Beijing

Frans Vandenbosch 方腾波 23/09/2025

Core values

The 12 core socialist values:

富强 (Fùqiáng) – Prosperity and Strength
民主 (Mínzhǔ) – Democracy
文明 (Wénmíng) – Civility
和谐 (Héxié) – Harmony
自由 (Zìyóu) – Freedom
平等 (Píngděng) – Equality
公正 (Gōngzhèng) – Justice
法治 (Fǎzhì) – Rule of Law
爱国 (Àiguó) – Patriotism
敬业 (Jìngyè) – Dedication
诚信 (Chéngxìn) – Integrity and Trustworthiness
友善 (Yǒushàn) – Friendship and Kindness

Another billboard reads:
“建设富强民主文明和谐美丽的社会主义现代化强国”
“Build a prosperous, democratic, civilized, harmonious and beautiful socialist modern strong country.”

Traffic

In Beijing, a city with a population of 22 million people, the traffic is beautifully chaotic. Law enforcement is almost nonexistent. Cars are parked everywhere: on bike lanes, crosswalks, …

The police are nowhere to be seen. 

The Beijing government should better benchmark Shanghai, where they properly addressed all these issues.

Cars: (my own estimates, not the official statistics)

Some 40% of the cars are EV’s. 

On average, the cars are bigger than in Europe. There are very few small cars.

The following cars have a 8 to 11 cm extended wheelbase, very visible at the wider rear doors:
Audi A4 L, A6 L, A8 L, Q5 L, Q2 L
BMW 3 Series Li, 5 Series Li, 7 Series Li, X1 L, X1 L, i3 Li, i5 Li
Mercedes-Benz A-Class L, C-Class L, E-Class L, GLC L
Volkswagen Passat L, Magotan L, Phideon, Viloran, Lamando L
Porsche Panamera Executive
Volvo S90 L, S60 L, XC60 L, ES90
Toyota Avalon, Camry, Levin, Allion
Lexus ES, RX
Honda Accord, Crider, Inspire
Nissan Teana, Sylphy, Lannia
Infiniti Q50L, QX50
All these cars are made in China.

Back in 2000, half of the cars on the Beijing roads were black Audi’s. Still in 2010, VW’s total market share was more than 50%

Today, the overwhelming majority of the cars on Chinese roads are Chinese brands: BYD, Changan, Geely, Chery, SAIC-Wuling, Li Auto, AITO, NIO, XPeng, Tank, Great Wall Motors, Haval, Zeekr, Dongfeng, Voyah, Hongqi, Deepal, Wuling, Baojun, Roewe, MG, Maxus, Rising, IM Motors, Feifan, Lynk & Co, Leapmotor, Hozon Neta, Ora, JAC, Jetta, Seres, Avatr, Exeed, Jetour, iCAR, Geometry, Bestune, M Hero, Jiefang, Denza, Yangwang, Polestar, Radar, HiPhi, Oshan, Poer, Aeolus, Xiaomi, … …
There are more than 100 Chinese car brands.
Today, the quality, robustness, technology, design and finishing of the Chinese cars is way superior to the German cars.

Foreign brands: Toyota, Honda, Nissan (mostly hybrids). BMW, Mercedes Benz, Audi, VW.
All these foreign brands got a significant decline in market share.

I have seen one GM and two Ford. No French brands (Peugeot, Renault, Citroen, all made in Wuhan). For these latter 5, the party is over in China. The German brands are in survival mode, they missed the EV train.
I noticed 3 Maybachs, a Lamborghini, a Rolls Royce, 2 Bentlys and a few other luxury cars.

Almost all motorbikes and scooters are electric. There are significantly fewer buses than 5 years ago. Most of the small and mid-size delivery trucks and waste collection trucks (appearing on the roads after 23:00 h) are electric.

Due to the many EV’s, the traffic noise is significantly reduced compared to a few years ago. The air quality in Beijing is better than in European cities.

The Ferdinand Verbiest observatory

The Beijing Ancient Observatory is considered to be one of the oldest standing observatories in the world, dating all the way back to 1442 during the Ming Dynasty. It flourished during the Qing Dynasty under the management of Flemish Jesuit missionary Ferdinand Verbiest, and was in use until 1929 when it was turned into a museum.Ferdinand Verbiest, (1623 – 1688) was a Flemish Jesuit missionary in China during the Qing dynasty. He was born in Pittem near Tielt in the County of Flanders. He is known as Nan Huairen (南懷仁) in China.

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All these ancient instruments were looted by French and German troops in 1901 but returned to their original location at the platform after WW1.

The observatory is located on a 40 by 40 metres wide platform on the top of a 15 m tall brick tower, an extant portion of the old Ming dynasty era city wall that once encircled Beijing. Several of the bronze astronomical instruments are on the platform, and other armillary spheres, sundials, and other instruments are located nearby at ground level.

Chinese food

To savour Beijing Duck’s golden crackle and lose yourself in hotpot’s bubbling, aromatic embrace is to experience the glorious apex of all cuisine: a flawless duel of precision and passion that conquers every sense.