Beijingren – Under Construction

"Our national bird is the crane," my Chinese friend laughs as we make our way through the dusty streets of Beijing. How right she is. No matter where I turn my head there are huge construction sites with those big iron monuments moving silently above the busy city people. We are like ants hurrying aimlessly while the surrounding facade is going through a complete makeover. It seems like no street looks the same next morning.

Beijing is going under the surgeon’s knife in order to have a beautifully sculpted face for the Olympics. But after the cuts and the implants, will we have a classic beauty in our hands or something more suitable for b-class adult movies?

The way I look at cities is that the city itself is just a shallow construction of various buildings, but the soul of the city is its inhabitants. I will not find Beijing more appealing when all old hutong areas are replaced by shopping malls. To me Beijing has always been a city of warm, curious and kind people. Beijing is Beijingren (Beijing people).

Now there is a sense of greed in Beijing that I haven’t felt before. All advertisements on the television offer the same luxurious lifestyle that only a fraction of the population can dream of. According to TV-commercials and magazines all you need is a Rolex, a Volvo and some skin-whitening cream to make you happy.Those with money have many luxurious shopping malls to choose from. (Image: Radio86)

The images promoting over-the-top western lifestyle are aggressive and practically everywhere. Even in the darkest metro tunnels there are flickering 3D-commercials to remind you of why people are squeezed like sardines during the rush hours. It’s to get that yellow Lamborghini which flashes past you in the tunnel! But for most of us in the metro it will only remain an optical illusion, a dance of neon lights none of us will ever reach.

In Chinese there are two ways of expressing envy. One is to withdraw, feel bad for yourself and complain about how unfair life is. I think this one is familiar to most Europeans! The other way to express envy is to say, ”I can do that too”, to be inspired by the success of a stranger on the television. Most Chinese I meet seem to think that hard work and a prayer to the right god (may your god be the clerk in the bank or an ancient statue in the temple) will bring you the cappuccino machine and that perfect nose.

Don’t get me wrong, I am no stranger to the joys of capitalism and do not want the Chinese to turn back to eating rice and tofu instead of Kentucky Fried Chicken (although that would be good for all of us!). However, copying western ideals that aren’t even reality in the west only leads to misery and confusion. The people sleeping on the streets, the illegal immigrants whose hands are building the city brick by brick, they are a long way from home, looking for their chance to strike imaginary gold. Just a few blocks from the main streets of Beijing is a completely different reality. (Image: Radio86)

So many people are promised their share of the mooncake. Never before in Beijing has a taxi driver tried to cheat me. Now it happened three times! But who can blame them? With their wages, that only child will never attend the yoga class which costs more than a week's salary. Never mind the taiji exercises people do for free in the parks...

It’s all about constructing the right facade. It’s all about appearance. Individuality is for those who have money and they need to show it. Like the nouveau riche who drive the same dark foreign car. Which actually makes them more a part of the mass than individuals, but at least they belong to the right mass!

But as always, fortune cookies are useless when trying to predict Beijing’s future. After the Olympics are over and the dust has settled down we will know what has become of the metropolis that makes London and Paris look like slow-paced country villages where nothing extraordinary ever happens.

No matter how tall and shiny Beijing’s silhouette becomes I hope the soul of Beijing, its warm hearted citizens, will remain intact. It’s the optimistic spirit, the welcoming faces, the unforgettable dinners shared with new friends that will make cynics like me return to Beijing over and over again.