Eric's Beijing Diary

You know, winter really is a nice time of the year in Beijing. Problem is, it's only January, and I have spring fever. I'm supposed to be studying, and I'm looking out the window. I don't like summer in Beijing; I'm sure I've said that before. It's much worse than Phoenix. Not necessarily hotter, but very, very humid. I haven't figured it out yet, because Beijing is usually considered a dry climate. I guess that's why it's so nice the rest of the year. Fall would be the nicest, I suppose, but winter is nice too. Sunny. Cold, yes. But not terribly cold. I remember when Michael first got to Beijing. Michael is a mountain man. He has hiked both the Appalachian and Pacific trails from Mexico to Canada. He said, "They told me this place was going to be cold! This isn't any different than standing on a mountain ridge." That's just about it. Beijing is "mountain ridge" cold. Except this winter. This winter it has been unusually mild. Still winter, but warmer than usual. But even at its worst, Beijing is not cold like the American Midwest. Harbin is. Every member of the Canadian National hockey team is from Harbin. That is cold country. Like Minnesota or North Dakota. But Beijing is much milder. And dry and sunny.

I don't know--I suppose it depends on your perspective. I was talking to a student once. He said, "I hate Beijing; it's too cold!" I looked at him. "I'd hate Beijing too, if I dressed like you did." It's all about layers. You do need to dress for winter. But it's not very hard in Beijing. And of course, since Beijing is north of the Yangtze River, all the buildings have heat. They turn on the water in November, and keep it on until March. So the inside temperature is quite comfortable. As I said before, this winter is especially warm. Some think it is because of global warming, but I don't think so. I have lived in snow country most of my life, and these things do fluctuate some. I heard the other day that Russia is having one of the warmest winters on record. I have a fur cap that I bought in the summer of 2005 when I was in Central Asia, and I haven't worn it yet this winter.