Beijing, China

As John pointed out on his blog, I am in Beijing, China on a business trip. This is my first trip to Asia. My travels thus far have been limited to North America and Europe. This has been a great experience. China is a very interesting place. It is rapidly westernizing. Many strides ahead of Russia. Construction is everywhere. Buildings are appearing literally overnight. Just outside the window of my hotel. A high-rise building is rising with noticeable round-the-clock work being done. The big thing here is preparing for the 2008 Olympics. I have every confidence the city will be ready with the army of people working on it.

Over the weekend, we were able to do some of the required sites for any visitor to Beijing. On Saturday, we went to the Tianamen Square and the Forbidden City in the center of Beijing. On Sunday, we visited the Great Wall in Ba Da Ling. This is the most famous and accessible section of the wall. I read yesterday that the sight has been visited by at least 40 heads of state. Including Richard Nixon, Elizabeth II, and George Bush.