'The correct handling of contradictions among the people'

We saw this rather self-conscious and uncomfortable looking group in Tian'anmen Square, cleaning the pavers one at a time with small brushes, with police vehicles and minders nearby. Wonder what their crime was?

N & F

Grand imperial capital (then and now)

Beijing's a grand old place and it's transformed itself into a grand new place too in recent years.

There's the wide open spaces of Tian'anmen Square and the Forbidden City.  Now there are huge, wide streets, monumental modern buildings and expressways, bullet trains, concert halls and skyscrapers (sometimes visible through the smog). Beijing manages to immediately convey an impression of being the city of the century.

And there are the Olympic sites, including the 'Bird's Nest' Olympic Stadium and the 'Water Cube' Aquatic Centre, which make for very interesting tourist destinations these days.

N & F