a kilometre into the sky - without losing them? Why was that ginseng root in that department store selling for 580000 yuan, about 130000 Canadian dollars? If everyone is so poor here, why is Cognac such a popular drink? Why do the payphones use coins, when 99% of the money you receive is bills? Why is the subway design so simple, and yet to find an entrance from the street is so difficult? How exactly does the communist system work in the people's favour here anyways? And, above all, where in the hell did all of that blue sky on the postcards I bought come from? All I saw was a haze over everything, every monument and every part of the city and its surrounding countryside from the dust and air pollution. Which, I suppose, is pretty much how the city deals with itself - every part of the city is segmented and unique, but they are ultimately all a part of the same system. And perhaps by choice of the government, no one can get a real idea of the scope of the city because that may entail it developing a distinct identity, a direction, a real purpose, and if there is a purpose in mind things might get streamlined to suit that purpose, and eventually people may realize that the slow hulking behemoth of their social system is hindering their progress as much as it is helping them. A social safety net is something that these people should be entitled to, but there is a feeling of stasis to how people work here - not going forward, not going back. If they want to compete in a capitalist world, they will have to push for progress, which is occuring rapidly. However on that same note the progress is creating a class system, which will see a growing rift between the rich and poor, which may mean an increase in crime and social unrest. China's problem is a complex one, and it's no wonder why the city is so reluctant to embrace the capitalist ideal in its entirety. However the cautious approach of the government isn't keeping up with the gung ho feelings of the foreign businesses moving in, and the city has become a mysterious juxtaposition of the city's history at all points in time, from its beginnings as a maze of winding hutongs(alleyways), its unforgiving geometric constructivist communist designs borrowed from the Soviets, and the glass coated metropolis buildings of the late twentieth century. Perhaps, then, the haze that hangs over the city is indicative of its current state, as a transition point between the Dynasty era, the communist era, and the emerging free market era. As I said, in ten years this will be a completely different city - I highly doubt a violent end to the communist regime, but it may be so that within our lifetime China's economy simply dictates that the mid twentieth century model is outdated and due for a makeover. Of course, China may just assume the same thing of Taiwan. The answer to China's problems is unprecedented, and if any solution arises it will no doubt seem strange, simply because of all of the things it must address.

So in conclusion, I wouldn't recommend Beijing for the non-adventure traveller - apparently all of mainland Asia isn't good for inexperienced travellers(people seem to recommend practicing on Europe first). Although after dealing with a city like Beijing, everything else becomes that much easier. Beijing is as difficult city to be in as it is to understand - and the problem is amplified by the fact that just as the maps and streets of Beijing provide no real straight answers, nor do the people or the government. People are left to make their own assumptions, and who can be sure? China's definite future seems uncertain, but considering the amount of economic power it has, the people who say that the twenty-first century belongs to China are certainly right. Oh well, at least you get free alcoholic drinks on overseas flights.

-August 1998

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