Sunset at Tiananmen

The performing arts center which is really nice on the inside and where a saw a really great performance of La Traviata.

Fragrant Hills - A mountain park on the outskirts of Beijing

The plush surroundings of a Tsinghua University Conference Room

Classmates sing at the Karaoke competition for foreign students learning Chinese. Each performer gives a vague sense of recognition as people formerly known in the hallway, or around campus...

Experimental school for foreign languages!! But more often than not "foreign language" = English

Classmates performing a skit for our speaking class test. They look comfortable and relaxed here and for the most part they are. What they exude is freedom. I remember one Chinese asking me once if I thought the Chinese were free. At that time I did think they were free, at least in a political sense, but the true limit to the Chinese's freedom and that of anyone in a
developing country, is economic freedom. Economic freedom which grants a person not only greater
opportunities, but the imagination and confidence to pursue them.

The World Cup is mine at last!

This photo only proves that Beijing CAN have clear blue skies.

Dreamland park. A rural part of Beijing farmland which created this kind of flower park, marketed it on RenRen (The Chinese Facebook) and then drew out crowds of college kids.

English Majors at Tsinghua University act out Shakespeare. Camp gourmet.

At the Temple of  Heaven

The Summer Palace

People fishing (I think) with an umbrella at the Summer Palace

It has been a while since I have seen a river like this completely covered with vegetation. Hen Cool.

The Birds Nest at the Olympic Park. Named "Olympic Green" for some reason, and with no note of irony.

More of the Olympic Park

What I would call a typical Chinese summer lake at Tsinghua University. With big water lilies and weeping willows.

Me with my dormitory reception staff, who always asked where we were going, met our friends in the lobby, and were effectively, kind of surrogate parents...

And now for the person who has drunk everything, Jews Ear Juice! (Really a kind of Chinese Fungus)

And finally a last look at the Tsinghua grounds outside my dorm in Summer. The grass is unkept and rarely mowed, compared with U.S. Universities which keep things quite pristine everywhere. Let me suggest that it matters...still, I will miss this place.

Do I think China will be the leading economic power?
No,  At least not right now. China has to go through major government, legal, and cultural changes before they can become even a major economic power, much more or less the driving force in the world economy. Breathe a sigh of relief everyone, China is not that strong and will probably not make it to the top.

1. On the legal front China is still full of friction that prevents proper innovation and entrepreneurship. Accounting laws which tax gross revenue as opposed to profit means a company can still get taxed even if it makes a loss. Further, the accounting system requires that all receipts given to customers are approved by the government. This accounting system effectively limits supply. Yesterday I went to a lake to rent a boat with my girlfriend only to find that I could not rent one because they boat company was out of official receipts.  As a result boats stayed floating by the dock, empty and unused, the company lost out on profit, and we lost out on a boat ride. These relics of communism create barriers to the growth of great businesses and leaves success to those with the right government connections, or those willing to risk going around the system. An estimated 60% of all business in China is on the black market.

2. Chinese culture encourages replication and perfection, as opposed to innovation and efficiency. In his book Midler shares a story of a Chinese Emperor who when presented a fake reproduction of a work of art, so admired how close it was to the original he actually praised the creator as a genius in copying as opposed to a cheat. The culture praises someone who has taken the time to study, learn, and mimic to a point of perfection. The language itself which has 3000-5000 basic characters starts every child off with great skills in memorizing and recreating characters. This initial task in education sets the stage that learning involves brute force memorization and re-creation that seems to stick with every Chinese through life. Midler makes the point that any economy which only copies and does not innovate will always be one step behind and therefore can surely never lead, or be a driving force, in the world.

3. Chinese are savers and not spenders. People seem to feel that it is the accumulation of wealth, assiduous saving, which leads to power. However, the true economic driver of an economy is spending, and lots of it. Why do so many people want to come to America to start business? It is because Americans spend money. This kind of spending will not exist in a country of skin-flints, and in the long term, will actually stifle the creation of new businesses. I have met people in America who are actually afraid that China owns to much U.S. government bonds, and that one day, somehow, we will be so in debt to China as to be at their mercy. This view is not only irrational, but simply not true. A quick look at the government treasury bulletin will show you that the majority of debt is held by our own government and people, and of the 25% that is held by foreign countries, China only represents a fraction.

