Coming to China, I really had no idea about the composition of the city.
I'd heard about the rich history of the Forbidden City.
I'd seen photos of the Olympic venues.
I'd heard that business was booming and office towers were rising.
I'd heard walls had been erected to hide the poverty.
It's odd in the way that the traditional and the modern, the western and the eastern attempt to coexist in this country.
In the city, shiny new high-rises tower over the few remaining trees. With so many cars in Beijing, so much road space is required.
It usually costs an entry fee to see the traditional areas of China but some are visible from the expressways, poking out awkwardly between global monsters McDonalds and KFC.
The world's biggest stand-alone Adidas store was opened in Beijing in time for the Olympics and many other brands from home exist in some form in China.
Had I not heard about the walled poverty controversy before I came to China, I probably wouldn't have noticed it. Atop the Drum Tower though, it's hard to miss areas like these.
A friend asked me if there were many homeless people in China. Where I am staying, I'd have to say no. I've seen individuals indulging in a spot of bin scrounging but I haven't seen anyone curled up under a rug on a kind stranger's front step.
Apparently inflation in China has sky-rocketed, particularly with the worldwide onset of Olympic fever. Even while I have been here, prices at the markets have increased massively. However, as soon as you drop a few words in Mandarin, mention you've been here for two months and that you're a student on volunteer wages, the price drops a little.
Censorship has been the focus on China's recent foray in the media spotlight. The massive income divide and culture clash though must be given greater attention. As China continues to open up to foreign business and investment, this issue will only increase. It was less than two weeks ago that an American was killed at the place where I took the above photo. Obviously tensions are growing. If China can somehow harness these two competing worlds, it will be world's next super power. Hopefully for the beautifully welcoming population, they are not forgotten and left on the bottom rung of a very tall ladder.
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