Chinese officials stepped up security when the Olympic torch stopped in Beijing this week on its trek around the globe. Government organizers of the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics are taking no chances of repeating protests that robbed the spotlight at the flame-lighting ceremony in Athens last week.
Clashes between Tibetan demonstators and Chinese police in Llhasa have drawn the world's notice, and put China's human rights record back on the front page. Getting less attention is the rapid transformation of Beijing as officials prepare to host the Olympic games.
Our guest, Philip Nobel, wrote for Metropolis Magazine about his five-day visit to Beijing last fall and the changes he observed.
Read Philip Nobel's article "Delirious Beijing" in Metropolis Magazine
See photos of Beijing's new architectural wonders
(Photo by Ken McCown)
