Let the Thirty Million Flower Pots Bloom

Beijing is a city like many others – it has its problems and issues, which are not going to disappear simply by a wave of the magic Olympic torch. But many seem to think so. Here is a quote from a piece of news article published by the official website of the Beijing Olympic Games 2008.

Thirty million flower pots will brighten the streets, hotel reception areas, Olympic venues and scenic spots of Beijing in the lead-up to the Olympics. The new scheme to beautify the capital city will create a "floral belt" with a total area of 630,000 square meters.

Surely, it will be a spectacular sight. The naturally arid Beijing in bloom once again. The history repeats itself.

Living in Beijing has taught me to expect unexpected. The Spring and Summer this year came as a great surprise to me. After getting used to the greyness of everything around me (maybe only every now and then distracted by the sight of yellow taxi cabs) the warm months brought a change, which could have been caused by more than the occasional sunlight - perhaps the decision of the Beijing Olympic 2008 Committee to organize 'Green Olympics' made a difference too.
Many have told me that I am very fortunate to be studying in Beijing at this point in time, when it is undergoing painful, yet spectacular changes, and it is said to be cleaner than ever before. And I agree, it is a truly exciting time to be in Beijing. Unfortunately, the beautifying efforts I have been observing hardly seem reasonable to me.
How much are the improvements taking place in the city actually effecting the quality of life of Beijingers? And to keep this question simple - Is the city really cleaner and healthier?

Recently, Zou Huan, an expert in urban heritage preservation at Tsinghua University's architecture school, let himself be heard saying that "it was understandable that authorities would use a temporary fix to present a good image during the Olympic Games.

"Fixing the facades but leaving the interiors the same -- that's like someone washing their face but not their neck," he said. "I hope that this kind of work will continue."

(Reuters)

Similarly, I worry about the long-term effects of this Spring clean-up. From my personal experience I know that sweeping the dust under the carpet does not usually make it disappear.
I took these photos right outside of Beijing's art district last week. I didn't have to look very hard.










For those who have more time on their hands and a curious mind, I recommend taking a look at this video from UC Berkeley's Special Spring Workshop: The Beijing Olympics, in which Anne-Marie Broudehoux, Associate Professor, School of Design, University of Quebec at Montreal; You-tien Hsing, Associate Professor, Geography, UC Berkeley; Youjeong Oh, Graduate Student, Geography, UC Berkeley discuss the impact of the Games on the face of Beijing.