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New York Times today has a feature article on the new airport terminal in Beijing and other architectural mega-building projects around Beijing and China.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/02/business/worldbusiness/02terminal.html?th&emc=th

I recall in 1979 during my first trip back to China after 30 years, the Beijing airport was part of a military airfield. SwissAir was the only airline flying into Beijing (From the US I have to come via Europe). Upon landing in the evening after stops in Zurich, and Bombay and 36 hours on the road, we descended metal stairways onto the tarmac and walked across dark open field without lights into a small brick building to go through makeshift customs and immigration procedure.

Then in the early 1980s a larger passenger terminal was built in the style of old traditional Chinese buildings. Departure from it was chaotic. Most passengers were unfamiliar with airport procedures and long lines exist everywhere. You have special coupons to get in order to pay the  airport tax, departure card to fill out, and custom and immigration forms. Management were simply unfamiliar with operating a modern international airport.

One  more air terminal in line with modern air terminals standards were built in the late eighties (or early nineties, I forgot) and modern arrivial/departure procedures instituted. However, airport maintenance was rather inadequate (or unknown). I recall  soon after the modern terminal opened, the coffee shop seats were stained and the terminal floor in some parts became an eyesore in an otherwise new modern building.  Since the beginning of  the 21^st century, one more modern terminal building opened and this one is up-to-date in every sense.   When I come this summer, I will arrive in this even newer terminal (described by the NYTimes above. There is even a video about it on the NYTimes website). The terminal will be more than world class which is of course what China intends to show off.

This evolution of a series of five air terminals in Beijing in the past 29 years is a mirror of the evolution of the Chinese economy. I fervently hope and have reasons to believe that other aspects of China can catch up and keep pace with such economic developments.  China will then become a fully developed rather than a developing country.

Incidentally, there is a very good Op-ed article on globalization in the same issue by David Brooks

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/02/opinion/02brooks.html?th&emc=th

Note added 3/24/2019. CGTN reported that an even newer and bigger Beijing airport will be added next year in the south of of the capital.