The Hindu Business Line : Bustling Beijing

Favourable first impressions began with the quick checkout at the airport. One then emerged onto broad highways leading away from the city to the hotel. Graceful trees lined the route and rose hedges lent spurts of colour. Automobiles of global make streamed out from under ornate arches, with road signs in the local language, and English too, at some points. Company hoardings here and there lent their air of private enterprise. There was some traffic hold-up but nothing alarming.

Games a-coming

Later, during a brief trip round the city, Beijing came across as an Olympics-conscious capital, busy building its infrastructure and image. With China hosting the games in 2008, construction activity was concrete. Alongside huge condominiums in various stages of readiness, we passed a building whose exterior looked like a maze of soccer balls.

The mascot for the Olympics is a set of five dolls, the `Five Friendlies' that, put together, say `Welcome to Beijing.' Images of the dolls, giving that ethnic touch, caught the eye as we went around. It looked like what our bus guide, Flora, told us would come true: 2008 would be a year that would touch every Chinese's life.

Space - a big squeeze

Inside Beijing city

China's capital, more populous than Mumbai, is growing out of space. Residents are squeezing themselves into commercial apartments, 15-18 storeys tall, which loomed in all directions as we drove along smooth stretches or curved into the ring roads. The apartments come with a big price tag, naturally.

Jade beauty

Green signals progress, and rather aptly, all round us, the jade stone made its presence felt. The restaurant we stopped at for lunch laid out a feast for the eyes first — huge jade vases alongside small, exquisite figurines and jewellery.

We saw some other unforgettable sights too — an uprooted tree being carried in a truck to put down roots elsewhere; a man carefully cleaning crevices on the wall of a bridge, suspended in mid-air in a booth-like bag.

The city's eye for detail was evident. One caught sight of a double-decker train too. Meanwhile, the cyclists pedalled energetically in their lanes, keeping pace with the flow of traffic. Some stretches, though, especially away from the heart of the city, waited for that coat of polish.

Say it in Chinese

The language barrier was frustrating. While the staff of the top hotels spoke some English, away from the city, we had to gesticulate furiously to get understood. But no effort could bring yoghurt to the table. When we asked for bread, the three pretty young women who waited on us conferred briefly and then gave up — they did not serve strange animals.

The Silk Street

The local shopping destination our guide took us to was more a multi-storeyed complex than street. It displayed bags, shoes, jackets, shirts and trinkets. Advice from a fellow traveller on the flight to Beijing came to mind at the right time: If you go to Silk Street, start bargaining at one-tenth the price quoted.

The shopping operation is somewhat along these lines: You see something you like hanging in a shop, finger it gingerly, and ask haltingly, "How much"? Immediately, you are caught by the arm and drawn inside, and the vendor whips out a calculator. 200 yuan, she punches the price.

The mind races to come out with one-tenth of that, and then multiply it by 6 for the rough rupee equivalent. You turn away, looking resigned. Wait, says the vendor. She thrusts the calculator into your face and hisses: `Put in your rate'. `20 yuan', you punch in.

She takes a minute to mime that you are slitting her throat with your bargain, rolls her eyes expressively — and then wraps up the gift for you.

The shopping ends on a high note of praise: "You from India? You clever!" Why tell her I rode up and down the escalator for nearly 20 minutes to drum up confidence to begin the rounds?

Tips

If you are a vegetarian, believe the horror tales that filter through to your part of the world — and pack ready-to-eat veggie stuff while in China. But the teas — including one with a delicate whiff of jasmine — are a treat.

Beijing is flooded with fake currency. If you are changing your money, say getting new China yuan notes for a $50 note, it is better to go for smaller denominations: 1, 5, 10 yuan notes rather than 20 or 50 yuan notes. For, at the end of the day, if you are at the moneychanger's counter, fake notes of smaller denominations that cannot be exchanged won't hurt so much.

Carry your address in the local language; taxi drivers generally do not speak or read English.

Can a trip to Beijing be complete without mention of The Great Wall of China or The Forbidden City, which represent quintessential Chinese culture, as against the modern face of Beijing? But more of that in the next part.

PICTURES BY THE AUTHOR