NSN at the Olympics Posted by Patrick Barry

While I'm not sure we can expect an 'Ilan Goldenberg' appearance at the 100 meter-dash anytime soon, NSN is fortunate to be able to offer live reporting from the Olympics, courtesy of Intern/Field Reporter Max Stoiber.  This is the first post in a series containing Max's thoughts, feelings and assessments on life in Beijing:

I know communism from history books: sinister black and white depictions of internment camps, red flags heroically waving in the wind, signaling the ‘victory of the people’, which all but doesn’t hold to be true in most cases.  China has taken great pains to put a pleasant face on the regime, and from what I can tell, at least in Beijing, they are succeeding. 

The city beams of modernity and comfort. The main east-west access road is comparable to Las Vegas’ Rodeo Drive, but with the architecture, construction and business-like demeanor of downtown Manhattan. One brand new, high rise, luxury-brand filled superstructure follows the next as one drives towards the center of the city, recognizing familiar Western company names and rather unfamiliar Chinese ones, passed by fleeting Audis and Mercedes that are not necessarily official. When we entered a mall to look for a restaurant, I could easily have been walking into Pentagon City Mall and not have known the difference.

Tiananmen Square, usually devoid of crowds, is packed to the edge with tourists, the large majority of which are Chinese. In an astounding show of force, the Chinese middle class demonstrates its profound growth in the streets and shops of Beijing, where consumerism flourishes. My companions and I are mostly met with curious smiles, on three occasions we were asked to pose for pictures with giggling schoolgirls or middle aged sports enthusiast. It seems as if the economic expansion really has benefited at least some of the population, at least if one goes by the number of decently wealthy Chinese Olympic tourists.

Most surprisingly however, not only is there no indication of complacency towards foreigners, it almost seems as if Beijing has embraced many Western cultural traditions. The BigMac and Kentucky Fried Chicken meal numbers are the same as anywhere. Stores even display team USA jerseys and t-shirts. US and Western athletes like Kobe Bryant, David Beckham or Rafael Nadal are universally loved and admired.

Of course, this could all simply be an effort by the government to cover up the ugly reality of things in Beijing. Boards hiding construction sites and the poor ‘Hutong’ huts, eagerly friendly officials and shiny, spotless street sides are most certainly an indication of the communist regime’s willingness to make Beijing flawless. And they do seem scared: I counted at least 14 6-man army and police patrols on and around Tiananmen Square, marching determined in unison. But the innovative spirit, flashy modernity and openness of the citizens of the city are undeniably well rooted.

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