I leave for Beijing tomorrow morning, so I won't be posting for a while, but I'll put up photos and a travel journal when I get a chance. I'll arrive in Beijing late on Thursday night after enduring a 17-hour flight in Northwurst cattle class. It's really frustrating to me that despite having a gazillion frequent-flyer miles, I never seem to be able to get booked on international flights with upgradeable seats in biz class.

I'll be free for the weekend, so I plan to concentrate on seeing the major sites through my hotel's tourist agency. Monday, I have to start working, but I hope to be able to arrange some nice dinners with my students during the week, along with a visit to the Peking Opera.

And I'll be on the lookout for Maoist artwork to bring back with me, of course.

Zài huì (see you soon)!