Happy Easter from Beijing
I’m in China for a week of sight-seeing, research for one those Someday Scripts I hope to eventually write. The project is very much Old World, so most of my time has been spent tromping around the Great Wall, the Summer Palace and the Forbidden City, getting a feel for the architecture and details that you don’t really find in a book.
While the historical landmarks have been everything I hoped for, the real surprise has been modern China. It doesn’t feel anything like the Orwellian state I read about in high school. All the Business Week articles about China’s rush into a market economy understate the degree to which it already feels First World. People have cooler cell phones. They own their own apartments. Beijing feels like it could host the Olympics next year — although they have until 2008 to finish the new subways and all the other improvements underway.
I’ve been to St. Petersburg, which has a similar beautiful-buildings-to-ugly-cinderblocks ratio, but the mood couldn’t be more different. Beijing feels like it’s on a massive sugar rush, and the people in the park seem genuinely happy. It’s like Los Angeles, with more smog and darker hair. That doesn’t sound like a rave, but it’s actually pretty cool.
My advice is to come before the Olympics, when everyone will see how world-ready it is. Mandarin is notoriously difficult to master, but it’s pretty easy to pick up basic traveller pidgin: hello, excuse me, where is.., is it here?. As I overheard one expat Texan say over cocktails: “It’s easier to speak than to understand.” A great double-entendre, which in this case is true.
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March 27th, 2005 at 11:24 am
I’m partial to Shanghai myself, but Bejing was a pretty cool city when I was there, kind of like Los Angeles, but with bicycles instead of cars.
I was quite surprised to find Roger Moore narrating my guided audio tour of The Forbidden City. I hope you took the 2 mile bobsled track back down from the Great Wall.
March 27th, 2005 at 2:18 pm
that’s kinda funny. I’ve been cooking around in my head an idea for a script based around the boxer Rebellion of 1900, which takes place in tiensin china. They made a movie about it in the 60’s with brando called “55 days at peking”. Any similarity to what you’re hoping to someday do?
-M@
March 27th, 2005 at 3:21 pm
Speaking of “double-entendre’s” Did anybody realize that Ringo Starr was the unparalleledmistress of these? John (Lennon) said that; “Ringo would get pissed and just accidentally come up with them…” Like; Hard Days Night, Rubber Soul, Finger Pie etc. I’m trying to think of some of my other favorites…
March 28th, 2005 at 1:59 am
I’ve wanted to go to one of the last remaining Shaolin Temples in China, I heard it’s right next to the airport. Of course the guys in the temple aren’t Shaolin, but hired actors lol.
Speaking of which, Matt. I’ve always wanted to do a story of the Boxer Rebellion, specifically of the massacre of the Shaolin. Thought their bodies were impervious to bullets… Poor guys.
If you couldn’t tell, I’m huge into the Shaolin, got a script I’m working on about them (but fantasy based).
March 28th, 2005 at 11:12 am
No, no, me! I’m working on a Shaolin script.
Dammit…
March 28th, 2005 at 3:26 pm
You’ll probably beat me to it, cause I have to finish this other one first. God I’m so far behind.
March 28th, 2005 at 9:38 pm
Hey John
I’m soooo envious. Did you go on your own, or with a tour package?
March 28th, 2005 at 9:52 pm
Sweet. So i’m not the only crazy guy who likes the boxers.
My story is more going to be from the american perspective in the whole battle. I’m cooking on like.. 2 other ideas now though. so it’s a while off for me.
-M@
March 28th, 2005 at 11:49 pm
We just figured out our own itinerary, no tour groups or busses. Taxis in China are crazy-cheap, and the subway (at least in Beijing) is very Western-user friendly. For longer distances, like going to the Great Wall, we hired a day guide through Panda Tours (which is affiliated with Grey Line). No fuss, no muss.
What’s ironic is that the Chinese appear to be big tour-group people. Every place you visit, you see giant groups of visiting Chinese with matching hats or jackets, following their guide who holds up a flag to keep them together.
For the record, my script doesn’t involve Shaolin or Boxers, so by all means, continue writing your own.
March 29th, 2005 at 2:35 am
Wait… Asians appear to be big tour-group people? I can’t believe it. You’re telling me that every Godzilla movie is right?
No Shaolin, No Boxers rebelling… If its TaxiCab Confessions: The Chinese Connection, I have a script that I have to throw away 
All kidding aside, have fun John. Oh, couple question.
Do they have an AmericaTown in China? I think here in San Francisco we boast the biggest Chinatown.
And second, Can you drink the water there? Or is that only a Mexico thing?
March 29th, 2005 at 11:10 am
China’s the best! I lived there for 5 months way back in 1996 - wonder how much it’s changed since then. Last time I was at Tienanmen Square they had a countdown clock, showing the years, days, minutes, seconds until Taiwan was back under Chinese control.
Make sure to see Mao Ze Dong’s body while you’re there. He glows an eerie, eerie orange.
And, Americo - I don’t think it’s especially safe to drink the water - when i was there was always bought bottled. And no America town, as far as I know, but there is a great (or used to be) a great American bar called ‘Schiller’s” that’s close to the Lufthansa hotel and Hard Rock cafe when you could get good beers and buffalo wings and other assorted junk food stuffs.
Have fun John!
March 29th, 2005 at 4:32 pm
The countdown clock now shows the time until the 2008 Olympics.
No, you’re not supposed to drink the water.
I think the only AmericaTown is near Hong Kong.
March 29th, 2005 at 11:22 pm
I saw the countdown clock on television about a week ago. Very exciting it would be over there at the moment. I lived in Sydney during the 2000 Olympics and three years leading up to it.
The Chinese wearing the same cloths is something that you should get used to, but if there don’t have cameras their probably smuggling something (hint-hint to The Terminal).
April 4th, 2005 at 12:01 pm
At Slate.com, there’s a series of articles by a guy that went to China (his was a visit to “modern” China). You might find it interesting to compare his visit to yours.
http://slate.msn.com/id/2114775/
May 5th, 2005 at 9:49 am
Brando was not in “55 Days at Peking”, it starred Charlton Heston, David Niven, and Ava Gardner.