Beijing Olympics 2008

During my stay in Beijing, I experienced the impact of traffic jam myself.

From Aug 17-20, Beijing Municipal Government conducted a trial-run of a measure to control the number of vehicles to half of the normal number. On the day when I arrived Beijing (which was Aug 19) as well as on Monday (Aug 20), I felt that the traffic in Beijing was pretty good 'cos I could hardly see any traffic jam in the streets. But then my colleagues told me not to be that happy right away 'cos that was a result of the trial-run. I should be able to witness the seriousness of traffic jam the next day. And yes! I experienced that myself when I was on the way to a meeting in a remote area outside of the downtown. I was stuck in the road for an hour without moving ahead for even 1 meter. Of course finally I (and my colleagues) didn't attend the meeting (actually a visit to a logistics centre of dangdang.com - the largest online shop in China) and went back to our office in city centre as soon as the driver found the way out as I needed to catch my flight back home. Traffic is one of the top priorities to be resolved before the Olympics next year.

Another issue to be resolved is the English language skills of the citizens in Beijing, and particularly taxi drivers. I casually talked to a taxi driver (actually to warm myself up to speak in Putonghua in the meeting I was going to attend) and asked about the English language skill issue. He said all of them are taking English classes to learn basic English. Of course we can't simply hope that these 1-year course will help them much ... but at least it helps.

There are really a lot to be done ... in preparation for the Olympics.

Beijing

Here I'm in Beijing again! I came here two months ago for a conference and this time I'm going to meet with a number of companies to explore co-operation. But don't worry, this particular post is not about business - it's about what I think and what I feel.

AppleDaily
The first thing that I noticed once I got onto the plane was that AppleDaily was not available inflight. When I saw the crew holding a pile of newspapers and asking me for my choice, I asked if she had AppleDaily. But after a second I suddenly realized the reason for not having that. I'm so insensitive to politics and I always focus on myself and my wish!

Efficiency
I walked quickly after getting off the plane but I actually doubted the efficiency of the airport service whethey the checked-in luggages would be in the belt as quick as I was. And yes, my doubt was valid! I spent about 20 mins standing in the belt to wait for my luggage. Perhaps I would consider buying stocks of Beijing Capital International Limited (0694) when their service level is up to international standard one day.

Beijing Olympics 2008
I saw over 200 people queueing up for taxi outside the airport. A lot of airport police youngsters were directing the taxi coming in but then it was still a bit chaotic. On the back I saw a super large TV screen playing video clips about the Olympics. And I saw a large construction site nearby for the airport-downtown railway. I hope everything will be getting better and better so that Beijing is ready for the world next year.