Olympic Observations

Well, I’ll admit it. After years of preparation Beijing looks pretty good for these Olympics. The flowers planted 4-5 years ago along the main roads and medians are in bloom, the rows of trees have matured and the rain the last few days improved the air quality and for a few days it was even sunny and bright. The buildings along these same roads all received a fresh coat of paint and the new buses are impressive. With the economy booming the people you see on the street are well clothed and the “Clean Up Beijing” campaign seems to be working… the streets look great although the average tourist would be a bit bemused by the workers whose job it’s been to discourage locals from “spitting in public”. There is practically, no ticket scalping outside the Olympic venues… it’s very very subtle! My favorite DVD store is closed until after the ParaOlympics and you don’t see any of the street vendors tugging on your arm, scrambling to use their best sales pitches and hawking their wares as you near popular shopping areas. The government has cracked down on this kind of activity. These folks are gone until after the Olympic tourists leave and the world’s press turns its attention elsewhere. Will they be back? I suspect so, this place seems so sterile without them.

I’ve been fortunate, I’ve sampled Beijing about every eight months for the last six years. I’ve seen the changes, I’ve watched the place evolve as the Olympics near. What do the locals think? It’s mixed really… with half the traffic on the roads, the traffic jams are minimal. There are still accidents. Likely because the locals are not used to being able to get near the speed limit! I saw three (all fender benders) on my way to meetings one day. But still, if you don’t have at least two cars… one with an “odd” plate and one with an “even” plate then you are out of luck at least half the week… it’s taxi time! Some businesses have closed (and not just those selling counterfeit products!). Some of the locals tell me that many government services including the courts have put off decisions in order to “promote harmony” during the games… so, if you intend to sue someone in Beijing in the next month, forget it! One of my Purdue colleagues who is working for the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee in the media area wanted me to take her to Outback for a steak (she’s been in Beijing for five weeks, she wants steak!). Well, one Outback is closed until after the Olympics because it’s too close to a venue and the other is only open to Olympic Volunteers/Competitors who have a official credentials… so, no luck there… my colleague has the credentials but they don’t allow guests? As one of my good Chinese friends says “I hate the Olympics”… but she is in the minority… for the moment… the question is… will this overall goodwill hold up? One year from now, what will the Chinese think? What will the local post mortems be like? I’m not sure we will really know since I can’t imagine there will be any kind of real public dialog on this topic.