They warn you before you come here that Beijing is stock full of Yalies, and I guess I should have known since I ran into three Bulldogs my very first weekend here, but for some reason I keep thinking the world is bigger than it actually is.The Yale Club also gave us tickets to the National Center for the Performing Arts, nicknamed "The Egg." It's Beijing's newest concert hall, and one of its finest architectural spectacles. The architecture, however, wasn't the only spectacle. As I asked one of my friends to take a picture of me standing in front of the building, posing as any proper tourist would, I suddenly started to sense that my personal space was becoming less and less personal and more and more communal. As I looked to my left and right, a Chinese boy and girl were closing in on me, their mothers in tow ready to jam the shutter button on their cameras as soon as I happened to glance in that direction.
I don't think Caucasians are a common sight here in Beijing, as cosmopolitan as it appears to be. Before I knew it, I was transformed from a broken-Chinese-speaking student into a royal celebrity. I must have posed with five different people before I finally broke loose - and they say you have to have talent to be admired. I think I finally understand why Michael Jackson is the way he is.The performance center itself was spectacular, with a slick, chic metal exterior and dark wood paneling throughout the interior. It so happens that we were scheduled to watch the Yale School of Music perform with the top Chinese Conservatory - why would I have assumed anything different?
In addition to "The Egg," I also trekked to some of Beijing's other new architectural masterpieces: The Bird's Nest (pictured below) and the Water Cube. As the two primary Olympic venues, these will be somewhat more weathered within the next few weeks, but they were even stunning from two hundred feet away, which is the closest you can get to them at this point.
Standing in front of these two buildings is such a different experience than watching TV cameras pan the area or seeing snapshots in the newspapers. You could feel the anticipation and excitement, the magnitude of the Olympic Games, and what they symbolize for China as an up-and-coming powerhouse. In conjunction with the construction of these architecturally-forward stadiums, the city too is undergoing massive renovations in preparation for the big 08.08.08. Our host university, which is basically a slab of concrete, was last week transformed into Los Angeles's Huntington Gardens, with flowers and banners strewn across the campus. Olympics banners now hang from every bridge, highway overpass, and lamppost. Cars are now restricted to driving only on certain days, and you can actually see some blue in the sky. It's almost like a new city.One of my friends in the States recently told me that he found it hilarious how my blog posts so often mention food and shopping, and as much as I would like to prove him wrong, one of the most interesting nights I had this week involved, well, food. Two other Yalies (both of whom are native Chinese, and one a native Beijing-er) and I walked through the labyrinth of hutongs bordering Tiananmen Square, finally arriving at a small Peking duck restaurant.
What made this particular event interesting was not the sixth or seventh roast duck I've had in Beijing, but rather its various edible appendages. Apparently duck in China is served with other "duck-related" side dishes, as one of my friends put it, which meant our table was laden with duck liver, gizzard, intestines, and webbed feet. Against my better judgment, my motto that night was, while in China, do as the Chinese do, but I'm not quacking yet, so I think it worked out okay. 
What was most striking, however, was walking through these hutongs. Next to Tiananmen Square, which perhaps contains the most lavish and opulent series of buildings, exists a series of alleyways with dilapidated buildings and dirt floors. A hallmark of the Qin Dynasty, people still live within these small villages, though the government is demolishing most of them, building tall skyscrapers in their stead.Another weekend is starting here for us, which brings the countdown down to two weeks before taking off for the States. But each weekend promises more interesting tales for another blog post, so hopefully I'll return Monday with something intriguing to report.
That's all for now. 再见！
-Tess
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