Sandstorms are usually in the spring.

binthair, that sounded like a Board of Tourism ad. Complete with branded catchphrase ending.

Sorry if anyone is offended by fact and the truth.

Remember too that I am from Houston so it doesn't take a lot to impress me in regard to air quality! Almost any large American city will feel like a small town with hardly any traffic problems after returning from Beijing. What mainly impresses me after traveling to Asia or Europe is how lacking most of our public transportation systems are in comparison.

Oh, I'm not offended. I actually thought it was pretty hysterical.

I could of sworn I heard the strains of some canned, elevator music in the background (maybe 'Girl From Ipanema'?) as the the voice-over started: "Beijing has one of the most efficient public transportation systems in the world...there's never more than a few minutes wait to get wherever you want to go. The skies are always crystal clear and blue in Beijing: your city in the sky!"

You skipped the Venutian part! Now if we could get that new bullet train between Beijing and Tianjin to run between LA and San Francisco, or Dallas and Houston, or New York and D.C.....

The US has 4% of the world's population but produces 25%of the carbon dioxide pollution.

http://www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/f101.asp

Statistics from 2006 says that the US was responsible for HALF of the world's car exhaust pollution.

Pretty much a situatio of the coffee pot calling the teakettle black.

Blue sky days in Beijing?...........follow the yellow brick road!

Dream on!

I, too, had to laugh at the blue skies in Beijing comment!

The sky may indeed be crystal clear azure blue. Take off your mask, take a deep breath, take off the rose colored glasses, and see for yourself.

Here is a link to a website (not mine) with a photo (second down) similar to one I took three weeks ago. Interesting commentary in the text from this site "Our first day dawned bright and clear with a brilliant blue sky which contrasted vividly with the red of Tian'anmen gate." Then again I suppose there will always be people who figure those cleaver Chinese found a way to paint the sky (with lead paint no doubt!) More likely everyone in Beijing just sneezed at the same time. I don't have an explanation, I just know what I have seen with my own eyes.

http://www.21stcenturyadventures.com...yOfWonder.html

binthar,

Taking this a little personally aren't you?

Relax, it's just a travel forum.....it's not the panacea of the new world order

It was predictable that afterall's post would bring out the China-haters in droves. The crowing and schadenfreude is sickening.

I was not aware that the Olympics were conceived as a good-behaviour prize for western countries to hand out to good little governments they approve of and so kept within a small mutual-admiration club. Naively, perhaps, I thought they were about bringing peoples together.

I too have been in Beijing when the weather turned to clear blue skies, It's not a figment of anyone imagination. However, afterall - your worry seems to be about censorship. May I suggest taht you read the following article, which deals with the hypocrisy of the anti-China brigade and makes some interetsing observations about the police-state tactics used by the Greek authorities in 2004, which predictably seem to have gone went uncriticised.

...with due apologies for typos.

And, damn, I forgot that link...

http://tinyurl.com/5d2q39

... oh my, the "crowing and schadenfreude" is so very sickening, indeed ... who can save us - perhaps, yes, the Singapore Girls! (Just between us: SIA is running rather high and lucrative load factors this week, SIN-PEK - yes, the Olympic spirit lives!) ...

... but now, going Down ... Under ... (btw, one of my all-time favourite business travel in-room massage treatments occurred in a softly-lit room at the Park Hyatt Sydney - a certain masseuse, forever) ...

... will always hold China in the highest regard, particularly various "masseuses" who somehow, someway, would magically appear in the evening at my expense account hotels in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing. (Thanks forever, 'J') ... (And rest assured, all you fine fodorites: Long, long, before meeting mrs. m) ...

... (And, should any of you out there care for a little splurge, the better half highly recommends the Hong Kong Peninsula's occasional "suite life" - my charge card begs to differ) ...

... as always, savour your cherished China times ... (perhaps, with a certain Singaporean airline) ...

macintosh (robert)


and when I get excited/
my little china girl says, oh baby just you shut your mouth/

(david bowie)

Beijing is a nice city. I agree with Binthair about the occasional blue sky too. Those of you who don't think so, have you been to the city lately? I was there in 4/06, 9/07 and May of this year.

<b>Thanks afterall</b> for bringing up the subject

though we must distinguish between
<u>Human Rights &amp; Freedom </u> and
<u>Air Pollution</u> ...

aby

Before the olympics began, many athletes trained in So. Korea because the air quality was good - but it was only good because so many Korean factories closed &amp; moved to China. Same is true of No. Am. Much of that pollution is the result of filling Walmart's shelves w/cheap crap (60% of China's production to West). I for one, think China has &quot;Freedom from Religion&quot; &amp; ought to stay that way (&amp; Tibet independent can keep religion). It is sickening to see U.S. presidents &amp; candidates always sucking up to a single religion - fundam. Baptists! It runs 100% contrary to all basic tenets of the u.s. Americans need Freedom From Religion too and many want it. Chinese ought to howl, chant, protest, give advice &amp; send their Pres. to the u.s. to promote Freedom from Religion.

I wonder if the people posted earlier on this thread about the lack of blue sky in Beijing owe an apology?