4. Chinese cannot accept foreigners as one of their own. Perhaps one of the greatest glories and advantages of America is its ability to welcome any kind of person and make them instantly American. There is little, if any, cultural pride in a America that can cause us to refuse a person. This unique feature lets America attract seriously talented people from all over the world to a a very big market and let them set up shop and add value to the economy without fear of an "old boys network" or "government xenophobia" to prevent assimilation. I was shocked in China when I was not allowed to stay at a certain hotel just because I was a foreigner. Try to make Chinese food, or call China your "home" and see how many of the Chinese let you. Yet, this one trait will certainly keep other smart foreigners from moving to China to set up shop in China.

5. Chinese are concerned with face, with looking like the real thing without really having it.
Anyone who has eaten a Chinese version of "Cake" knows this. It looks just like Western Cake
on the outside, but take a bite and what you get is the taste of wet cardboard. The face is there, but the soul, the part that really counts is not. This works in China for everything. Take for example the people, in his book Midler stresses that the Chinese dress modern, but the truth is that they are people in any other developing country like Central America or South East Asia. Everyone looks and acts like a graduate student, but they are not. Understanding this concept of face is the ultimate way to understand the world's current perception of China. Everything looks like China is growing fast, that China is improving rapidly, but taste the cake, look at the real China, and the true soul of it is simply missing and has a long way to go.

Do I think Chinese (Mandarin) will become a world language? The leading language of business?
No. Too many Chinese are already learning English, and further, as stated above, China still does not have it to lead the world economy, much more or less world entertainment. Even the Japanese which created, and still create, a wide array of popular cartoons and shows did not manage to supersede English, and it seems seriously unlikely that China will also. At Tsinghua University, where I currently take Mandarin classes, all the students speak English and several classes are taught in English. The majority of lectures are given in English, even by Chinese speakers. Speak to the students and most want to go to America or abroad to study. Nowhere is there a real feeling of confidence to stay in China due to its perceived power and growth in the world.

What about the Chinese people? Are they not more hard working?
Perhaps, but I think the truth of it is, that the Chinese are really just like us, and without the proper incentives, would not work any harder. In truth, I find harder working people who are more focused on personal development in America. So this fear of greater competition abroad seems unfounded. Factory workers have fewer days off and work longer hours, but as they earn more and more money this will definitely change. Currently the Chinese still look to America and Western countries for their opportunities, though they do not want to admit this. I recently went to an Amway conference. Amway is an American Company which sells health and cosmetic products through a multi-level marketing scheme. Basically friends selling to friends. The conference was full of votes of confidence, of achieving dreams, of creating pride for your family. At the end of the presentation every sales group took the stage to be recognized and shout their goals. Often people were crying. These were perhaps people who had really bad low paying jobs that selling products for Amway allowed them to escape. These people, the Chinese people, are just like any other. Looking for way to escape the bonds of their life, be independent, and bring pride to their family. They are not people looking to steal your job, or "take over" somehow. They are looking for meaning in their life.
Beyond it all, that has been the main theme in China. Despite all the development, despite all the smart students at the top University in China where I attend, you find people searching to do something truly meaningful. Many students here are following majors their parents chose for them, or majors that test grades allowed them to have. Once you choose a major, you cannot change. This leaves people with distraught lives looking for distraction or change, looking for new opportunities and choice, and often times this is translated to looking abroad.

Cappuccino at Charlie Brown Cafe, bought at Western Prices. A bottle of water is 20 cents USD, but the coffee is still 5 USD.

Peacock at the Old Summer Palace

A really really really really long Dragon Kite. 很长吧！

This is the train we took to Datong and WutaiShan. 6 hours, standing room only. But really not all that bad.

Dining car and view out at the desert landscape.

The caves at Datong. There are Buddha statues inside.

Another photo.

Ornate and I forget how old.　At least 1000 years.

Some of the paint still has not faded.

Some of the Buddhas were really really really big.

Road to WuTaiShan in the mountains. Shan is the Chinese word for mountain.

It is the first of May, but there is still snow on the mountains. Despite this, the weather is really not all that cold. Just beautiful spring weather.

The town of WuTaiShan. Home of many religions and many many many Buddhist temples. We spend the night in one, which is a bit like spending a night in a hostel, but is still a temple.

Bronze temple.

I get a fair amount of people staring at me, because to be honest, most of the time I am the only non-Chinese person around. Some ask me to take a photos with their child.

View after climbing over 1000 steps in 27 minutes. In the far distance is a white Pagoda built by the Hindus over 1000 years ago.

Another Pagoda. Around it are fliers written in the Tibetan language.

