boyutpedia Chapter 174 brings us back to City 49.
Chapter 174 brings us back to City 49.
Guangzhou Baiyun Airport in the early 1980s still carried a simple and unpretentious mark of that era.
The cement-paved helipad was spacious but simple, lacking the grand and impressive covered bridges and bustling commercial shops that came later.
Even the terminal building itself is remarkably simple, with gray walls and a square structure. Only the large red characters "Guangzhou Baiyun Airport" hanging at the entrance proclaim its status as the gateway to southern Guangdong.
Lin Zhou and his convoy stopped in the open space in front of the terminal. The car doors opened, and a hot wind carrying a faint smell of gasoline and earth rushed in. He looked around at the surrounding scenery and paused.
The other passengers had already gotten off the bus one after another, carrying their simple luggage and walking towards the terminal. Their footsteps echoed crisply on the empty concrete ground.
Lin Zhou's gaze slowly swept over everything in front of him. The sparse passengers in the terminal were mostly wearing navy blue or khaki Zhongshan suits or Dacron shirts, carrying canvas bags or briefcases in their hands. They walked hurriedly but with a touch of simplicity unique to this era!
On the tarmac in the distance, several silver-gray passenger planes were parked quietly. The models were not advanced, and the paint on the fuselage was somewhat mottled. Compared with the shiny, large commercial airliners at Baiyun Airport forty years later, they were worlds apart.
He couldn't help but overlap the scene before him with his memories from before he traveled through time—by then, Baiyun Airport had already become a world-class aviation hub.
Moreover, the terminal building is magnificent and grand, with glass curtain walls that gleam in the sunlight, and jet bridges that connect the terminal building and the aircraft like silver ribbons, where passengers throng shoulder to shoulder.
There are also all kinds of shops, announcements in Chinese and English on the radio, and traffic on the airport expressway is constant, 24 hours a day.
Now, only the most basic civil aviation services are available here. Even the boarding passes are just simple paper tickets, and the security check is just a basic manual inspection.
Lin Zhou's lips unconsciously curled up, he chuckled softly, and gently shook his head.
This isn't just an unequal comparison; it's practically two completely different eras.
But it was precisely this simplicity that made him clearly feel that he was standing at the forefront of the times, and that the land beneath his feet was holding back a surge of energy, waiting to unleash earth-shaking changes in the coming decades.
"Mr. Lin, let's go in, it's almost time to board." The assistant beside him reminded him softly, interrupting Lin Zhou's thoughts.
He snapped out of his reverie, suppressed the emotion in his eyes, nodded, and followed the others into the terminal.
The terminal hall is not large, the ceiling is not high, the roof is a simple cement beam, and the walls are painted white, some places have turned yellow, and you can even see the fine cracks.
Several wooden benches with peeling paint were placed in the lobby, where a few travelers were sitting and waiting, holding enamel mugs in their hands, occasionally exchanging a few words in hushed tones, so as not to disturb others.
There were only a few check-in counters. The staff, dressed in uniform, smiled at each passenger, took their ID and letter of introduction, and carefully filled out the boarding pass with their pens making a soft scratching sound as they scribbled across the paper.
Lin Zhou and his group walked to the check-in counter. The assistant had already completed the relevant procedures in advance. After the staff checked the information, they handed over a few simple paper boarding passes and said with a smile, "Have a safe trip."
There are no electronic flight information reminders, no convenient self-service check-in; everything is done manually!
The security check process is also very simple. Security personnel use a simple metal detector to scan passengers, open their luggage and look through it a few times. Once they confirm there are no prohibited items, they wave them through.
Lin Zhou's luggage contained only a few changes of clothes, and he quickly passed through security. The group followed the signs to the boarding gate.
There was no enclosed waiting area at the boarding gate; it was just a simple passageway leading to a shuttle bus.
Several passenger planes were parked on the tarmac not far away, their propellers turning slowly and making a buzzing sound. Under the fuselage, ground crew were busy doing the final checks before takeoff.
After waiting for only a dozen minutes, a sweet female voice came over the loudspeaker, announcing that boarding for the flight to Beijing was possible. The voice came through the old speaker and was somewhat clear.
"Dear passengers, boarding for flight CAxxx to Beijing is now commenced. Passengers with boarding passes for this flight, please proceed to Gate 1 and take the shuttle bus to your boarding area..."
Lin Zhou and his group followed the crowd onto the shuttle bus, which slowly drove onto the tarmac, its wheels making a clattering sound as they rolled over the concrete.
The last time I went to Beijing was to investigate the investment environment. Everyone took the train, rushed in and rushed out, without even having time to properly see the city.
This time, when he returned to Beijing, the Zhonghua Building project was nearing completion. As the behind-the-scenes boss, he should come and take a look in person, and also make some strategic plans for the Beijing market.
This city, which serves as the political, economic, and cultural center of China, is destined to become one of the most prosperous places in the country in the future. Naturally, his business empire will make an important move here.
The shuttle bus was parked next to the passenger plane. The cabin door was already open, and a simple boarding ladder was placed at the cabin entrance. Flight attendants in neat uniforms stood at the top of the ladder, smiling and welcoming each passenger.
Lin Zhou stepped onto the boarding stairs and entered the cabin. The seats inside were old-fashioned fabric seats, arranged not too cramped. The cabin decoration was also very simple, without fancy ceiling lights, only a few simple incandescent bulbs emitting a soft light.
The group found seats and sat down, while Lin Zhou and his family were led to first class and had their seatbelts fastened.
Not long after, the cabin door closed, and the flight attendant began explaining the safety instructions in a gentle and patient voice.
The plane then slowly taxied, accelerated on the runway, and a slight push-back sensation came as the fuselage lifted off, passing through the thin clouds and flying north.
The plane flew smoothly at an altitude of 10,000 meters. Outside the window, there was a clear blue sky and white clouds, like fluffy cotton balls spread across the horizon.
The cabin was quiet, with most passengers resting with their eyes closed. Occasionally, there were a few hushed conversations, but everyone deliberately kept their voices down.
Lin Zhou didn't sleep. He leaned against the window, gazing at the sea of clouds outside, while his mind was organizing his next plan.
Zhonghua Building is his first large-scale project in Beijing. Located near Dongzhimen, it enjoys a prime location and will be one of the few modern office buildings in Beijing after completion.
This project is not only his stepping stone into the northern market, but also a window for him to showcase the strength of Zhonghua Group to the outside world, and it cannot tolerate the slightest mistake.
During his visit, he not only wanted to inspect the project's construction progress and quality, but also to finalize the subsequent investment promotion plan with the project team. At the same time, he also wanted to meet with some connections in Beijing to pave the way for future development.
The several hours of flight passed quietly in Lin Zhou's thoughts. The clouds outside the window gradually thinned, and the scenery below became clearer, with scattered buildings, winding rivers, and crisscrossing roads unfolding little by little.
Especially the Forbidden City, which looks like a chessboard when viewed from above, has a unique charm that belongs to the city of Beijing—solemn and solemn.