Matthew Wong  
 
I'd lived in Australia my whole life before moving to Beijing this April. Like many foreigners coming to China, I did not know what to expect other than the opportunity to develop both professionally and personally. It is also becoming a growing trend amongst other people of Chinese descent coming to China to reconnect with their past.

Beijing was the place I was to reside and after being to other cities in China I still believe it is the place to be. From my own limited experiences thus far I am starting to make sense of why there is such overwhelming interest in this city.

When I found out about this competition I felt the urge to enter because I wish to share the unique experiences Beijing has given to me. I hope to encourage many other people from overseas to follow my example and submit their photos and written experiences of Beijing.

My entry focuses on a challenge I undertook during the Olympics. I made a special t-shirt with the flags of all the competing countries and attempted to find someone of each nationality to circle their flag.

I was in Beijing last year studying Chinese and it was the best experience of my life.  I have gone home back to Australia, but I would love to get the chance to return to Beijing again.  It is a place that really opened my eyes to the world.  I was able to get immersed in the culture, learn the language, travel to new places, volunteer for the Olympics and make amazing friends from Beijing and around the world.   I love the fact that I can share my Beijing experience with you by participating in this competition.   There are so many places that capture Beijing's Spirit, so it was difficult to narrow it down to just a few.  But I have attached 6 of my favorite pictures with the explanations below.  Enjoy! 

Forbidden City ¨C I love this photo because it shows another angle of the Entrance to the Forbidden City.  Its most common to see it from the front, but I thought this angle really captured a different, yet inviting feeling. And the red roses give a nice compliment to the red flags and architecture.

Chinese New Year Lanterns ¨C Represents Beijing during Chinese New Year (taken at Ditan Park west entrance on New Years Day).  A beautiful photo of the lanterns, which sometimes people don't get the chance to appreciate in detail. 

New Beijing Concert Hall ¨C Represents the modern Beijing.  The beautiful architecture and the vibrant purple color makes this structure look amazing and 'out of this world'.

Majestic and Serene ¨C A man peacefully sleeping with the incredible Great Wall behind him.  This photo shows the majestic Great Wall which was constructed by man many years ago, and a Chinese man taking a peaceful nap.  I took this photo when I was hiking on the Wall.  It was a beautiful view and my favorite photo of the bunch.

Circle of Tai Chi - During the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Olympics.  It was so incredible how perfectly uniform they performed together.  I believe it represents the unity of the Chinese people.

Inside Out - I was at the Closing Ceremony where I took a photo of the TV screen, thinking how amazing it is to be inside the Bird's Nest, while the rest of the world is watching from outside.  And the colors are just amazing.  Definitely during the Olympics, the Bird's Nest and the torch captured the Spirit of Beijing.

It was through this that I came across a number of foreigners many who were visiting Beijing for the first time. Their feedback was extremely positive about Beijing and China as a tourist destination and many in fact mentioned they would like to visit again.

As a result I went to a number of bars, restaurants, sports venues, public transport, hotels and tourist sites.  

Food:
- I believe all foreigners love to try the number of Chinese cuisines whilst also being able to indulge in Western food occasionally. The main things they look for are fresh, tasty food, atmosphere, good customer service and being able to order easily.
- Some of my favourites include Din Tai Fung and Hutong Pizza.
- The great thing about Beijing is you can find great food for all budgets. That includes street food. Whether it be chuanr or food Westerners would find bizarre.
- I even met some international models at a Yonghe King restaurant.   

Nightlife:
- Westerners love to check out the nightlife and Beijing has something to offer to all. Whether it be upmarket clubs or value-for-money bars there are many options. You can easily stay out till the early morning.
- The Sanlitun area is really popular as they have a number of bars in close proximity to each other, there are a number of clothing shops and you can easily get food.
- Many Westerners fall in love with the Chinese culture and here you can see one of them wearing a traditional outfit to a bar.
- Of course you have to go to a KTV one of the nights out as well.

Transportation:
- The subway system was probably the most convenient way to get around Beijing especially during the Olympics and still is. One of the greatest benefits of hosting the Olympics was they upgraded their public transport system. We went from 2 lines to about 8 lines over this period.
- I find the buses reasonably easy to catch. I don't always know where they take me but in a way it helps to explore Beijing!
- The terminal 3 opened recently, and it truly is an architectural masterpiece.

Accommodation:
- Accommodation is world standard. I met a number of top officials in the World Trade Centre and they were extremely happy. They had Chinese locals who showed them the best restaurants, sites and nightlife Beijing has to offer.
- I even visited the athlete's village and speaking to the athletes and officials they said the facilities were the best they had come across in all the Olympics they had been to.    
 
Landmarks:
- Some people say you haven't experienced Beijing till you have had a Peking duck, others will say you haven't experienced Beijing till you try bargaining at Silk St. My friends and I have a joke that you haven't experienced Beijing or China for that matter, till you take a photo of yourself jumping in front of one of the many landmarks!
- Some of my Western faced friends tell me you haven't experienced Beijing till a local asks to have a photo be taken with you! I'm still waiting to be asked¡­.
- Silk St is always a hit with the foreigners. I didn't need to ask what they thought about it because seeing people with multiple suitcases told the story.
- Beijing has some excellent architectural landmarks such as the CCTV tower. Most people think it looks like a pair of trousers but I think it looks like a Tetris piece.
- The Olympic venues were state of the art and drew praise from foreigners and athletes alike.

Places foreigners like:
- Western comfort food. Stores such as Jenny Lou's and Western restaurants always make it easier for homesick ex-pats and for locals to experience new foods.
- I came across these Italians in a Starbucks. I thought this was quite funny seeing Italians don't consider Starbucks to be good coffee.
- I got a number of requests during the Olympics from foreigners to stay at my place as it was hard to get accommodation. I went to Wudaokou and this guy circled my shirt. I got home that day and by complete chance he happened to be one of the people requesting to stay with me!

Things to improve:
- Signage and translations. Some things such as menus and building signs are often misspelt.
- Maps and navigation. Often maps do not have English and it can be difficult to catch a taxi without having a location written down in characters.
- Amenities. I don't think Westerners can ever quite get used to the concept of squatting.
- Things such as information centres and guide books are helping make it easier for foreigners to get around however.
- The Chinese population is improving their English as are foreigners trying to learn Mandarin. This can only be a good thing for the future of tourism in Beijing.

My favourite photos are of those with my athlete friend whom I met during the Olympics. She won a bronze medal and she let me do a few photo poses with the medal!

I feel like my creativity has evolved to another level recently and I think China has a large part to do with me coming up with the idea. The people who surround you and the societal environment around you are what influences us, shapes our attitudes and makes us the people who we are. Having lived in Australia my whole life and then moving to China, and not knowing the Mandarin language gave me a different perspective unlike others and the concept for the idea was in a sense a derivation of my life experience to date.

In the end I got 169 out of 204 countries. It was an incredible experience for me, my confidence has grown enormously and I am forever thankful to Beijing for the lifetime of memories I will take from it.

I hope to do it all again at the next big event.