There are a lot of steps here. And gates too.

Back in Beijing and hanging out with my classmates and friends. There is Willian who is half-Taiwanese half-Japanese but is really Brazilian. Yannick from Gabon who will study international business at Tsinghua for 4 years. Then there is WeiWei who is Chinese  from Henan province and came to Beijing for 2 months to work for a while and experience the life here. She studies law and hopes to go to York in England next year. It is interesting to meet Chinese who have been in Beijing less time that we have, and how we know the city more. Weiwei talks about coming to Beijing and how she wanted to make a life for herself and be somebody and how this is true for so many Chinese...

Army soldiers near Tienanmen as we go to see Mao's body, still preserved and resting.

View of the forbidden city in Beijing from a park.

Temple at the top of the park.

This is a view of Tsinghua campus where I study from the 4th floor of the canteen where I hang out with my roommate and we chat on a lazy Monday evening.

A hutong street in Beijing that has really turned into an Urban revitalization project with trendy bars, restaurants, and office spaces.

It still has history though, and a 75 year old lady stops us to chat for a while.

People dancing in a square at night near Zhongwancun.

Weiwei will leave tomorrow and spend less time in Beijing than we will. We have a going away party and sing Karaoke till 1 a.m.

Inside Carefoure, a big mega-mart like Walmart. Always packed with people.

Rice for sale. Lots and lots of it.

Around Zhongwancun, a big shopping neighborhood, but there are a lot of shopping neighborhoods in Beijing.

Yeah, feed the birds, tuppence a bag.

Michelle, 我的迷人女朋友。

Flowers in a park, because it is spring. Etc...

That is mostly it. I am a month behind and have another month to catch up that includes a conference, seminars, mosques, and more. Will try to post again soon. Otherwise life in Beijing keeps moving on at a pace as I learn how to build stable websites, study Chinese, and plan trips to Japan and Korea this summer. Then I will travel in China in August, return home, see family, and then go to San Francisco.

Starting off we go 3-4 weeks in the past to a day trip out to a Hutong (small allyway village) in my home neighborhood of Wudaokou (五道口）. There is a girl playing with a real sword in this picture!

Here is the close up.

Me with my Chinese friend Emily who is a Tsinghua Electrical Engineering student and so smart it hurts. We study GRE English questions and have genuine debates over the answers. Despite my advantage, sometimes she is right. Haruka, my classmate, is also in this photo. She is a Japanese-Cantonese mix who grew up in Hong Kong but went to Japanese middle school and Australian Highschool. A true international in every sense of the word.

Me with Tsinghua business Proffessor Cheung. He is part of a holding company which owns 26 businesses, and he buys dinner for everyone after class.

At the semi-expat neighborhood of Sanlitun at night on the way to a club.

Inside Vix Dance Club. Almost all foreigners. Maybe 3 out of 10 are Chinese.

Scorpions for sale to eat at Wanfuqing street. They get deep fried and taste like nothing at all, except crunchy oil.

Other food on a stick at Wanfuqing.

Even more.

A view of Wanfuqing street.

The Candy Store at Wanfuqing.

Me with one of my Chinese teachers, Du XiaoJie. We call her Du Laoshi, translate: "Teacher Du"

Going to a tea house around Andingmen.

Tea ceremony things. Very touristical.

Outside a concert hall are my roommate and his friend. Inside we listen to modern classical music by a musician from Iceland.

Around the 798 art district.

More in the art district.

Me with the big bumble bee!

In around Caochungdi near the 769 art district. Caochungdi is a far out neighborhood, but laid back and more like home. I liked it right away, and still do.

Posters outside the Chinese dorm. My friend told me what they mean, but now I forget. Something like "take care of each other and work together".

Students' day at Tsinghua University. Students do student things and sing songs. They pull me up there to sing in English, which goes pretty bad to be honest, but that is what it is. :)

The Zijing Canteen where we usually have lunch every day.

Outing to a park at the military museum to see Cherry Tree Blossoms. We are too early for the blossoms, but the decorations are still nice.

Parasols at the park.

Lake at the park.

We go to HoHai at night after seeing the Cherry blossoms. Walk through the alleyways and find a restaurant.

Dr. Watson, the Nobel Prize winner, speaks about therapies to cure cancer, and his frustration at there still being no cure 40 years after the "War on Cancer" was declared by Nixon. I wrote an article for the school newspaper about it here.

Me with Danqi. Together we organize the English corner on Wednesday nights as a place for Chinese to come practice English.

