China nicely into its stride in preparation for Olympics

Letter from Beijing: As the green Beijing taxi with its orange band pulled up outside my office, I reached through the protective grille surrounding the driver to pay the 11 yuan, about €1, on the meter, thanking the driver in Chinese and bidding him farewell. As I did so, the driver pointed to the meter and said, in English: "Eleven." Then he said "Bye Bye", too, leaving me dumbstruck on the pavement. Login or subscribe for more.

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