I was in Beijing last week. Then I drove a couple hours North and a couple hours East after that.
Here’s what I want to know: Where were all of the people? Out of some 30 subway stops in their two main inner loops, maybe 3 stops were packed with people, but even then it wasn’t Tokyo-levels of commuters.
Beijing has highway traffic too, but not traffic jams from overcrowding.
...and there were a few farmers in fields, but just a handful.
I walked the Great Wall for miles without seeing a single other human from horizon to horizon, and the Great Wall is built along ridgelines and over mountaintops so your view is fantastic.
I’m not saying that China was empty. I did see people and even had to wait in a few lines...but I’m wondering where the other 1.3 Billion people went.
What? Beijing is no ghost city. It’s really crowded. Did you go on Line 1 Subway during rush hour? I’m from Dallas and once you drive a couple of hours from the city proper, you will find vast empty spaces, just like Dallas. However, the Central Business District is jam-packed 24/7.