Gōng Gòng Qì Chē

Beijing is linked up by a clean and speedy subway system that stretches and loops around the sprawling city. The subway stations are clearly marked and labelled, in both mandarin and pinyin, and each subway line has a colour that, after a few days, you become familiar with. 

My tip for western tourists going on the subway? Expect attention. Despite mass tourism, white faces must be a rarity, as we catch  people staring at us with a look of disbelief or curiosity in every single subway trip we’ve taken. Taking out our mandarin books for some in transit studying was another draw for attention - many walking past or standing near leaned in to examine the book, several turning away briskly, but others asking cheerful questions about mandarin study. 

Walking in the street attracted looks - in fact, our presence almost anywhere seemed to be considered unusual and concerning. When being shown about the town by our home stay family, a man walking next to us suddenly changed pace and started walking in front . Then, around every three seconds, he would turn around and stare for as long as he could, before continuing on ahead for another few paces. At the beginning of our trip, we politely avoided eye contact -now however, we greet our admirers with a “Wan Shang Hao” (Good Evening!) or a “Zao Shang Hao” (Good Morning!). Reactions vary from quiet disbelief to cheerful responses.