There is a checklist I follow when I leave home: passport and purse in hand, utilities turned off; family knows where I am supposed to be. Oh, and a packet of Crix crackers: vital supplies.
Week 1: Friday, 24 February to Sunday, 5 March. It’s been an extended week, I admit. I left Grenada on Friday evening and landed in Beijing, China, after 1 am on Monday, 27 February, with manageable stopovers in London and Shanghai. Both Virgin Atlantic and Air China flights were turbulence-free and uneventful. On arrival in Beijing, the Air China pilot gave us the scenic route, bypassing the terminal building to the aircraft’s final destination in the parking lot, in the back of beyond. Exiting the plane to waiting shuttles, the morning air was crisp and refreshing. Okay, it was cold. We speedily transferred to the terminal, and with a minimum of fuss, I got my luggage and located my pickup. A smiling face, even at that miserable hour – with a sign of my full name spelled correctly in large letters to greet me – was greatly appreciated. Safely escorted to my accommodation, I was in bed by 3 am. And wide wake at 7 am.
At the DRC
By 9 am, I was in the organisers’ office getting a temporary residency card, a local sim, and a new phone, and meeting the team and other journalists. As much as I love Crix, crackers can fortify an empty tummy only so much. My Bulgarian counterpart and I walked to the nearest grocery, Wu Mart, burning calories in each direction. Wu Mart has all the basics, plus items I remember from my childhood with a Chinese-born grandfather, and there is a small adjoining food court with roasted meats and handmade ramen. Most of the walk is along a bustling road, but a pedestrian and cycle crossover gets the heart rate up, from the physical climb and from dodging the silent electric cycles that also use the bridge. The top of the bridge is an excellent place to pause to catch your breath.
This week I acclimatised and negotiated my surroundings at my own pace. Many blessedly flat roads with wide sidewalks mean that I can walk for an hour and not feel exhausted dodging potholes. I took the simple-to-use subway, dropped off at Wangfujing Street, and walked the 800-metre length, reminiscing my 2016 visit there. I was mindful not to be so distracted by my discoveries and memories that I forgot to return to the compound before dark.
So far, I’ve met journalists from Bulgaria, Serbia, Nigeria, Liberia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Cambodia, Suriname, Trinidad and Guyana. In all, we are over 60 journalists from over 50 countries spanning the Caribbean and Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Africa and Eastern Europe, hosted by China International Press Communication Center (CIPCC) to cover China’s socioeconomic development, diplomacy, science and technology, culture and other fields over the next 4 months. As this year is the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), I plan to engage as many as possible on Chinese relations/inputs and cultural/business influences in their countries and compare them to inputs and influences in Grenada.
The Great Hall of the People, Beijing, China
The highlight of this week of course, was being inside the Great Auditorium of the Great Hall of the People, an imposing building just off Tian’anmen Square. The inside is understated but impressive, with artisanal craftsmanship and Chinese artworks. The Great Auditorium, where all the action and discourse occur, is breathtaking. Have I mentioned that I am so in love with that rippling sculptural ceiling?! During the opening session of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC) on Sunday, 5 March, I was delighted to see ethnic minority deputies in their traditional clothing sprinkled like confetti in between the many sombre business suits. In that expansive space, those cultural and colourful elements underscored, in my opinion, the gravity of the meeting that manages the affairs of China’s 1.4 billion population.
The sculptural ceiling in the Great Auditorium
I am looking forward to this coming week and discoveries to be made.