English corner in action. I am constantly impressed by how well people speak English, and how much they all want to improve. Not just the Chinese, but even other foreign students in my class!

Special effects at the Neil Halstead concert.

Neil Halstead playing gutar. The venue name translates to "Many people can move mountains".

This is the outside of the music venue which used to be a political headquarters. Who would guess this lion marks the place of a rock concert?

Pandas welcome you to the Beijing Zoo.

We get to feed Giraffes at the zoo.

Statue at the zoo.

Free Sunday night concert out at the CaoChungDi art district. The weather was warm and the concert was very cool.

View of Wudaokou from a cafe were I sometimes study with my classmates.

This is some land mark, oh yes...the Great Wall!

Chinese students chill at the great wall and we exchange eye contact. Eventually they start talking amongst themselves. Then one of them comes up to me. "Hello, please may I have a hug". I smile and give her a hug, and everyone cheers.

Me at the Great Wall. Yeah, I was there. I wear a pin to celebrate the 99th anniversary of Tsinghua. Given to me courtesy of the News Center.

Me with some classmates who went on the trip also. Everyone is congenial, international, and cool. :)

That is all for now. I am studying for mid term exams and can't believe things have gone so fast. I am also planning a trip with some friends to Datong to see a palace in the caves and some Buddah statues. Will report back.

On the surface, this expo might appear as something underwhelming and mediocre. However, given the hot topic of Global Warming, or "Climate Destruction", an expo on energy innovations in heating and cooling systems quickly becomes interesting.

I don't know if it is because I arrived on the second day, or close to closing, but I found the expo to be rather calm and quiet compared to other expos I have attended. When I found my roomates's booth he burst into laughter, as he often does. Then, with a high degree of excitement, he took time to show me the various displays and innovations in Korean household heating systems. It was very interesting.

Afterward I wondered around the neighborhood of the expo, which contains a nice square. People play pingpong on outside tables and kids run around closely attended by their parents. It is a sunny day. I buy some almond milk and a pack of sandwhiches and enjoy this small family neighborhood. I like Beijing.

I take the 731 bus back to Wudaokou and run into a friend on the way. We chat pleasantly till the bus arrives. Afterward, I meet some friends and we go to an expat bar where everyone is celebrating Saint Patrick's Day. When I return to the dorm an American is chatting with the receptionist. I start talking to him also, and quickly realize he is drunk. This is a pity. He lives on my floor not far away. I keep talking to him off and on. Or more it is that he is talking to anyone who happens on his way. He is from New Jersey, has been in Beijing for many years, even started an English language school here.

"I hate Wudaokou bars" he says "all you have there are young 19 year old college kids who are going to solve cancer, and AIDS, and tell you how to run your life. They have never done any real work. I hate Wudaokou man!"

His conversation strikes me. This unabashed antagonism to idealism, to dreams. Why? It strikes home. I admit, hubris is annoying, but what is the alternative? Pragmatism? Giving up on dreams? Perhaps it is just to be silent and let your actions speak.

My roommate returns while I am talking to the drunk American in the hall. The American is now on some kind of strange rant and cursing. My roommate does not understand much English and stands regarding him with some curiosity and amusement. Like someone observing a strange creature at a zoo. In the end I tell the American I have to go shower and chat about the day with my roommate. Neither one of us mention him.

First view of Tiananmen. We wanted to see the body of Mao, but you can only do that after March 26. We pass through security checks to the square instead. At the end of it is a huge pile of cigarette lighters people were forced to give up.

In the square...

Toward the Forbidden City

You can buy refreshments here...

Hen duo ren

In the Forbidden City there are many gates...

You could see the city of Beijing in the distance, which was quite nice.

Giant pots, not sure what they are for...

In an inner garden, people throw 50 yuan notes in the water, the equivalent of 9 dollars!

bu zhi dao

The money thrown in the water (ice)...

Freezing and cold we catch the first bus that pulls up back into the city of Beijing. It is not always this smoggy...

A city of contrasts. Beijing is full of modern style buildings with unusual architecture. None of them are sky scrapers in the true sense. Instead it has these modern block buildings with tons of space around them. It makes you feel like you are in a vast landscape.

Inside a very posh and very empty 4 story mall on a Sunday.

Versace

Gates, I saw them riding my bike too, I think they are for Fuxingmen.

Really steep escalator.

