I visited Beijing, but I was rather disappointed. I expected a lot from the capital of the great Chinese Empire, of the world's most populous country. The truth is, there isn't so much to see.

The Forbidden City is on top of the list, but even that is no big deal. It's like a succession of huge empty squares surrounded by ordinary brick walls with orange roofs. There are a few gates here and there, with nothing special to see inside. Then there is what I call the "village" section, with all those small houses that look like a poor country town. The floor is usually made of earth, not tiles or wood, and the decoration is almost inexistent. That's not at all the level of luxury I expected for the mighty emperors of China. Could have been alright when it was built 600 years ago, but what about the latter emperors who ruled until the begining of the 20th century ? Looks to me like some pioneers and gold diggers in the American Far West or in Australia had better accommodation than some Imperial staff in Beijijng in the same period.

As for shopping, Beijing is far behind other Asian metropolises : Tokyo, Osaka, Singapore, Kuala Kumpur, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul... Nothing to fret about. Overall I found the city quite boring. The architecture is monotonous. So temples are nice, but they are all too similar. Then the pollution and dust are so bad, and people so "rough" that it doesn't make you want to stay long there. Do other people here feel the same way as I do ?