Comment
This decade is Beijing's best
By Todd Balazovic (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-01-06 09:02
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It occurred to me recently that this new year is not only a new year, but also the beginning of a new decade.
Thinking back on the year, it will be strange to see how future generations define the first decade of this century. I wonder what the children born after 2009 will be told about this time period.
Will it be seen as a decade of plight or prosperity?
For China, I think it's safe to say that this decade will be remembered for its best qualities, a decade where the fruits of past labors finally ripened. China was hoisted high into the ranks of economically prosperous countries as it prepared for the Olympics. The city of Beijing, if not the entirety of China, spent the majority of the past decade consumed by efforts to produce an event unlike the world had ever experienced.
And the efforts paid off. It will be decades before another country can match the magnitude of what took place in August of 2008. I feel sorry for London.
Beijing, the poster-city of China's successes over the last decade, reflects the changing times more than ever. Over the last 10 years this city has evolved from an emerging municipality into a modern metropolis.
If the Beijing of 1999 could see itself now, I dare say it would not recognize the new and improved version.
Drills continue to spin non-stop as the city inflates with new construction projects. I was told by a friend that if you were to walk the streets of Beijing five years ago almost every building you gazed upon would have the character chai, meaning to be demolished, spray painted in white. He said the skyline was stuffed with more cranes than birds.
Even after the Olympic construction surge has slowed , I feel as though I am able to explore a different city each year without having to change residency.
For expats, the construction brought accessibility. Shopping centers have sprung up everywhere, providing Beijingers with access to fashion. Foods from almost every country are now available.
Most importantly, coffee is no longer peddled as a rare commodity.
Infrastructure improvements continue to boom. Over the last decade, Beijing has more than doubled the amount of water treatment plants while simultaneously pushing more industry further outside the city center.
Access to different parts of the city have skyrocketed as more than five new subway lines were built, the most recent being Line 4.
Not to mention the recently erected ring roads. Believe it or not, before 2001 there was no fourth ring road and five and six were but a twinkle.
With the heavy reconstruction of Beijing in the 00s, I cannot begin to fathom what the next decade will hold.
Will the Olympic fervor that fueled the past decade fade as the nouveau riche sink comfortably into their new roles? Or will the city continue to skyrocket as the economy pumps cash into infrastructure?
Personally, I hope to see this city settle into a comfortable balance. A place where but steady progress brings change at a rate that gives the people (and their wallets) time to react.
