Zhongguancun

Last Friday I visited Zhongguancun, the high tech district in the northeast part of Beijing. I visited Zhongguancun in 2008, but I just stopped at the first computer market I came upon. This time I reached the  center of the high tech area and was amazed by the ultra-modern glass architecture and the sheer number of electronics markets in the area. I felt like I was plopped into a sci-fi movie. When I was wandering around I peeked into Microsoft's Beijing officer, which has a visitor's center on the first floor. There I got to try out a Kinect (meh) and got to see a Microsoft Surface. For those who don't remember, the Surface is a multitouch table that was supposed to be used in restaurants and hotels, but as far as I can tell never really took off. Unfortunately the one they had on display was turned off and nobody was there to turn it on. It was still fun to see one in person though.

I've been having a great time here, but unfortunately my trip is almost a quarter over already. Photos of the Forbidden City and Great Wall soon to come. Enjoy!

Hordes of public busses jam Zhongguancun Road during rush hour.

The Chinese Steel Corporation building rises above a raised park in Zhongguancun.

The Sinosteel building is huge both horizontally and vertically. Even from this distance, the building extends horizontally and vertically for quite a ways.

A road in the Zhongguancun High Tech Area in Beijing, China.

Another shot of Zhongguancun, Beijing. The modernness of the buildings made me feel like I was plopped into iRobot