内容简介
AFASCINATINGINSIDELOOKATTHEENIGMATICCAPITALOFTHEFUTURE-BEIJING,CHINACananancientcityrulethetwenty-firstcentury?ThePeople'sRepublicofChinaisascendantasaglobalpower,andBeijingistheseatandthesymbolofChinesecultureandChinesemight.Forcenturies,Beijingwasclosedofftotheworld,turnedinwardandliterallybuiltaroundtheimperialForbiddenCity,theemblemofallthatwasunknowableaboutChina.ButnowthecapitalisreinventingitselftoreflectChina'sglobalinfluence,itsprogressandprosperity.WhenTomScoccaarrivedin2004,anAmericancuriousaboutencounteringanewcountry,hefoundBeijingofficiallyeagertogreethim-rebuildingitselftohosttheOlympicsin2008,bywhichtimethemodernizedmegalopolismeanttobeashiningand(relatively)opengatewaytotheworld.Scoccadiscoveredacitywithavant-gardetowersandtherubbleofancientneighborhoods,acitybedeckedwithfriendlycartoonmascotsandmonitoredbyawarypublicsecurityforce-acityboldenoughtotrytocontroltheweather,andinsecureenoughtoarrestoldladieswhoappliedtoprotestthegovernment.Movingbehindthescenesandinfrontofthem,hetalkedtoweather-changingscientists;intervieweddesignersandarchitectsandmediahandlers;documentedtheplantingoftrees,thereroutingoftraffic,thedemolitionoftheoldcity,andtheconstructionofanewmetropolis.Atthesametime,hewasonemoreinhabitantinacityof22million,andwhenhissonwasbornthere,Beijingbecamemoredauntingandmoreintimate.BeijingWelcomesYouisabroadyetcloserecordofanurbanplacewedon'tyetfullycomprehend,andofthesuperpoweritisessentialwegettoknowbetter.