My 47 years in Beijing

I first came to Beijing in August 1971.Which means I have been here for 47 years .I'm a journalist. I first worked for TIME magazine.And later joined CNN as a reporter and Beijing bureau chief .I retired three years ago and now teach a media course at Peking University.My first impression of Beijing was that it was very mysterious. I thought Beijing was a unique place.In the autumn of 1977, I was admitted to Peking University (as a foreigner) .So I was one of the first students to enter Beijing and university after the cultural revolution when the college entrance examination was restored . We had a lot of learning and debating in and out of class .What exactly does China's reform and opening-up mean? Where is China's road ahead? At that time, life was relatively monotonous, especially in entertainment.It was lucky for us to see one or two movies a month . On the campus, there would be a mobile projection team . Who would hang up a large piece of white cloth at sunset. So we would watched a movie in the open .I still like watching movies now. Sometimes I go to the movie theaters in Sanlitun where big screens are available. Now film titles are much more diverse . I like Jiang Wen's movies and those of Jia Zhangke’s. There are more foreign films, too .I think these changes should have started at the end of 1978 .That was when Deng Xiaoping began to reform and open up . And shift the focus onto economic development . I also went to see the 1985 WHAM band performance in Beijing .Now such performances are very common, at that time it was a "revolution". Then came Coca Cola, and I interviewed many people for that .They were quite happy about it . But some of them felt like they were like drinking traditional Chinese medicine That bittersweet taste. I’ve changed with the reforms in Beijing and China .My life has changed as much as those of the Chinese people’s.If I sum it up, I think can do it with one word, which is “choice”.  The 40 years of reform have given people a choice .In Beijing I found a place to build a career, and a place live . I also found a place where I’ve achieved something that should be considered a success . I wish Beijing well!