First impressions of Beijing

[imron]

Watch 'Beijing Bicycle' for some hutong scenes.

I too recommend the OP watches Beijing Bicycle.  It's a movie you'll never forget.

[Guest realmayo]

Oops! I saw it in a kind of cinema in London but have indeed forgotten everything about it!

[imron]

Better watch it again then.

[murrayspeaks]

Thanks , I'll see if I can find it

[Guest raymondblcu]

as a native speaker, when I first came to the capital of my country,  I felt it was so large and I was put in the center of China.

[abcdefg]

2006. The thing that stands out in my mind about Beijing was the crowd dynamics. Getting on or off a subway car or a high rise elevator had a feeling of supreme urgency I had seldom before experienced. Kind of like trying to make your way out a theater as it erupts in flames. A form of mortal combat.

 

I also remember the friendly girl I met who made me feel welcome and at home in only a couple of days. A casual encounter of the very best kind. What a kind and sweet person.

[murrayspeaks]

Thanks

[NotChinese]

My impression of Beijing is sadly nothing too special as I was there for only a few days and arrived in winter so I had little time to get a true feel for the place, plus the cold didn't help! I remember feeling like everything was very spaced out and far apart. However I didn't go to the typical hutong area south of Tiananmen where I'm led to believe it's a little more exciting. I've heard it said that, given the choice between Beijing and Shanghai, people say Shanghai seems more exciting but gets boring quickly, whereas Beijing takes time to grow on you but you'll come to love it much better. Even though I don't have experience myself, I think I can agree with that. Shanghai is quite tightly packed and easy to do stuff, whereas Beijing does have that spread out feel - I think if it takes time to learn a place you always gain more of a sense of depth and connection as you're really discovering it for yourself rather than having everything readily in front of you.

 

@StChris (Page 1) - An absolutely brilliant response; you have just single-handedly reignited the almost dead flame in my forgotten travelling heart. I all-the-more can't wait to get back there this summer.Thanks!

 

And this:

 

 

 

 I distinctly remember that there were two westerners living at the hostel who were studying Chinese. I remember being completely amazed that they were able to order food in Chinese when we all went out together.

 

Heh, very true indeed. In hindsight now it almost seems a bit silly being so amazed by a westerner being able to speak Chinese - I had my year there learning it myself and got to know quite a few who were basically fluent - but the truth is that before this I had never met a soul who could read, write or speak a jot of that utterly alien language, and it was alien to me until the day I set food off the plane. So yeah, I really feel you on the part about being so amazed by such a thing.

[Liliya123]

To be honest, as a Chinese, I can't imagine how much efforts that a foreigner needs to make in order to have an impression of comfortable life here... Everywhere is so crowded and everyone is yelling. I don't feel it's a place for long living.