Old Beijing - a personal journey of discovery

The first time I flew to Beijing was in 1994, before that I always took trains. As the aircraft descended over the northern mountains, looking down at the Great Wall snaking over the peaks was like an iconic welcome to China! At that time only one small terminal served the airport as traffic, particularly international, was relatively quiet.

I remember heading downtown along the Airport Expressway which then terminated just beyond Sanyuanqiao Bridge. Passing Zuojiazhuang Park, people were performing morning exercise beside bird cages suspended from tree branches. Many little restaurants, providing outdoor breakfast, operated close to a local transport station. Cream and maroon two coach public buses were departing, carrying office workers toward the city centre. Commuting was relatively new as many people still lived at or close to their place of work. Roads were thronged with cyclists as we approached No 2 Ring Road and Dongzhimen, once a major eastern gate along the city's former Ming Dynasty walls. My taxi carried me westwards towards Beixinqiao.