We have been in Beijing now for 4 days. We have seen quite a bit, from the Forbidden City to the Opera. Beijing certainly has more people than Chengdu. However, Beijing doesn't seem to be as in a hurry. You don't here the honking horns constantly, you don't see the taxis weaving in and out of traffic as fast as they can just to get to the next destination, and we certainly aren't starred at as much. But what we do see is the the great desire to sell things, especially to the foriegners. As soon as you walk into a place, it's look here, buy this, etc. As we walk down the street we are constantly being asked to buy one thing or another. Most people we have encountered can speak enough english to get you to try and buy something. Beijing seems to be centered around the idea of making a profit... and i suppose that so far it has worked well for them. The difference between life in Chengdu and Beijing vary quite a bit. Everywhere you look in Beijing there is someone sweeping up garbage, whereas in Chengdu that necessarily isn't the case. However, it seems as though Beijing is becoming more and more modern. It reminds many of us of a big city in the states such as New York. With the Olympics coming to town in over 500 hundred days, much of the city is focused on getting dressed up for this large, great occassion. While Chengdu and Beijing are part of the same country, it's almost as if they are completely different. I guess it just goes to show that even a country like China can have great diversity in it's people and culture.