Beijing is a city on the rise. It may lack the futuristic glow of its southern rival, Shanghai, but it’s been busy re-inventing and renewing itself for the shop window that is the Olympic Games of 2008. The Games are widely seen in Beijing as an unparalleled opportunity to sell the world its own – and China’s – past greatness and future potential. Impressive new buildings and venues are taking shape while old ones are getting facelifts. Everything from the subway system to the air quality to the English-speaking level is being improved. Beijing is a city of opposites and extremes, a fascinating mix of old and new, Chinese and foreign, communist and capitalist. There’s a Starbucks outlet in the Forbidden City, souvenir vendors behind Mao’s mausoleum and an ultra-modern French-designed opera house close to the staid Soviet-influenced Great Hall of the People.
This is one of the great sightseeing capitals of the world and as it receives the mother of all makeovers, this might be just the time to visit!
