Beijing friendlier than Delhi but too Western
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Beijing and New Delhi are not only the capital cities of two of the world's fastest growing economies - China and India, but the center stage of two of the oldest world civilizations.
Both cities are undergoing a massive "modernization process," trying to meet the needs and expectations associated with world-class metropolises and having to deal with traffic jams and pollution along the way.
With the highly successful 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing demonstrated its organizational capabilities. Alas, New Delhi failed to seize a similar opportunity with the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Instead it drew a lot of flak.
Before coming to China, I had heard that Beijing was better developed than New Delhi. But even in my wildest dreams I couldn't have imagined what was in store for me.
Traveling from the airport to Tsinghua University, my first close-up with Beijing, I was stunned to see the wide, clean roads, row after row of high-rises, and the amazing Bird's Nest glimpsed from the taxi window.
But it was very hard for me to believe that this city is the capital of a country with a civilization stretching back 5,000 years. As I settled in and started to move around the city, I realized New Delhi is no match for Beijing when it comes to infrastructure.
Whether it be the airport - Delhi now has a state-of-the-art airport too - railway stations, expressways or subways, in Beijing they are not only huge but tidy and clean too.
A friend from Delhi, who was here for a three-month research program, told me that he went to Beijing South Railway Station to visit Tianjin by high-speed intercity train, a miracle in itself. As his taxi pulled in to that ultra-modern structure, he thought "Oh no! The taxi driver has taken me to the airport by mistake!"
