Sightseeing in China’s capital August 27, 2007
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The seat of power of the Middle Kingdom (Zhongguo) for the better part of the past 700 years, Beijing is both a bastion of imperial tradition and a nexus of social and political transformation. Fresh from its repossession of former colonial stakes Hong Kong and Macau, and staunch in its continued claims on Tibet and Taiwan, the Communist regime has never appeared stronger. The government’s imposing posture is reflected in the shiny new face of sprawling Tiananmen Square, reconstructed just in time for the 50th anniversary of the accession of the Communist Party. Yet woven into the urban cityscape are recent additions that compete for space with the communist grays and imperial reds: these manifestations of capitalism, such as the Xidan and Wangfujing shopping districts and the Silk Market (Xiushui Shichang), betray the effects of the country’s recent economic liberalization and movement toward the West.
