Beijing, then and now

In 1988, I used to look through binoculars at the Chinese border town Erlian and it was always interesting for me, a young soldier serving in Mongolian border town Zamyn-Uud, to look at China. I always wanted to visit and see our Southern neighbor. Finally, I got the chance to go to China in 1989 by train and visited Beijing for the first time.

After 20 years of my personal experience, I can talk about the changes and transformation at least in Beijing though it is impossible to describe even a small piece of the development in one essay.

The first surprise for me was that there were lots of people and the abundance of the food at very cheap price. I was thinking it should be an enormous task to feed the population over 1 billion than 2.5 million in Mongolia. I heard that the Chinese leaders had launched the reforms first to feed the people, second to provide them clothing, third to provide them shelter.

It seems to me that the street of the city was buzzing with trade. Nowadays, sometimes I miss these street vendors around Tian’anmen Square or Silk Market, anyway I prefer to visit modern air-conditioned shopping malls in Wangfujing or new Silk Market.

Since then I have been visiting China several times every year and I am lucky to observe a great transformation in the modern human history. Now China is far more developed with its production, infrastructure and the Chinese people are happier with their income and possibilities than 1989.

In my opinion, the airport and railway stations in any country can demonstrate the level of development in any country. Being a simple traveler without the technical or economic knowledge, I can verify the development of China on the example of the Beijing international Airport.

I have seen three international airports while visiting China or transiting.

It took two or more hours to get to the first airport by the narrow and jammed road with a constant fear of missing my plane. In case of any accident on this road, you could miss your flight. There were a few people travelling by plane. The big problem for the traveler was to take the taxi to the hotels and the foreign travelers did their best to explain the destination in English to the drivers who do not understand them. Therefore, a lot of foreign guests asked the Chinese friends to take them from the airport.

In the turn of century, Beijing had a new terminal which is now Terminal 2 of BCIA. It was a big progress this period improving the ambient and service at the airport.

It used to take least one hour to get the second airport by a better road. I could see the constructions sites in Chaoyang district along the road to airport. The brick houses which I knew have given way to the modern glass-concrete buildings. The last building on the way to airport was China World Center. By this time the foreigners could have the English map of Beijing and show the destination to the taxi drivers.

It was obvious that the airport wasn’t big enough to handle the increasing number of the passengers namely the guests of the Beijing Olympic Games 2008. I expected the extensions of the then existing facilities, and instead I had been watching the raise of the new airport with express ways from the different district of Beijing. China World Center hardly can be seen among the skyscrapers.

Now it takes half an hour to reach BCIA by airport express from Dongzhimen station and the passengers can go directly to the check-in desks.

English now can be used everywhere with the help of WeChat and you can even find your lost colleague via the same WeChat. It is not so necessary to exchange foreign currencies into RMB. The taxi drivers just type the address of your hotel on the navigation application and you can relax all the way. While I am riding in the taxi, I can see the modern offices, shopping centers and while I am walking on the street I can see people wearing brand-new clothes driving new cars.

The reforms have proved to be right and the results are obvious.

There’s a new airport under construction in Beijing and soon I will land there.

Pelmaa Luvsandorj Bayaraakhuu, from Mongolia, worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs during 1987-1992. He is now working in the private sector in Mongolia.