tight spot

this goes on for a long time until the rocks suddenly slink away and the resulting open space is filled with a huge city, rubble poured into an enormous basin. it is so densely packed it looks like crazy paving. amongst the humble domestic homes and clay coloured apartment blocks i count two towering power stations, their chimneys built as high as possible over the city. massive unidentifiable factories also rise out of the tessellation. it's as though the factories were built in the back gardens of the packed city. it has all been crammed into the space, as much as possible with nothing spared.

when we pass small train stations, guards stand to attention on the platforms in pin-sharp militaristic uniforms.


in the foreground some homes and shops front onto the rails, as if all these tons of train, engine and 16 carriages were rolling down a friendly neighbourhood street.

in the background it's becoming more and more urban. high rise apartment blocks grow beside 10 lane highways, shopping malls, car salesrooms - all mirrored glass and chrome and strangely muted sun-drenched neon. a glimpse of what awaits us in a few hours, and the city of beijing... home to more than 14 million people.

a few hours later it turns out that all of this was beijing, the outskirts, and it really is that big.