L.B. Associates, the publishers of Diplomatist Magazine also publishes Creature Companion Magazine that focuses on pet care and the Indian pet industry. We also organize the annual India International Pet Trade Fair (IIPTF) under the banner of Creature Companion. Our trip to Beijing was to promote the next IIPTF (30 Jan to 01 Feb 2009) as exhibitors at the China International Pet Show (CIPS) between 06 and 09 November.

Of course anyone would realize that Beijing only represents the snowflake on the tip of the iceberg when considering China. What you are about to read here represents our impressions of the city of Beijing and points up to the Great Wall at about a one hour drive due north.

The first thing that struck us upon arrival was the quality of the road network. This, in fact, impressed us throughout our seven day visit. Wide pothole-free highways with six express lanes and double feeder lanes on either side transverse the city in all directions. There are six Ring Roads! The road signs are in Mandarin (main language of Beijing) of course, but they also carry the English translation below the Chinese. If the quality of the automobiles is an indication of prosperity, then Beijing is booming! This was evident by the number of high-end cars on the roadways – Mercedes, Volkswagen Jettas, Passats and New Beatles, Toyota Camrays, BMWs and the like were abundant. We didn’t see a single clunker (wreck of a car) on the streets while there. And only once did we experience a ‘stop & go’ situation, and this was due to a two-car fender-bender on the expressway. Air pollution? A lot less than New Delhi – that’s for sure!

The number of skyscrapers in the city centre was remarkable. I was reminded of New York City or my hometown Toronto, except that most buildings were lit up at night with shades such as green, blue or amber.

Eating out was a treat. Every type of food was available – Korean, Japanese, Indian, Italian, Russian, French, American (lots of KFCs, McDonalds and Pizza Huts) and of course Chinese. The cost of eating out was quite reasonable with a modest meal for three priced at about US$15 (Rs 556). A litre of beer in restaurants cost US$1.48 (Rs 70), which is low when compared to up market eating establishments in New Delhi.

And the people; yes, there were a lot of them. I must say that they were also very friendly and accommodating. Whenever we encountered a language problem on the streets a stranger (usually a young student) would step in and lend translation services. We did see a few beggars (perhaps 3 during our stay,) but they just sat on the sidewalk displaying their plight (one leg, deformed back etc) with a bowl stationed in front. And there were no streams of vendors with tissues, magazines, balloons, little plastic pumps etc, at the intersections.

Of course for those visiting Beijing for the first time like us, Tiananmen Square, the adjoining the Forbidden City and the Great Wall are must-sees.

Tiananmen Square is a large plaza near the city centre. It is named after Tiananmen (meaning Gate of Heavenly Peace,) the building at the northern edge of the square separating it from the Forbidden City. The Tiananmen Gate was first built in the 1420s in the Ming Dynasty. The Forbidden City, which now houses the Palace Museum, was the Chinese imperial palace from the mid-Ming Dynasty (1450 AD) to the end of the Qing Dynasty (1912 AD). For almost five centuries, it served as the home of the Emperor and his household, as well as the ceremonial and political centre of Chinese government. The Great Hall of the People is located at the western edge of Tiananmen Square and is used for legislative and ceremonial activities, thus functioning as the People’s Republic of China’s parliament building. We asked our guide to show us the spot on the square where the brave young man stood in front of the tank during the 1989 student uprising, but not surprisingly she didn’t know what we were talking about.

We dedicated one day after the trade fair for a visit to a portion of the Great Wall located north of Beijing. The Great Wall was built, rebuilt, and maintained between the 6th century BC and the 16th century to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire. All in all, it stretches over approximately 6,400 km from east to west, along an arc that roughly delineates the southern edge of Inner Mongolia. At its peak, the Ming Wall was guarded by more than one million men.

The complex from where we climbed the steps onto the Wall is quite extensive, with a huge parking lot to accommodate busses, lots of fast food stalls and of course souvenir shops galore. Take a look at the photo on the previous page. To climb up and down what is shown takes a person in average physical condition about two hours. Believe it or not; the descent is the most difficult due to steepness and unevenness of the steps. Being November, it was also quite cold while we were there, but thankfully, the snow hadn’t fallen yet. We refrained from doing the climb; standing on the Great Wall was the most significant — a landmark destination in our international travels if you will. On the way back to Beijing we stopped at the Ming Tombs, another site worth seeing for history buffs.

As mentioned earlier, Beijing only represents the snowflake on the iceberg when considering vastness and diversity that China has on offer. And I must make it clear, that this piece only scratches the surface of Beijing. Visit www.visitbeijing.com.cn to learn more. Needless to say, we were impressed during our Beijing visit and therefore recommend the destination.