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Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Great Wall breached: Starbucks sets up shop
In the end, it appears that the Great Wall of China has failed -- at least in stopping one invader.
The imposing stone structure attracts millions of tourists, snakes across provinces and makes for gorgeous souvenir photographs.
But on Tuesday, the Badaling section, one of the busiest parts, gained a new presence, one with a very distinct Seattle flavor. A Starbucks coffee store opened to serve java to tired visitors.
And man, talk about how China -- a country famous for tea -- has changed.
More than 2,000 years ago, workers began erecting the original part of the Great Wall. Under the leadership of Emperor Qin Shihuang, it helped unify the country.
Over time, Chinese leaders used the entire wall, which has guard towers and 45-degree-angle steps, to keep out Mongol invaders, bandits and marauding horsemen.
But as of Tuesday, there were two things that the Great Wall could not stop: free market forces and consumer demand.
For those who think the historic structure might be getting, well, too commercial with a Starbucks, it's already too late. It has been commercial for a while.
At the Badaling section, Chinese souvenir hawkers sell, among many other things, red, industrial-strength cigarette lighters with tiny pictures of Mao Zedong glued to them.
When the lighter is opened, it plays the tune "The East Is Red."
But with Starbucks at the Great Wall, you do have to wonder about Deng Xiaoping, the late paramount leader. When he approved the revolutionary market changes that opened China to the world and changed the country forever, is this what he envisioned?
Did he consider a descendant of a Mongol invader sipping a tall cafe mocha with just a touch of vanilla at the Great Wall?But as Seattle area residents who have hiked the wall know, you do get mighty tired -- and coffee is always a good choice.
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