Your Safety is Our Top Concern

My first post about the Olympics in Beijing isn't about what I had planned.  The United States experienced it's first death at the Olympics in Beijing and I feel honor-bound to provide some small defense for Beijing.  I can't imagine what it must be like for a family to go to the Olympics on vacation and then suddenly be the victims for such a random (and deadly) attack.  It's enough to bring you to tears.  However, Beijing shouldn't be tarnished with a broad brush as a result of this incident.

Bejing is one of the safest cities of its size anywhere in the world (if not the safest).  The level of safety here is surreal.  I have never felt any danger or worries in any part of the city at any time of day.  It's not just because I'm a man.  Women as well say that they feel so free in Beijing because they can move around the city alone without worry.

This incident unfortunately casts a pall over one of Beijng's best (and most subtle) features.  I can't imagine a city of 20 million people in which people live in such safety.  I can't even imagine a city of 500,000 people with this kind of safety.

Interestingly, the most danger I have felt was in the expat sections of town in a bar/restaurant district.  Predictably, it was a bar fight atmosphere that left me quite shaken because it was so ... unexpected in Beijing.  Anyway, just to put in my two cents.