FROM HONG KONG, CHINA

(click on thumbnail images to enlarge)

Foggy City

BEIJING, Mar 21, 2007 - I got to Beijing from Tokyo late Monday night (Mar 19).

But I had the first glimpse of the country I was going to aboard a China Air flight in Tokyo.  The only wall decoration in the first class cabin was this enormous Chinese flag.

I was surprised to see how busy the Beijing airport looked even though it was just before midnight.

This big mural welcomes a visitor to the Olympic City 2008.

When I looked out my hotel room window the next morning, I realized that things don't seem to change much.  The city looked just as foggy as it was during my last visit.

The Beijing Hilton lobby was quite attractive, done in modernized Chinese style...

... and an aerial view of it.

When I returned from work Tuesday night, a lovely quartet of Chinese girls played modernized versions of Chinese music on traditional Chinese instruments.

The following day was the first "sunny" day we have in Beijing.  And this is how sunny it gets in the morning...

By noon, the visibility had improved quite a bit.

This shot illustrates how the new and the old mix and coexist in the Beijing landscape.  An old an dilapidated neighborhood is surrounded by modern skyscrapers.

Back at the Beijing airport, I was getting ready to board my evening flight to Shanghai.

Before that, however, I spent some time in this Air China lounge from where I am sending you this travelogue.

On to Shanghai...

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