History

Despite Beijing’s long history as the capital of the Middle Kingdom, the city has a surprisingly cosmopolitan feel to it. Following Deng Xiao Ping’s utterance in Guangdong, extolling the virtue of being rich, Beijing has taken the fast track to development over recent years with Hu Jin Tao’s hand at the tiller. China’s ancient seat of power bursts with extraordinary experiences. You are more likely to notice the numerous European cars and shopping malls along the boulevards and avenues than Mao jackets and bicycles. Beijing is rapidly becoming the modern city it has longed to be; everything is gearing up for the 2008 Olympics. However, look beyond the new hotels and office blocks and you will still be able to find numerous reminders of Old Beijing. A relaxing stroll around the hutongs (traditional narrow alleyways) and imperial parks can be followed by an indulgent meal in one of the fabulous restaurants, finishing with drinks in a nightclub with a pneumatic dancefloor.

Politics

A lot has changed in the running of the country since China’s ‘opening up’. Although the Party has a large presence in the city with its numerous government buildings and uniformed guards on every street corner, no one really notices. Beijingers are more concerned with their jobs, their children’s education and buying the latest digital camera. Socialism with Chinese characteristics exists in the form of state-controlled capitalism, without the democratic processes to slow down decision making. All decisions made by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) are made public at the annual National People’s Congress (NPC), which Western journalists eagerly await. Resistance to the government doesn’t exist in day-today life. Most locals spend their time watching Yao Ming play for the Houston Rockets and hoping that China will beat their island neighbour Taiwan in the next Asian Football Cup in 2007.

The press is rather tame, although from time to time a publication may ‘disappear’. The state-run English-language paper, The China Daily, is a good read for interesting analyses of both foreign and domestic affairs.

Religion

The five religions of China are Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism and Protestantism. Confucianism is thought of more as a social system than a religion. There has been a recent upsurge in the number of Buddhists attending temples, but Christianity is still closely monitored— the CCP still doesn’t recognise the Vatican and appoints its own priests and bishops.

Economy

It is nearly impossible to pick up a newspaper or journal without reading about the growing might of China. Every country and company wants a piece of the action and the kow-towing will continue for quite some time. As China comes into line with World Trade Organisation regulations, its economy appears to become more tightly controlled. Foreign investment is kept to a manageable level, below that of majority shareholder, reducing the problems experienced by other tiger economies of capital flight and repatriation of profits. Allegations of corruption in the state’s banks have again brought to light the problem of non-performing loans (NPLs), which have now reached astronomical levels. Whereas the industrial east is enjoying huge levels of investment, much of the rest of the country is in dire poverty with many farmers and labourers still waiting for up to two years’ back pay, causing increasing unrest. The government’s response to Western finger-pointing is a sound ‘get your own house in order first’, which is what China appears to be trying to do right now.

Population

The population of China is nearly 1.3 billion and growing. The ethnic majority is the Han, who account for more than 92% of the population. The remainder is made up of 56 ethnic minorities, the largest being the Tibetans, Mongolians and Uyghurs.