There is no doubt that China is modernizing. Their need for steel, to name just one example, is driving the price of this resource ever higher; some estimate the price of steel will double every year for the next decade due solely to China’s needs. Electricity and growth are taking the countryside by storm unfortunately the effects of this tornadic growth is crippling the land. Because growth in China is coal-driven, air and water pollution are at an all-time high there; an estimated 70% of Chinese waters are polluted beyond human use. Beijing is, according to satellite information, the most polluted city in the world. While Beijing pledged to be green’ for the Olympic Games, meeting the World Health Organization’s 80% smog-free minimum by the time the Games start, it is unlikely that it will happen. Despite precautions, changes in fuel, increased public transportation and multiple studies into the problem of air pollution from Beijing and surrounding areas, the city simply isn’t meeting the goal. This will introduce new difficulties for both spectators and athletes.

The Chinese government has done a good job on face-lifting’ the city. Gray, bland buildings have been repainted, flat roofs replaced with more attractive sloped ones and ugly single level housing hidden behind ancient-looking walls covered with brightly colored murals. New hotels have sprung up in the city. Du Jiang, Director of Beijing Tourism Bureau stated that over 110 hotels have been constructed in Beijing in preparation for the Olympic Games. “with a majority of them targeting high-end guests.” Beijing hotels are expected to accommodate about 550,000 guests per day during the Olympics.” In an already crowded city, one has to wonder where the space for such an explosion of accommodations fit. The answer is not what one might hope, but certainly not unique to Beijing. An estimated 1.7 million people have been displaced from the city, forcibly removed and relocated to make way for stadiums, accommodations and other needed space. This isn’t the first time it has happened, however; in Seoul, South Korea citizens, mostly poor, were displaced in 1988 to make way for the Olympics there.

Government scrutiny is, itself, being scrutinized. With a State Department warning about surveillance issues in hotels, bathrooms, restaurants and other private and public places, westerners worry about their freedoms being stripped, at least to some degree, during the Games. Chinese officials state emphatically that the assertion is untrue, and are considering lifting restrictions on Internet access for foreign journalists covering the Games.

Preparations continue, with both positive and negative effects. The clock is ticking on China, and the world is watching, and waiting, as August 8 approaches.

If you are a citizen of China, you must provide proof of residency and a valid form of ID to be eligible to buy tickets (the people of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan must have a valid passport, with mainland travel permits with valid endorsements). Citizens of Taiwan must also provide accurate travel documents to be allowed to buy tickets. Foreign citizens must possess a valid passport with a Chinese visa valid for 6 months or more and they must order tickets after seeking the proper procedure through their national Olympic committees.

All International Olympic Committees are listed at the following link, as well as their contact info: http://media.tickets.beijing20 08.cn/en-cn/img/static/docs/GS ANOC2008.pdf

If you meet all the required eligibility criteria and if you are sure you will or can attend the games, then you are cleared to proceed to the actual process of buying the tickets. Many of the tickets and accommodation deals are on first come, first serve basis and all tickets are based in US dollar currency. The following are some good sites for you to order tickets at:

http://www.wstickets.com/olymp ics/games/beijing_2008_summer_ games_tickets.html

WS Tickets are a private company, US based, selling the tickets at pretty discounted prices.

http://www.gotickets.com/sport s/olympics.php

http://travel.gotickets.com/ol ympics/2008-summer-olympics.ph p

The first link takes you to the go ticket’s game schedules, and the 2nd ticket offers you some good travel packages. Please be aware that many packages are already sold out.

http://en.beijing2008.cn/ticke ts/

The official Chinese ticket website, a good place to stay directly connected to the games

1. Visit on a clear day. Anyone who has been to Beijing lately knows that clear days can be hard to come by. Even with efforts currently in place to improve air quality for the 2008 Olympics, such as the shutting down of heavy industry in the Beijing area and the occasional limitation of automobile use, the capital city still spends much of its time sitting under a cloud of murk. This murk can reach all the way to the Great Wall attractions near the city. If you visit the Great Wall on such a day, you will find that most of your photographs appear out of focus due to the particulate matter in the air, and you will be coughing up all the nasty stuff for days as your lungs try to expel all of the smog you inhaled as you puffed your way up hundreds of steps. To increase your chances of happening upon a clear day, visit in the Autumn when breezes blow much of Beijing’s funk away from the area and the smoke of heating coal has not yet contributed to the murk.

2. Choose the location of your visit wisely. Most tourists go to the Ba Da Ling area of the Great Wall. This section is close to Beijing, has recently been restored, and features a variety of tourist attractions. Among these are cable cars to hoist one up the wall, knickknack and T-shirt stands, beverage carts, karaoke bars (yes, karaoke bars), and working bathrooms. Visit Ba Da Ling if you enjoy this kind of full-service tourist experience, and if you prefer to climb a section of the wall so crowded with Chinese and foreign tourists that, if you should slip, you would merely be swept along by your neighbors rather than falling. A slightly less developed option is Simatai, a section of the wall a bit farther from Beijing and a bit less crowded. This part of the wall is steeper than Ba Da Ling, but allows for less-crowded climbing. Simatai is gradually becoming more developed,