Greetings from Beijing! I hope all is well. As I write this brief promised update on life abroad, away from the comfort of Stanford University, I cannot help but comment on the white "snow" floating outside my window: pollen from the nearby poplar and willow trees. Welcome to Spring in Beijing!
I arrived here on Ma
rch 30th, greeted warmly by faces familiar and new in a dorm that can easily be mistaken as a hotel. Over the next few days, I gradually adjusted to the unique Beijing way of life: weaving through speeding cars in a cars-before-passengers traffic system, always carrying napkins with me as these seem to be luxury items hardly available anywhere, applying never-too-much lotion to counter the dry and dusty weather. Speaking of dusty, Beijing's reputation as an ultra-polluted city is far from mere fiction.On a lighter note, Beijing University (Bei Da) and the city itself have a lot to offer. Over the last couple of weeks, I have taken a variety of classes from outstanding Bei Da professors. The native students are extremely bright, hard-working, and modest in behavior and thought. Their educational careers are strict as it is very difficult to change majors and exams are frequent, even happening during weekends. Native student dorms are crowded and unpleasant. Outside the harsh academic environment, Bei Da is dotted by gorgeous magnolia flowers and cherry blossoms, encircled in historical
and modern architecture alike, woven by small rivers and bridges, and animated by the sounds of students and frequent notable visitors. Supposedly, the Prime Minister of Sweden presented a talk yesterday. Outside the campus, I have had the wonderful opportunity to explore the city in all its magnificence: partook in Stanford-sponsored trips to Summer Palace and Forbidden City, enjoyed a Peking Opera, and spoiled myself with a wealth of delicious cuisine and frequent trips to shopping districts. The 7-to-1 currency exchange rate can render one easily tempted to take out the wallet again and again, and again.Certainly, Beijing (and most of China) is modernizing. The "New Beijing" is a hallmark of skyscrapers and materialism. The architecture is indeed aesthetically interesting but living in this city has made me more concerned with its psychological effects on people, in how modernizing efforts
shape individual behavior and society. Whether urban development should be embraced is not a question with a simple answer. There is massive construction occurring at every corner of Beijing, some in preparation for the Olympics but most for urbanization within the greater context. It is difficult to stare at brick ruins and hear the sounds of motors running without questioning what was there and what will be there. The displacement of innocent civilians and the overtime labor of construction workers are heavy prices to pay for the sake of a lofty goal to "modernize." Skyscrapers and sophisticated architecture are not infrequent sites. These urban facets remind the citizens of the prospect of an improved city, a new way of life, and a reality that they cannot grasp just yet but will need to acknowledge eventually.Beijing is changing the course of its history, for better or for worse. China is no longer the weak nation of the past but falls short of "greatness" as is commonly conceptualized. I am fortunate to be a part of this important historical era and experience the pr
e-making of the Olympics and society thenceforth, hear striking stories from locals, and live day-to-day knowing that what I see and hear now may not be here five or ten years from now. Conversely, I am very pleased to also experience the source of China's pride in its rich history and culture. I eagerly anticipate my planned trips to the Great Wall, Inner Mongolia, Shanghai, Guangdong, and Hong Kong. A lot has changed since I left China more than a decade ago. However, as I indulge in comfort foods and heart-warming sightseeing, I fancy that the priceless personal Chinese connection has remained static.Zai Jian!
标签： Beijing, China, study abroad
posted by Susan at 13:14