A Tale of Two Houses

Holland House

London House

The international feel of Beijing has expanded exponentially with the influx of Olympic visitors. Foreign tourists have clogged all known tourist traps, including Hou Hai Lake, Nanluoguxiang, Wangfujing, and Sanlitun bar street.

But in addition to local attractions, many countries have established their own temporary "house" to showcase the best of their nation to visitors and their own citizens. This week I popped by the Holland House and the London House, and the differences were striking. Check out a photo gallery I created of my visits here.

In Beijing's China National Agricultural Exhibition Center, where the Dutch laid claim, orange was the color of the day and it might as well have been Heineken House for the level of branding by the brewery.

Inside, visitors could watch games on several large-screen televisions and examine several displays of Olympic history and sportswear fashion.

While I couldn't understand a word of the live-band's antics, including several closed-circuit televised cell-phone conversations between band members at opposite ends of the stage, I totally got it when they started singing Sweet Home Alabama, in English no less.

Getting in was free of charge, though food and drinks were not. The atmosphere was lively, fun and super Euro casual. Had a great time.

Inside Holland House.

Over in the city's lake neighborhood, I happened upon the opening of the London House to the general public for two days only. While the house was established for the games, entrance is normally by invite only.

For 30 RMB ($4.50) you could tour a remodeled Chinese courtyard home, that in its non-Olympic incarnation is a club. Inside London House, guides walked interested Chinese visitors around several photographic displays of London attractions and served up free mincemeat pies, tea cakes and crackers with liverwurst pate.

But while the event was interesting, it lacked that laid-back and fun global Olympic feel of people from different cultures chatting each other up. Organizers of the London House open house made it clear that the purpose of the event was to encourage investment in London as it prepares for the 2012 Olympics.

Inside London House.

But the event was a bit uptight. I literally saw one of the British organizers push a Chinese server in the direction of some guests, and when I asked the same woman for a press release that she had in a stack under her arm, she looked at me and said "You know it's in English."

Now, I should disclose here that I happen to look Chinese, but I was born and raised in the United States. Her response might have been understandable had I asked her in Mandarin, but I had asked for it in English, my Massachusetts accent and all.

But they did give everyone there a nifty gift bag, packed with info about London and and a cool battery-operated fan that spelled out "London" in lights as it twirls. It didn't say anywhere on the box or the fan where it was made, but the batteries that came with it were most-definitely Chinese.

Global commerce baby... global commerce.