Inside D-22 indie bar, to see a local electronics band called "White". The bar is mostly housed by foreigners and a few locals. We meet two of them who play several games of foosball with us. I talk with one

"Where are you from?"

"America", I answer.

"I have friends who went to America...I don't think they are coming back", he says.

I nod.

I thought about going to America, but then, I don't know, my parents are here...I think I will get married, get a good job, and have kids, and stay here." I look at him and nod. I understand.

This is the start of my bicycle tour in Guomao, which is "Downtown" Beijing. But I am convinced the downtown of the city is dispersed throughout...

That building be cool

At least 4 lanes on each side, sometimes 7. This is the main drag of Beijing, and goes past Tiananmen.

And then I make it to the Microsoft building, where I know my Chinese friends live, and call them to guide me back to the school so we can study Chinese and English. Tsinghua is full of motivated and smart students. I traveled with my roomate to the Library this morning (9:25 a.m. on a Saturday) only to find a long, long, queue of people waiting to get in when the doors open at 9:30. It was perfect. I loved it.


Thanks to my roommate for the photo.

Most of the people you meet here end the conversation with "lets play sports sometime" as opposed to the American greeting which is typically: "lets hang out sometime" or "lets grab a beer sometime". I played pick-up basketball on Sunday, it was no problem to get into a game.

The snow on Monday. The trees are covered with that scaffolding and plastic, I have no idea why, maybe to protect them from the cold? But it seems like a lot of bother...

A view of the gym and the road that I walk everyday. In the far distance is part of the urban sprawl that is Beijing.

View from the other side of the dorm. Those tracks lead into the subway, and to Wudaokou, the nearest subway stop, some 30-40 minutes walk away. But 5 minutes by the 731 bus which is right outside.

Same view more snow.

Beijing in the haze.

Tuesday was sunny and in the 50s so I had to go explore the city. At first I was just going to go shopping, but then I saw Tiananmen on the map, and thought "why not?"

Outside the metro stop. They were selling mini-Chinese flags.

Yup, stately government buildings are a feature in Beijing.

Moped on your right!

I don't even know where this leads...Forbidden city?

Walking and tourist stuff. I am not a good tourist today, as I am just on an outing...

People in a park.

While at Tiananmen I fall into conversation with two Chinese girls. Some mega-phone says something in Chinese I cannot understand. "Oh, the park is closing" they say. We turn around and go through a park. Encouraged from my last experience coming back from Guomao I do not feel much threatened. We keep talking for a while, till one of them goes into a tea house. The other invites me to come to. Alarm bells go off in my head from something I read on the internet (and guide book) about China: "Beware instant friends who will take you for a restaurant and leave you with a $100+ USD bill. I decline and we part ways. I walk down the street for 5 minutes, and double back toward the subway. Sure enough I see the two girls walking with a rough looking man. Definitely a close call, and a big lesson for the day. I think it is fair to say that all tourist places in the world are populated by such opportunists looking to take advantage of the naive. I remember in Paris vendors who would hand you roses and then demand payment. The whole process leaves you feeling a bit empty. Supposed good will is suddenly replaced with poor intentions. It leaves you doubting the human race, and what friendship and kindess even means. On the subway ride back to Wudaokou my heart is warmed again as people take an interest in my book filled with Chinese characters I am now learning. They help me pronounce the words and test me on the characters. I think what Kim said to me is right. Most of the bad people are just in the tourist areas, and so far, everyone else here has been genuinely helpful. This is the way things are.

Also, on the way back, I stopped at Xisi, just to see what it was like, well...here are photos...

Side walk...

Shops, and the "fenced in" bicycle lanes...

Beijing Ghetto Power Pole. "Yeah, so just take the wires from that box, and tie them to that tree, ok?"

Back in Wudaokou which is already starting to feel like my home neighborhood. It is for the most part a college neighborhood, international, with many bars etc...

Selling stuff on the streets, which so far, really only starts after 5p.m.

Waiting for the 731 bus back to the Tsinghua University...

"And remember, from this day forward, you will all be alumnus of Tsinghua University."

Here is a snap shot from the security talk given after the ceremony. The slide says "Do not addict in the alcohol".

After the talk I had my first experience of the Beijing metro on my way to meet Judith on an outing. The trains moved rather slowly (to me) and the stops are amazingly spread out. Often it takes 20 minutes to walk to a subway stop from anywhere! The metro is under extensive construction with many new stops scheduled to be completed by 2012 or so. It would definitely be a boon.

