The World Melting Pot

It's strange being in Beijing (even after all the trips I've been here before), as a Chinese American who speaks broken Mandarin Chinese, and can't read or write the language. But I make do with the Chinese I do know. For me Mandarin is foreign yet intensely familiar. It was after all the first language I ever learned to speak. So there are many phrases and words that I hear are instantly understood without a thought. But there's so much more vocabulary I don't instantly recognize, and requires an additional thought or a request for clarification. At least when I walk on the streets of Beijing I get to melt right in. People on the street don't give me a second glance.

Beijing has definitely changed in the 11 years since I first came here. So it's strange that I'm sitting here in my hotel room, watching the National Geographic channel on TV in English on one of many English channels (yes English TV - which in of itself is extremely strange since I remember being in Beijing when there was only 1 English channel). The program on National Geographic is a Lisa Ling special on Yao Ming. Lisa Ling in case you didn't know is a Chinese American. She was a host on the TV program in the states called "The View" started by Barbara Walters. She's second generation American, so she speaks only English and no Chinese. The show is about Yao Ming's impact on Chinese people in both China and the U.S.

The show starts out with Lisa Ling interviewing Yao Ming in Houston. Yao Ming as you may know is a 7'6" basketball player for the Houston Rockets. He speaks extremely limited English. So Lisa Ling's interview with Yao Ming is done through a translator. A Chinese speaking caucasian American translator who speaks fluent Chinese. To me that was truly the incredible sight, an indicator of how much of a melting pot the world has become. There's definitely more Westerners in Beijing, especially if the Beijing airport is any indicator. In today's paper, the figure quoted was around 35 million people using the airport last year, a record for Beijing. There's already plans to expand the airport to handle the increased load.

Only a day and a half left for me here in Beijing before I head back to the states. Unexpectedly I will have tomorrow afternoon free, so I will get to explore Beijing a little more, but unfortunately the weather calls for rain, so I probably won't stray too far from the hotel. I had originally hoped to make it to the Summer Palace tomorrow, but it seems unlikely given the distance and the fact the weather will probably make the drive unnecessarily long. I'll also try and do some shopping, and I'll let the weather tomorrow dictate that as well.