Hello from Beijing

I just arrived in Beijing for a week of visits, meetings, and interviews with friends, former colleagues, and other contacts.

When I worked for the American Chamber of Commerce here (2001-04), I made a point of attending all of our luncheon lectures, in which a guest speaker would discuss his or her area of expertise. The series attracted a range of talent, from U.S. senators to professional athletes, but each shared at least two things in common: 1) they were usually just passing through China on a fact-finding mission or promotional tour, and 2) they had the unenviable task of trying to convince a crowd of grizzled "old China hands" that they were hearing something they didn't already know.

While the quality of the lectures was generally high, the audience would always groan when a speaker broke the ice by remarking, 'Wow, the city sure has changed since the last time I was here!' Such a comment rang so hollow in our jaded ears that, on those rare occasions when I had the opportunity to host such luncheons, I would try to coach the speaker beforehand.

So that being said, let me get the impulse out of my system by stating here that, wow, this city sure has changed since the last time I was here (in 2007).