The cars on the street seem to honk at all times of the day and night. Outside of the hotel window, I watch the street corner and see people, often wearing name brand clothes and bags, getting into a bus, or catching a white and yellow taxi. The grey buildings, some with curtains, others without, are too far for me to see people inside. The wide avenues are not conducive to walking, but I venture out, and walk by the fruit store, that says China Post, assuming that they would sell postcard stamps, but they only sell fruit. Asian pears and green apples are individually wrapped in styrofoam casings. I can’t understand the language and no one understands me. I feel conspicuous and foreign.

This year the Malaria of Wildlife conference was held in Beijing, China. This was the opportunity for mostly avian malaria researchers from over 20 countries to get together and discuss their work, and also meet friends. It is now like a family. The field is moving along rapidly, with many developments that make use of advances in molecular biology, and experimental work. I was honored to be an invited plenary speaker, and enjoy this time among colleagues in the capital of China.

I visited Beijing 30 years ago in 1988. My father was invited to a conference, and we tagged along. At that time, I remember very few cars, but millions of bicycles.  Now, in 2018, it is reversed. The number of automobiles is simply astounding. I arrived at the airport at 5 pm local time, and was stuck in slow moving traffic all the way to the Jingshi Hotel at the Beijing Normal University. The fall weather is chilly but sunny, and the air pollution was not at all bad. Beijing is a true mega-city, unbelievable in size. While here, I saw the major tourist attractions: Forbidden City, Hutongs, Drum Tower, Summer Palace and of course the Great Wall. As part of the conference we also saw the Beijing Zoo, and we did some bird watching at a lake outside of the city.

The giant photo of Chairman Mao is still prominent at Tiananmen Square.  My friends and I were hungry so we stopped into a steamed bun place and thought it was so quaint and original. But actually, it was a chain restaurant, as common as McDonalds or KFC. We followed the crowds, but couldn’t figure out how to cross the street. It is not a pedestrian friendly area: cars seem to have all the rights and priorities.  Finally, we found a tunnel under the road, and got into the line for security check, not knowing whether it would take us to the Forbidden City. But we were fortunate, and finally ended up in the relative quiet of the gardens outside of the moat surrounding the ancient playgrounds of the emperors. Crowds of mostly Chinese tourists push through the many halls and pavilions. We stopped to see the museum of elaborate golden time pieces, that the emperors had commissioned from the great British clockmakers. In the end, I was left with a somewhat hollow feeling, impressed by the grandness of the place, but more disconcerted by the crowds, and the empty feeling of being in a place that was once living, but is now a deserted ghost town tourist attraction.

I believe that the majority of Beijing was built in just 30 years. In 1988, we stayed at the Friendship Hotel, and there were few other choices. Now there are a multitude of hotels, Hiltons, Sheratons…I see really no difference between China and the USA. Of course, I know that the people of China lack rights. They have no access to Google, Facebook, or WhatsApp. They use WeChat instead. But in America what rights do we actually use that the Chinese lack? Voting is disregarded by a majority of Americans. Most people don’t use their rights of free speech anyway. In Beijing, the roads are good (although too crowded), the subways are reliable and the airport was simple. I didn’t see any homeless people, or beggars. I can easily see why China is surpassing the USA in terms of economic growth. Things are not stuck, and it is apparent that people are working hard, and I didn’t sense entitlement. But on the other hand, this is rampant capitalism, where possessions are flashed and stores are thriving. The crisp red 100- yuan bills go quickly in this capital of consumerism.

I ate some excellent food at the organic vegan restaurant, Beijing Wu Tai Yun. I went there 4 times in my 8-day visit. Fresh tofu, noodles and organic vegetables are thrown into a hot pot of mushroom soup, and then fished out and eaten with a variety of sauces, made of sesame, soy, chilis or mushrooms. It is all fun and delicious. The ubiquitous banquets are less vegan friendly, but remarkable in presentation and diversity. At one dinner, I had black soybean tofu, with sesame sauce, and at the 798 Art City, we found a vegan restaurant where I had some ersatz mean in a mushu like dish.

When I visited the Great Wall in 1988, there were just a few vendors, and I remember I bought a little blue bag with a depiction of the wall that I still have today. Now it is a major commercial center, with a hotel, and a multitude of tourist shops, restaurants and stalls. The Great Wall is the same, but the surroundings now cater to consumerism. What would Chairman Mao thing? What would the emperors think? Why is Trump so antagonistic to the Chinese, when this is where he would fit in best?

I leave China not knowing when I will be back. In another 30 years what will this fast-growing society be like? How can a nation change that much in such a short time? I think it is inevitable that China will attract immigrants from all over the world. I saw just a few Europeans, Indians or Africans in the streets. I see the entropy of the people of the planet, making every city homogeneous. I will try to visit again in 2048!