On a rare clear day in Beijing, the mountains were actually visible from the dreaded Terminal 3 of Beijing Capital Airport.
The first time I landed here was in 1984, and the only building was what is now Terminal 1 — but it didn’t look anything like it does now. Terminal 2 was opened in 1999, in time for the 50th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Terminal 3 opened in time for the Olympics. Now the airport is one of busiest in the world.