Here is a scene of more traditional architecture in the city.

Street Scene

Fireworks for the New Year. They are still lighting fireworks here at various times throughout the day. I can hear several loud bangs as I am typing this right now.

Bridge

Judith mit Ich chillin on the street.

Around Hou Hai I think?

Alleyways of the Central Business District

These represent a kind of traditional food in new years. The outside is a powdery kind of starch that is not very sweet. On the inside are different fillings. Typically lightly sweetened nuts.

On my way back to Tsinghua an American started talking to me. He was a Christian here coming to visit a Chinese Christian girl he met in the U.S. I told him I was going to Tsinghua which is when the lady across from me noticed and suggested that we traveled together, since the metro would be closed and we would not be able to change lines. Another Chinese man sitting next me was also going our way, and so joined in. The American man had to get off at the next stop. Before leaving he invited me to church.

On the way out with my new friends, they asked if the line was closed, then we all figured out what bus we needed to take. The lady asked the driver where the best stop was for me, and then wrote it down. Then she asked for my msn i.d. and I gave it to her before she left.

Now it was me and the man. We were still going the same way, and left the bus 3 stops down. We checked for more buses, but they were all closed. Then he gave me his business card, and told me in Mandarin that he was really Japanese and could not speak English. We decided to split a cab since we were going the same way.  My stop came first, and when I offered the man some money, he wouldn't take it. And so I left the cab, dizzy from all the goodwill and kindness on this journey.

I decided to walk the 40 minutes back to my dorm instead of catching a cab. It was 12 a.m. by now. I walked the relatively empty streets of the campus. A girl rode her bike by me, singing some mix of Chinese and Western opera at the top of her lungs, it was haunting and beautiful.

The Raleigh Airport. Feels strangely familiar.

Back in the big apple.

On the Cathay Pacific flight from New York City to Hong Kong. They have a power outlet for every seat, it can accept both American and Asian type plugs. I charge my Hong Kong cell phone and then work on my laptop...oh, and did I mention this was an economy seat?

Back in Hong Kong. It still feels like home and it is tempting to stay.

Kids play area of the solar system in the HK Airport

Arriving in Beijing, the airport is huge and clean to the point of looking like it was opened yesterday. Most all buildings in Beijing are huge and clean. The trip down from Hong Kong was full of teenagers going to attend some music competition. After all the warnings I got about Beijing being a tough city, here was a school group of about 100 kids and no more than 10 chaperones going to the city without a second thought. It was a very comforting revelation.

First view of a very foggy, smoggy, and cloudy Beijing. I asked around, and apparently this kind of weather is unusual, even for Beijing.

"The Birds Nest" One of the Olympic venues.

Random street.

A view of a cook in the cafeteria here at Tsinghua University. I was trying to get a photo of the man in the back who was making fresh noodles! (The noodles were good by the way, and cost 50 cents!)

Why is it so smoggy? Why does it smell like something is burning? Wait, is that a smoke stack outside my window? Why yes it is!

The bus stop to Wodaokou right outside my dorm. A single ride costs 10 cents or so.

A frozen river near the library at Tsinghua. Most (~90%) of the journals in the library were in English.

Around Tsinghua in winter...

The main building. Notice the layout of the plaza and the city. It feels very Soviet, though I don't know why I get that impression.

Another view of the same square.

I tried to get a photo here of a bulldozer trucking coal into a furnace, but couldn't. Basically though, that is what is happening. A friend told me they use coal to heat the school, and they burn the coal right on the campus! This is part of the reason why the smog is much worse in winter than the warmer months, and it is good that warmer months are coming...

Black sooty snow, though I guess it could get that way in any city...

I don't know why, but they have trimmed the branches around the trees, and built these plastic shelters around them. Also, there is no grass around, but just dirt. I think with the coming of spring, things will be much greener.

Staying on Tsinghua campus it has been difficult to get a good feel for Beijing as a city. What is certain is that it is a spread out, urban sprawl kind of city. The architecture of all the buildings is stately, impressive, and oppressive. Everybody I have met or dealt with has been extremely friendly, kind, and cheerful. I set course reacquainting myself with student life. Meeting people in the dorm, finding the library and gym, anticipating the difficulty of classes and the coming semester, and trying to make good use of free time. It feels like a departure from travel, and a departure from professional life. While, it does feel like a return to school, I remind myself of my current situation in life, my entrepreneurial aspirations, and take a proactive stance to make this experience more than travel and school put together. We will see what happens.