We've been in China for roughly a week, and today we're preparing to take the overnight train to Xi'an (from Tianjin).
Though there is much to say about China (based on what I've seen in Beijing and Tianjin), the one phrase I could say to describe it is "under construction". There are new construction projects everywhere. In many places you see juxtapositions of very modern high-rise apartments, slightly shabbier looking apartments from the 70s and 80s (although many of them are nice on the inside), and older style "hu tong"s (small side streets). One minute you'll be walking through a street that looks like Vegas, and the next you'll be walking along a quiet narrow road that looks like it hasn't changed since the 50's. You definitely get the sense that things are changing, and very quickly. I suppose you can attribute a lot of it to the 2008 games, and yet some of the buildings being built don't look like they will be done by the games.