Beijing – The Surface
First Impressions
3 years ago, I moved to Beijing. A part of me was excited because a new chapter was about to begin in my life, however another part of me was afraid because I didn’t know what to expect.
You’ve probably heard of scary stories about mainland China – about how certain brands of local soya sauce are made out of hair, or charsiu (bbq meat) buns are made of cardboard… but those weren’t my only concerns.
Having lived in Hong Kong most of my life, I felt like I was being pushed out of my comfort zone. Not only did I have to say goodbye to my old life (friends, lifestyle, culture…what not), I had to learn how to adapt to a new one.
I had all these preconceived notions about the life I was going to have in Beijing. People would tell me all sorts of horrible things. Here’s the most common one I’ve heard:
“Oh, you’re probably never going to see a blue sky ever again, unless you move out of there.”
Thankfully, that’s not true….
Proof:
(This photo was taken outside our home in Beijing)
Sure – Beijing can sometimes be really polluted, but that doesn’t mean the weather stays entirely grey and dull all throughout the year.
So… the longer I lived in Beijing, the more these preconceived notions went flying out of the window and the more I found myself falling in love with this city: the culture, the language and its people. Beijing isn’t a city that you can encounter on the surface. You really have to burrow into it in order to appreciate it’s beauty to the fullest. Disregard all these negative claims made by people or the media, and truly experience this city for yourself. Give Beijing a chance, and hopefully, you’ll unravel it’s beauty along the way.
Read more about what Beijing has to offer here.