The Chinese people are pushy in crowds (pedestrians on busy streets) and in airport security lines, yet humble and polite when they serve you.  They live in a world of extreme OLD poverty (rubble and shambles of buildings) and state-of-the-art modern, contemporary opulence, blocks apart.  The countryside is not beautiful (where we were) because of the heavy pungent odors due to heavy manufacturing and smog, desert dry conditions, and lack of money for maintenance and repairs … maybe it’s a cultural thing, I don’t know.  There is little obesity, people are image-conscious and the food is much lighter than America’s hearty fare.  The workers in the business marketplace dress for success:  business suits, straight skirts, hose with pumps or heels, tucked-in blouses, always- always neat and tidy hair styles.  They love fashion!  They are not lazy … THEY ARE WILLING TO WORK!  Our notion of feeling sorry for the Chinese because of their law preventing couples from having more than one baby being negative, is not true.  They young people we visited with like that rule, it’s acceptable.  If a couple wants to have more than one child, they pay about $12K (once) to the government; although if they have government jobs, they can be made uncomfortable when having more children.  Students take a test once a year to determine if they proceed to the next level.  Students (& families) pay for college education.  There are many improvements happening in Beijing to prepare for the Olympics.  There are bulldozers, cranes, construction crews everywhere in the city … but, it’s not our customary style.  They tear down so many things and leave the rubble instead of finishing an area before moving to another.  Our American minds wonder if they can possibly finish what they’ve started before 2008.

In Beijing, there were so many similarities and so many differences!