I spent three days doing the standard tourist bit and getting over jet-lag. Smog was very bad the first day but not noticeable again till now. I saw the Forbidden City (well worth the visit), the Temple of Heaven, the Lama Temple, the fake-goods market (very poor quality and bad fakes), Tiananmen Square and the 798 arts district (some interesting art). The censorship of the internet is interesting. I can’t get the Huffington Post (leftist politics) but can get the Wall Street Journal. China now is all about the money. Food is not as good as in the south but still better than San Francisco Chinese. However, Beijing drivers are better than south China drivers, although still plenty bad.
