Welcome to China! We arrived in Beijing, China by Continental Airlines at around 2pm. On our way out of the airport after immigration, we were greeted by hoards of people of which some were holding placards with names in Chinese and English to welcome their friends and relatives. Cathy, who was our Chinese representative, was with hundreds of other people holding a huge Babson College logo. We were very delighted to see someone from Babson to welcome us. Right behind these people was shops and restaurants (which were not astonishing) but what intrigued almost all of us was Starbucks and KFC. We felt as if we had not left USA and were arriving at a domestic US airport.
On exiting the airport we proceeded to the bus and started our journey towards the hotel. I was really impressed by the first sights in China. The roads looked new and pothole free, traffic was well regulated and people were driving in the designated lane, most of the cars looked in relatively new condition without any scratches or dents, and overall no display of road-rage or rash driving.
The entire airport atmosphere was surprising as I come from India where the scene would be completely different from that of disciplined countries like USA and China. Let me present how it would be like if you arrive in India for the first time. Just before leaving the customs area of the airport, you might be pestered by airport workers that will promise to make you pass through the customs without being caught by officials if you are importing any electronics, liquor, chocolates, or any other foreign good in the country. This was clearly not the case in China. Chinese officials did not really care about what people brought in the country as long as it was not a prohibited item. Once past the customs area in India, just like in Beijing, you would see hundreds of people standing outside to receive their family and friends. At the same time you will see people with placards (mostly in English) waiting to receive business people. You might not see Starbucks or KFC, or for that matter any other shops or restaurants. You will also find some taxicab owners asking if you want to get a taxicab. These are people who have jumped the hour long taxicab queue to get passengers. Again, none of this was evident in China.
The bus trip to the hotel was about 45 minutes. On the way, I was surprised to see all the construction activity that was going on in Beijing. My initial thought was that of a growing economy, but the preparations for Olympics seemed like a most apt answer. Beijing was really gearing up for the Olympics and was firing all guns to get up to speed before the crowds start pouring in next year. I was also taken aback by the number of skyscrapers in the city of Beijing. I had not expected so many state-of-the-art buildings, all of which looked relatively newly constructed.
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