Editor's note
China’s shock and awe
it’s happening. after the worldwide torch protests, the tibet incidents and the Sichuan tragedy, beijing is hosting “the best Olympic games ever,” (as the slogan goes).
This month’s article “going for gold” brilliantly reflects a city in a state of frenzy, and people want this experience be extended beyond the games. the out-of-this-world architecture is the most visible sign of change in a city bound to become one of the world’s new creative hubs, with an impressive art, design and entertainment scene. i mean, a “Hotel g” in beijing, which offers a package of sex toys to make each guest’s stay more enjoyable? what would mao have said? well, considering his lifelong sexual exploits, he should have been the first to enjoy it, although the party’s prude attitude would conveniently delete any sexual reference to the chairman.
Skeptics will have a point when claiming that a hotel like this is more for foreigners or rich Chinese consumption, and that the majority of the capital’s residents are so tired after long hours of commuting everyday, that what they really want is
good rest in their small flats in the suburbs.
Beijing’s downtown is unaffordable and it’s for the world to see: the Olympics, the architecture of the ancient Emperors and the futuristic one, made by the best contemporary architects. who can actually enjoy the many perks and delicacies of trendy hotels, bars and restaurants? not many Chinese residents, i’m afraid. and that’s the paradox of the city, indeed of the country, that needs to be tackled well beyond the Olympics.
I recently visited the capital for the preview of yet another high-end hotel, the French-style Legendale, actually a superb accomplishment by macau businessman david Chow. What fascinates me more in today’s beijing is the mixture of old-fashioned hardship and supreme modernity, like a movie set where blade Runner meets dr. zhivago.
Chinese and foreigners alike complained recently of draconian controlling measures about visas and behaviour in general, which are hindering many local and foreign businesses. It’s all done in the name of the Olympic success and security. the authorities have good reason to be worried. i write
these lines when a grenade attack has killed at least 16 policemen in the restive muslim province of xinjiang. the risk of terrorist attacks i n China is growing, and it might become a permanent sad reality. but isn’t this also a sign (though an unfortunate one) that things are changing in China?
Surely president Hu jintao didn’t expect that the economic miracle that allowed, amongst other things, China to host the Olympics, meant that the people would stay the same? a population with more money, in China or in any part of the world, means a middle class that is effectively getting stronger, wanting better houses, better education, better hospitals and better jobs. to sum up, better governance and more freedom to ventilate their opinions and ideas, regardless of their religious, cultural or ethnic background. they want the Olympic right to excel in life, at least (for now) in big cities like beijing. And it’s better for the Chinese government to start getting used to that, because this feeling won’t simply go away.