At least the arrival procedures at  Beijing Airport seem to fit into my range of stereotypes about the land of the masses, Mao and the military. An enormous crowd fills the entry hall and it takes us two enduring hours before we finally pass the fierce looking customs officials, dressed in some sort of uniform.

But then it is different: On our way from the airport to the city center we drive through an urban skyline of modern office buildings, shopping centers and motorways, that could be part of Frankfurt or Seattle as well. "You must be German", says the Chinese man in the elegant business suit in the row next to us in German. Apparently he followed our conversation as we gazed through the windows of the airport bus. "I have been living in Switzerland for many years. Welcome to China. Maybe you want to use my mobile phone and confirm your hotel reservation ?"  

The call goes unanswered. And later, after changing the bus for a taxi near Tianmen Square and fighting our way through Beijing's rush hour while our driver, a Chinese lady in her thirties keeps talking Chinese to me, we understand why: When the taxi pulls into a small street and finally stops it becomes apparent that what was supposed to be our hotel has been abandoned a long while ago. The street had been empty before but now people gather and involve our driver in a lively discussion. We remain seated and watch her talking for half an hour with expressive gestures. We feel excluded but comfortable and praise ourselves for having picked her out of the aggressive crowd at the bus terminal. But she was the only driver, who agreed to use the taximeter and didn't try to charge a ridiculous fixed price for the ride. Finally the crowd disperses, the taxi moves on, more Chinese conversation is thrown at me, before we stop at the Rainbow Hotel and Business Center. A wide reception hall and well-trained staff await us. Not exactly a backpacker destination, but we are happy anyway.  

Early next morning just after dawn, we watch an endless procession of bicycles from the hotel window. Men take their children to school. Again we find the differences between the modern and the traditional Beijing striking.

We decide to explore the city center on foot. We have difficulties to find our way, as we cannot use road or shop signs as a means of orientation. Finally we get to Tianmen square. The sheer size of it is overwhelming. It is the beginning of November, a cold and windy day. Tianmen square is foggy, the giant town gate, the Mao Mausoleum guarded by some fierce-looking soldiers vanish in the grey air. We take pictures below the large clock that counts backwards until the time of the takeover of Macao.

After passing through the huge reception gates we cross square after square, surrounded by beautiful reddish buildings assembled in perfect architectural harmony. As we climb the stairs at the rear end of each square we come to look down at the next square. We admire both the giant size of the place and the rich ornamental decorations everywhere. It is a cold and misty day, but not even the weather has kept the masses of Chinese tourists, many soldiers and pensioners among them, away.

However, the palace is worth the trip, majestically situated on top of the hill. It is less crowded than the more central tourist attractions and the beautiful park makes a good escape from the noisy and crowded streets of Beijing

As we get more familiar with the bus system we venture on a trip to Badaling to see the Great Wall on a clear and sunny day. The journey from Beijing on a public bus takes us three hours through flat farmland, then the scenery changes dramatically and rugged, infertile mountains appear - the former frontier land of the empire.

We stay a week in Beijing and visit the most important tourist sites. The Temple of Heaven gives us a first taste of Chinese architecure and society in the Emperors' times. Situated in a beautiful park, this was the place where the Emperor worshipped and each part of the far-streching complex served highly symbolical ceremonies. We find the size of the Sun temple impressive, however it is nothing compared to the Forbidden City.

The sun breaks through the winter clouds when we visit the Summer Palace, the Emperors retreat at the outskirts of Beijing, situated in an extensive park alongside a large lake. The journey to get there by public transport itself is an adventure, as we have to change buses several times and the bus system is not easy to understand. 

 Indeed, the Great Wall comes into sight a long time before we get to Badaling. It comes down the hill towards us, then takes a turn and disappears only to re-appear somewhere in the distance. We get an idea of its enormous proportions. 

In Badaling, once a fortress and a gate town, the Great Wall is easily accessible and inevitably occupied by tourist crowds. Chinese dressed in historical costumes offer bow shooting and camel riding, but after walking for a few hundred meters, the Wall becomes less populated. We enjoy the magic of the place and the panorama of the endless mountain chains in solitude, then we head back to Beijing.