STANDING IN MY in red coat, next to my luggage on the shining granite floor, I wait anxiously. Facing Gate 10, my eyes survey the cavernous space around me – the dramatic high ceilings, the bright futurist décor and the endless rows of check-in counters.

So this is it: the new Beijing airport. Like a proud phoenix, it spreads its giant wings to the east of the city. When I first saw its striking shape, in Sydney, my eyes were glued to the television screen. I wished I was at the Olympics: such an intoxicating time, all the excitement, all the pride – for China, for all Chinese faces around the world.