The first time I arrived in Beijing, in 1997, a crush of locals pushed and shoved at the arrivals gate in a crumbling little terminal with a spittle-covered floor. I had flown via Hong Kong because there were no direct flights to Beijing from the United States. A decade later, numerous nonstop, direct flights make the journey from America and nearly every developed country in the world, and passengers' first glimpse of Beijing is through a sleek airport terminal designed by British architect Norman Foster.
The changes Beijing has gone through in the past decade are staggering. The city buzzes with a dynamism that few cities in the world have. Visitors to Beijing undoubtedly come to see the 5,000 years of history and culture, but they are also lured by the lightening-fast changes that have taken place. Beijing, once abundant with factories and farms, has became a landscape of glass-and-steel skyscrapers, cosmopolitan restaurants and cafes, and elevated highways, inevitably choked with traffic.
A city that is going from the status of "developing" to "developed" certainly has had its improvements. People are starting to line up, rather than push and shove, their way onto buses and in ticket lines. More exposure to the western world means that Beijing is becoming a cosmopolitan city, with vibrant and international arts, culinary, and nightlife scenes. And with the Cultural Revolution and Mao's legacy growing ever dimmer in their memories, Beijingers are less paranoid and less swayed by government propaganda than they were in the past.
As you walk through the old neighborhoods you'll see painted on certain ramshackle buildings a character: chai. It means "to tear down" and anything marked with this word will be bulldozed imminently. Much of Beijing's change could only have occurred with the displacement of families from old neighborhoods and the loss of historic architecture. The winners here are government officials and developers, who work hand-in-hand to bump people from their homes and profit from skyrocketing real estate prices. (Though prices, at the moment, still remain relatively cheaper than in most international capitals.)
While much about Beijing has changed on the surface, many things remain the same. In the old neighborhood that I live in, not far from the Back Lakes, vendors on bicycle -- selling everything from vegetables to toilet paper to knife-sharpening services -- still make the rounds every morning and afternoon. Many Beijingers -- and particularly migrants who come to the capital to earn a decent living -- still live in substandard conditions. The default mode of transportation for the average city dweller is still the bicycle, families still shop at open markets for their produce and meat, and the average salary hovers around ¥2,000 ($267/£133) per month.
Lucky Numbers -- The layout of imperial Beijing is based on an ancient system of numerology that still resonates today. Odd numbers are seen as yang (male, positive, light) and are more auspicious than even numbers, which are viewed as yin (female, negative, dark). Three is a positive number, as seen in the three-tiered platforms that are reserved for Beijing's most sacred structures -- Taihe Dian in the Forbidden City; Tai Miao, the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests at Tian Tan; and Chang Ling at the Ming Tombs. It's also the number chosen for China's latest political theory, the Three Represents, which explains how a Communist party can be staffed by capitalists. Four (si), as a yin number, signifies submission. When the emperor carried out sacrifices at the Temple of Heaven, he would face north and bow four times. It's also faintly similar to the word for death (si), and is the most inauspicious number. Many Chinese apartment buildings lack a fourth floor. Five is revered as the center of the Luo Diagram (which allows single-digit numbers arranged in noughts-and-crosses formation to add up to 15). It also signifies the "five processes" (wu xing) -- metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, which also correspond to the five points of the Chinese compass and to the five colors. Significant imperial buildings are five rooms (jian) deep; five openings welcome you into Tian'an Men; and until Zhonghua Men was razed to make way for Mao's corpse, the Imperial Way had five gates. Though an even number, eight has gained popularity because it is homophonous with "get rich" in Cantonese: The Olympic Games are scheduled to open on August 8, 2008. Nine, situated at the top of the Luo Diagram and the largest single-digit odd number, was reserved for the imperial house, with grand buildings measuring nine rooms across.
Eunuchs: The Unkindest Cut -- The practice that created eunuchs is said to date back 4,000 years, when it was an alternative to the death penalty, often used in the case of political crimes. By the Ming dynasty, most eunuchs submitted to this operation voluntarily, usually as a way out of poverty. The eunuch's abdomen and upper thighs were bound tightly with coarse rope or bandages; his penis was anesthetized with hot pepper water. He was then seated in a semi-reclining chair, with waist and legs held down by three assistants. At this point, he was asked if he would have any regrets. Consent given, the small curved blade flashed and "fountains of red, white, and yellow liquid spouted from the wound" as both the testes and penis were removed. A goose quill would then quickly be inserted into the urethra to prevent it from closing, and the wound plugged with cloth previously dipped in wax, sesame oil, and pepper. The surplus organs (or "treasure") were plopped in a jar and jealously guarded, as they were necessary to establish a eunuch's credentials for promotions, and to pass into the next life as complete men. After the patient (often unconscious by this point) had endured 3 days without food or drink, the plug was removed. If urine gushed out, the operation was a success, and a lifetime in service waited. If not, there would be a horrible, lingering death. A less violent alternative involved slitting the scrotum and removing the testicles. Both operations were preferable to criminal castration, where the testicles were beaten off with a club.
