I flew to Beijing last week-end, oh what an amazing city! Saw the Great Wall, Forbidden city, had some Pekin duck. Food there is awesome, and it's true, they do specialize in cooking noodles!
The city is reminiscent of the communist regime
and the two things that struck me the most were bicycles and poverty. 
In Montreal it was quite common to see homeless people. It was particularly sad in the winter, when you actually thought they'd freeze to death. In France, it was the opposite - they were trying to hide reality I guess, and any homeless person was automatically taken to shelter.
But in China, well in Beijing, the city was filled with them! Some sleeping beneath a statue, others on the stairs of an abandonned building, some just sitting on the street and beggin with one hand while the other arm seemed to be missing. A woman (or a man?) was curled up right in the middle of an underground path, begging for money. Pretty harsh reality.Unfortunately I didn't stay long enough to get to know more about its culture and customs. But you get the visual idea, and if you ever go there, be prepared to witness the cohabitation of countless contradictions.
Those of course include ghettos next to palaces...
Also, get ready to use those bathrooms, and to see quite paranoid people!
