I spoke too soon.

A blue sky over Beijing today! I noticed it when I looked out my balcony this afternoon. It was bright and sunny — beautiful! I immediately asked my roommate to go out with me. We thought we’d go fly kites over Tian’anmen Square, but apparently no one flies kites there. Still, we wandered the place amongst the thousands who were also milling around the world’s largest urban open square, all surrounded by even larger structures: Tian’anmen to the north with the palace behind it; Chang’an Jie separating them; the Great Hall of the People on the west; and the National Museum on the east.

As we continued further up Chang’an Jie, the grandeur of all the hotels and government buildings along it, designer shops and Wangfujing Dajie revealed an exciting city that no longer seemed so foreign. The buildings were modern, the sidewalks were cleaner and the landscaping was full of color — and all against a sunny blue sky. This was a Beijing I could fall in love with.

The sun eventually set, and we headed back toward the square. Everything was lit up, throwing the square into a warm glow. It was beautiful: serene and esoteric even as people continued to swarm the place and cars rushed down the street. To top it off, the National Centre for the Performing Arts added a soft colorful radiance into the scene. The rush of people and cars around me; the moon shining brightly high in the sky; and the grandeur of all that is China past and present captured in just a few blocks — I am in love.