书目

BeijingWelcomesYou

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.

作者简介

TomScoccawasthe"OfftheRecord"columnistandmediaeditorforTheNewYorkObserverbeforedecampingforBeijing.Beforethat,hewasaneditorandwriterforWashingtonCityPaperandBaltimore'sCityPaper.ABaltimorenative,heissettlinginNewYorkwithhiswifeandson(aBeijingnative).Hewritesthe"Scocca"blogforSlate,andhisbylineappearsregularlyintheBostonGlobeandTheAwl.

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