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Beijing, my destiny

Editor’s note: This year marks the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening-up, and huge changes have been made in Beijing, capital of China, over the past 40 years. We have invited 40 foreign experts to participate in a series of interviews named “New Era, New Insight” jointly hosted by GMW.cn(The official website of Guangming Daily) and the Information Office of Beijing Municipality and share their “Beijing Stories”. The following is a part of the interview with Greek photographer George Doupas.

Beijing, my destiny

My name is Harvey Dzodin, I am American, and I live in Beijing for fifteen years. But the first time I came to Beijing was 30 years ago in 1988. I do many things in Beijing. I’m a commentator on radio and TV.

I also write for China Daily and various publications and appear in their blogs. When I live in America, I also did several things. For many years, I was vice president for the American broadcasting co. Television network,I also work for president Jimmy carter, a great American president.

When I was a young boy back in Detroit Michigan, thousands miles from Beijing, I used to listen my short wave radio, and one of the most exciting station to listen to, because was the other end of the earth was from Beijing and it was called Radio Peking, it’s signature tune was the east is red,is far different China from today.

The first time I came to Beijing in 1988, it was a completely different city from it today, it’s not different by(but) a matter of a few years, but seems like a few centuries, the Beijing has progress into one of the other word most modern world cities, and that’s one of the many reasons, that I proud to live here.

But if somebody told me back in 1988 that one day I will be living in Beijing in China, I would told them they were crazy, cause China was very different then. It was less developed before opening up was just beginning at that time, but today as we say in some famous advertising slogan: you’ve come a long way, baby!

So Beijing is one of the most modern cities in the world, people in America people in Europe have little idea of just how modern Beijing is, I was in New York recently where I lived for 22 years and it’s phenomenal there buses subways their antiquated they don’t run on time and compared to Beijing with modern subways modern buses it is such a world of difference and that grows even more so for the high speed train when I first came to China there were all green trains you can still seen them today and they were very slow and they stopped everywhere,now with the high speed trains from Beijing to many stations, you can go from Beijing to just about anywhere in China in a few hours, It’s quite a big difference.

[ Editor: Xueying ]