Berkley Center

Beijing is a city of juxtapositions. The overarching theme behind many of these contrasts is the difference between looking nice and actually working. I have found the clashing utilization of green space and the ever-present smog to be one of the most apparent juxtapositions as I have started getting acquainted with this city. Compared to other cities I have visited, Beijing definitely has the most trees. Nearly every major street is lined with them, with some even divided by parks running their length. This sprawling city is full of beautiful public parks which play a major role in Beijingers’ lifestyle. With Beijing’s increasing urbanization and ever present smog, this outdoor culture is facing some major challenges.

My first experience with this culture of outdoor activity occurred on an excursion to Jingshan Park during the first week of our program. The park was a bustling center of activity at 9 a.m. on a Saturday. While there were many families with their children and young couples enjoying the outdoors, I was surprised to find the park was predominantly filled with elderly folks. Despite their age, these Beijingers were full of life. We passed one man belting out a nationalistic song while a group of peers looked on, a couple of men gracefully practicing sword tai chi, and several groups playing the Chinese version of hackey sack with a level of dexterity that my classmates and I agreed was hard to match. In this park, surrounded by flora and traditional architecture, it was easy to forget I was in China’s capital city. We climbed the central hill in the park to find a completely different scene. Looking down at the Forbidden City, the view was covered by a blanket of smog. The smog, which was easily forgotten at the base of the park, was unescapable looking out over the city. The street dividing the park from the Forbidden City was a reminder of the modern world sneaking into China’s traditions.

Despite growing up with the steadily increasing smog, China’s youth seem to continue this outdoor tradition, albeit through different activities. Every morning I look out my window to see Minzu University’s track and field area filled with people of all walks of life exercising. There is always at least one pick-up game of basketball or soccer and a never-ending cycle of people circling the track. In addition to these familiar forms of outdoor activity, Minzu University has the unique situation of hosting a diverse variety of minority cultural activities. For example, every Friday night Tibetan students gather to participate in a traditional line dance in a central free space on campus. No matter the time of day, there is always lively outdoor activity to be found outside at Minzu University. As the weather changes, I have noticed the amount of this activity fluctuates with the smog levels. It is almost possible to predict the smog levels just by listening to the level of activity out on the track in the morning.

China continually faces the task of reconciling old traditions with new urbanization. This culture of outdoor activity is being directly affected by rapid economic development within the city. Beijing, the former cycling center of the world, has rapidly increasing sales of personal cars. According to the 2012 China Statistical Yearbook, private car ownership in China has increased from 0.27 persons in every 1000 in 1985 to 55 in every 1000 in 2011. China has a new saying “一房一车” or “a house and a car.” These are the things that indicate success and are essential to getting married and even getting a job. This new cultural trend of private ownership not only negatively affects pollution levels, but also decreases the sense of community embraced by cycling culture and that is so central to Beijing’s outdoor culture as whole. Private car ownership is only one example of many changes occurring the city, which have major implications for Beijing’s natural and cultural environments, but it is one of the clearest instances of Beijingers on an individual level dealing with the contrasting attitudes of appreciating nature and embracing industrialization.

China’s rapid growth over the past few decades is endangering the vibrant outdoor culture found in the park of Beijing. While Beijing’s advancements are to be applauded, conservation of a beautiful and prominent traditional culture is equally important. Only time will tell how China will achieve this balance while dealing with its growing consumer culture and technologically advanced society.