We land in Beijing with the necessary apps and VPN sorted so we manage to fix a Didi right away. We seek out old-timey Chinese charm in Beijing’s hutongs, the traditional neighbourhoods that have not yet fallen victim to urban development. Red, blue and green decorations contrast the grey bricks. At the banks of the Qianhai lake, we buy a tanghulu from an auntie and look at winter swimmers taking a plunge under the glow of the wintersun. Everywhere we look, we see people in polyester Manchurian dress taking pictures of each other.