Digital clocks set in prominent public locations maintain an exact countdown to the Olympics. A new car display reflects the time at Beijing International Airport in 2007.

Former government-run electrical 'Factory 798' has been recycled with the same name to currently serve as a popular international art exchange centre, complete with bars and galleries. Originally designed by Russian and East German engineers, the bleak complex is now used to transform mundane objects into art.

Unfortunately for us, a gallery of former communist scenes was closed on Monday, the day we were there, so we spent more time at the indoor tourist trap mecca of Ya Show where our group bought fake Rolexes and jewellery. One watch had expired by the next day, but the rest were still ticking along at the end of our trip. As I wandered around the booths a salesgirl playfully picked items from a back pocket of my photo vest before giving them back to me as her friends giggled. Loved it.

A drive through the city (preferably with someone else at the wheel) allows a peak into several facets of daily life in this metropolis of 15 million souls and 3.5 million cars --- from construction to the greening of the city, from traffic jams to the enforced cleanliness of vehicles, from modernization to traditional bicycle transport, to acknowledgment of Chairman Mao with our driver's dashboard portrait and bracelet.

Beijing Roast Duck Restaurant is reputedly the best place in the city for traditional 'Peking Duck'. The private dining rooms are immaculate, white glove service impeccable and the cuisine excellent.

Patrons are seated at a large round table, serving themselves from each dish as it is added to a revolving glass centerpiece atop the white linen table cloth. Properly done, a duck is cut into 108 pieces, each with some fat, skin and flesh.

Smack in the middle of swank new department stores and fashion shops on Wang Fu Jing Street sits Xin Xua (New China), the country's largest bookstore.

When stores close at 10:00pm, taxis become scarce and a visitor may find that a normal fare has tripled. After some negotiation, a rickshaw ride back to your hotel is more fun anyway.