Tomorrow is the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and because Beijing is the capital, life here is pretty crazy. All AirBnBs were suspended this month, bars or clubs with live concerts were shutdown until the end of the month, packages bought online will take longer due to increased security, the loophole that allows VPNs to work has been plugged, some gas stations have stopped selling gas for a few days to cut down on traffic, messages containing certain keywords + memes of the president cannot be sent on social media, and subway stations have lines running all the way into the street due to increased security. Ah the joys of living in the capital.

The pictures above were from an event I attended for China Today, the magazine I write for. It showcases all of China's advancements and development, with the tour divided into sections such as education, military, healthcare, diplomacy, and technology. I was with the English speaking diplomat group, and oddly enough, also the only one not in a suit. It was really interesting to see all that China has achieved, but at the same time, it was very 'over the top' and a bit cheesy. There were at least 100 photos of Xi Jinping, China's president, all over the exhibition. Overall, very interesting, but China, you don't need to throw your achievements in everyone's face and put it on display in such a tacky way.