China in the Eyes of Foreigners
Seeing once is better than hearing 100 times
ZduzychM.
MZduzych@index-china.com
1999/12/17 17 19:21:21

When I returned to Warsaw, people asked about my initial impressions of the capital of China. I told them I was sure that seeing once is better than hearing 100 times.

Several friends who had visited China more than ten years ago told me that Beijing was a grey city. Some people even call it \'the countryside of the world\': low houses, narrow streets, crowded people, and bicyclists dashing about. People were in simple and drab clothes with dismal expressions on their faces. But today, what I saw in Beijing was quite different. Highrises stand row upon row. Roads are wide with clear lines dividing the lanes. The highrise hotels, with windows edged by aluminum alloy, make people feel good. Young women, who dressed up in European fashions or in fashionable Chinese clothing are eye-catching, adding to the beauty of Beijing.

\"Foreigners who had visited Beijing several years ago and have recently returned have found that China is changing day by day. They hardly recognize streets they were very familiar with ¡ª high buildings, luxury hotels, modern residences, and modern shopping buildings.

Stores and service departments are open on Sundays and holidays. Stores, big and small alike, have various commodities on the shelves. Shop assistants serve customers with smiles on their faces. All these are beyond the expectations of people like us from Poland.