Flying from SF to Beijing we saw the incredible coastline of Alaska and the barren landscape of Siberia before coming upon the smog-covered metropolis of Beijing. The skyline of Beijing is breathtaking - but the archietecture is an unusual mix of old/new, eastern and western.
Though I have never been here before, I feel a weird kinship with the people here and with China.
I awoke to a big fireball of a sun peering through the smog in my room at the Nikko New Century Hotel in the Haidan District.
I am now rested at 6:30am here and ready for our full day of meetings, banquets, etc.
Our group of 400 educators from the US are sponsored by HANBAN, China's Office of Language Development. The trip is called the Chinese Bridge for American Schools.
We are going to Beijing Normal University for a campus tour and workshops on Chinese language, history and culture.
Later in the Great Hall of the People we will hear from the Chinese Minster of Education, head of the US College Board and others. Afterwards we head off the modern Landmark Towers Hotel and then to a cultural celebration at the 21st Century Auditorium.
It is amazing how fast China has modernized in 50 years, but especially in the past 5-10 years, but the inequalies and contradictions all around me are making my head spin.
Off to see Beijing!