Beijing remains steady for laowai as the seasons change

The Drum and Bell Towers (GuLou & ZhongLou) are situated at the northern end of the central axis of the Inner Beijing, to the east of HouHai (and just south of GuLou DaJie subway station). [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

When Marco Polo entered the city gates of Dadu in the 13th century, it couldn't have been a more mysterious world that was opening up to him. In the Western travelers' minds, China was and still is exotic and strange, a reverse image to the familiar Western world with its architecture, music and art.

Although it takes modern travelers just a few hours in a comfortable airplane to get here and not several years, encountering sandstorms and bandits, they still come to China secretly bearing hopes for adventure and enlightenment. Some of these things are considered typically Chinese, it may be Chinese wisdom and philosophy, Chinese medicine or socialism with Chinese characteristics. And yet the impatient traveler's hopes are all too soon being shattered by the truth of modern mega- cities.

Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing and Guangzhou are, gray and bursting with anonymous people. Antlike and insignificant, they push themselves into Beijing's crowded subway every morning, and still, the very private goals they are most rightfully pursuing – wealth, the newest iPhone, domestic harmony or even love – mean the world to them.

Today, the Middle Kingdom is not obviously exotic anymore and it won't deliver immediate revelation. Perseverance is key, or as Confucius puts it: "A person who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones". It starts with accumulating a presentable collection of This Is China moments and ends in the comforting certainty that somewhere between successfully ordering your first kungpao chicken in Chinese and shaking hands with the Chinese president, this strange spot on the world map, Beijing, has become your second home.

It is the time when your year review is not merely a chronology of events, but the memory of familiar feelings, thousands of kilometers away from your hometown.

In spring, I was longing for the first cherry blossoms and fragrant peonies and, recalling all the foolish things I have done in the many springs before, like secretly skipping a whole week of school or writing cheesy love letters.

In summer, I was strolling around Beijing's hutongs, curiously observing what new trends will be created there this season. Beijing will always be a city of two paces, only within the Second Ring people cultivate a relaxed way of life. They fish, play Chinese chess and card games, walk in their pajamas with their birdcages and enjoy the sunshine. Finally, the long winter is over and they come out of their narrow hutongs to claim the green alleys as their rightful gardens.

In autumn, the streets are framed with red and orange trees. On a golden autumn day with an air quality index below 20 and a cool evening breeze, Beijing shows itself at its best. The words of Lao She come into my mind: "The sky is so high, so blue, so bright, just as if it told the people of Beijing with a smile: during these days, Mother Nature won't mean you any harm." Most unfortunately, parade blue wasn't the new normal.…

In winter, my boyfriend brings me tanghulu and walnuts on his way home. When meeting a former Chinese classmate, we accidentally got into a British Christmas carol singing night at Beijing's Bookworm bookstore.. I realized how swiftly a foreign culture can find its way into China and how easy it is for young and open-minded people to enjoy other countries' traditions.

Beijing is changing its face many times throughout the year and so do the people who live in this city. Now, a thin layer of ice is covering Houhai Lake as we make our New Year's resolutions. And if we are honest, we are already looking forward to the foolish things we will do in the coming year.