Welcome To Beijing – Guy Rubin: Beijing, My Second Home
Originally published in a Beijing tourism publication. Reproduced for archival and reference purposes.
Guy Rubin: Beijing, My Second Home
The National Centre for the Performing Arts, one of Beijing’s major cultural venues.
Born in Israel, Guy Rubin grew up in the United Kingdom and impresses with his fluent Chinese. He formerly worked for London strategic consultants, travelling to many countries across the northern hemisphere before settling in Beijing in 1997 where he now runs a luxury travel company.
Rubin loves Beijing history and culture. Compared with other cities, he loves the rich cultural resources of the Chinese capital city. “London is a financial center and so are Shanghai and Hong Kong,” he says. “There are many places to go in Beijing where one can enjoy the history and culture they are laden with.”
As a lover of Chinese culture, he listens to many lectures at Chinese culture clubs and sees this as an advantage of living in the city. Rubin also appreciates the lifestyle of Beijingers: “They are relaxed and know how to enjoy life. And they respect others too.”
For tourists there are a lot of things worth exploring in Beijing, he says, like the ancient palaces, gardens and temples where they can learn history. He especially recommends Fahai Temple and its spectacular Ming Dynasty murals. He suggests the lively 798 Art District to enjoy the work of Chinese artists and the Bird’s Nest and National Aquatics Center for a little foreign flair, as both were partly designed by outside architects. As an international city, Beijing is also a place where tourists can enjoy top-quality concerts and performances. So long as a visitor has the time, there’s so much more to explore in Beijing.
Rubin is devoted to promoting a positive image of Beijing and China to the world. China needs a lot more of that, in his opinion. International media portrayals sometimes distort China so that many westerners know little about what it’s really like here and accrue many misunderstandings about the country. Through his efforts Rubin hopes western people will know China better and when choosing a travel destination, will consider China more seriously. Although he has done much work promoting Beijing and China this contribution is but “a drop of water in the sea,” he says, and he hopes others will pitch in too.
In short, for Rubin, Beijing is his second home. “Beijing gave me everything,” he says, “my wife, my children and my work opportunity. That’s why I love this city and want to do something for her.”
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