In Beijing

I landed here Sunday afternoon around 2:30. The weather is hot (85 degrees) and quite dry.

Clearing Customs was a breeze, and the taxi ride in from the airport was fast and cheap. The highways move quickly, and the only hold-up was an accident as we got into downtown.

Everyone has been very friendly and courteous. I was a little surprised that not too many people, even at the hotel's reception desk, speak fluent English (although I am sure there are more English speakers in China than Chinese speakers in the United States)

English is clearly the second language of Beijing. All the highway signs (even the ones warning against mobile phone use or drinking while driving) are in both English and Chinese. English appears in many billboard advertisements as well, although often in nonidiomatic phrases ("No. 1 headquarters site for upstage global companies").