When Jack Cooke came to Beijing in 2003, he didn't know how to order food in a restaurant. As a result, he ate kung po chicken for almost two months.

The 24-year-old Canadian who was studying Chinese in Beijing at the time, said he knew almost nothing about Chinese food. "The restaurants I frequented didn't have an English menu, " he said, adding he recognized the name kong po chicken because he had it in Chinese restaurants at home.

After the government issued the officially translated Chinese dishes' English names ahead of the Olympics, Cooke now finds more restaurants have English menus. "Some menus even have pictures; it's much more convenient for foreign customers."

Cooke now runs a homestay business in Beijing. He matches foreigners coming to China for accommodation with ordinary Chinese families. After five years of living in Beijing, he's found an ever changing city.

"More subway lines too," said Cooke. After continuing construction, Beijing's subways have extended to five lines. Before the Games, another three lines will be put into operation. Undoubtedly, like the English menus, clear English directions were also made available in stations.

In Beijing, capital of an ancient Oriental country in a fast-developing track, the Western lifestyle, featuring English as a universal language, coffee and automobiles, has been introduced for less than three decades, and has become popular only in recent years.

When Andy McEwen came to the city in 1997, he could not find a cup of good coffee. The fastidious Brit found even in five-star hotels, the coffee tasted bad.

"But coffee shops are everywhere now, like Starbucks, although I prefer to buy good coffee in Jenny Lou's stores. They have better coffee," said McEwen, a tour guide and previously a freelance writer.

There are more automobiles too -- from 1.7 million in 2001 to more than 3 million presently. Traffic conditions, especially in the rush hour, have become a big problem in this city of more than 16 million residents. However, Cooke thought it was worse in New York, Tokyo and Los Angeles.

Fortunately, Beijing's traffic will be much better during the Games. From July 20, vehicles will be allowed on the road only on odd or even days, depending on their license plate number.

As modern and Western stuff prevail, ancient glory is now reappearing. Major heritage, like the Forbidden City and the once prosperous Qianmen business district, have been restored and rebuilt to show themselves before visitors from around the world.

As for those who want to experience Chinese cuisine, the Games gives them a good chance. Some restaurants, like Quanjude, which is famous for its Beijing roast duck, will provide its traditional and specially-developed cuisine for customers.

Another Western symbol, the Bible, complete with Olympic logo, will be a popular souvenir soon and of practical use. More than 110,000 copies of the Bible and other scriptures will be made available in Beijing and other co-host cities. Chinese clerical persons are ready to provide religious services in the Olympic Village.

Following Tokyo in 1964 and Seoul in 1988, it was the third time that the Olympics had come to East Asia, a place where Confucianism was deeply imbedded in society. In addition, due to the socialist ideology, most of Chinese are atheists. However, the circulation of the Bible in the country had hit 3 million.

"I hope foreigners will experience the blessedness that God gives China," said Rev. Xu Xiaohong, a China Christian Council official.

Foreign journalists found things had changed too. Russian Information Agency Beijing bureau chief Stanislav Krans found he could contact people for interviews directly, instead of asking for the foreign ministry's approval.

"It was impossible 10 years ago. Now, so long as you can speak Chinese, you can go and interview." He said it was easier to contact with officials in Beijing than in other areas of the country.

"They used to be more oversensitive to contact with foreign media," said Krans, mentioning officials in Beijing were more open than before. "It's a step-by-step progress." At the Beijing International Media Center, most foreign journalists felt confident about their upcoming coverage during the Games.

Krans admitted some people still hesitated to be interviewed as they had personal concerns. For example, they worried what they said would affect their relations with their organizations.

However, due to its large bureaucratic system and lack of experience of some staff members, dealing with a great numbers of news media, in particular the foreign news media, becomes a challenge for governments at all levels.

"Procedures for interviewing are too sophisticated in China, especially when dealing with government officials," said Zumrn Djul, a Kazakh Television and Radio Company correspondent. "We have to get several approvals to reach the officials. Sometimes there are no responses, like a stone sunk into the sea."

However, a source close to the International Olympic Committee (IOC)said on condition of anonymity that most of Beijing's practices went by conventions. The Olympics has its rules. "Every Olympics had journalists who made unreasonable and excessive requests."

(Xinhua News Agency July 16, 2008)