I am sitting in my China World Summit Wing hotel room in the tallest tower in the capital city of the world's second largest economy - the world, literally, is at my feet.

Through the haze – it's that in-between time between summer and autumn – I spot the tops of buildings upon buildings as far as the eye can see. Down below, I see an endless stream of motor vehicles circling, criss-crossing all on their way to somewhere.

I am back in Beijing about two years after it hosted the Olympics. The airport was as busy as it was then. The young girl who meets me warns me that the queue at immigration will be long. "It's that time of the day, United Airlines and Emirates are in at the same time, always a lot of people," she says.

When we reach immigration, she stops in her tracks and says, "Oh my God." The queues are indeed long. She quickly scurries up to a far counter, beckoning me to follow. "Quick, I think we can go to Chinese nationals," she says.

Feeling like I am in a video game, I keep up with her. She and her meet-and-greet colleagues have obviously figured out how to work the system. Queue up at the last Chinese national counter and when the rest of the counters in this section empty, you get to go ahead.

At the baggage conveyor belt, bags have piled up as the belt has broken down. "Oh my God," she says. She speaks rapidly in Mandarin to the baggage handlers. "Let's walk and find your bag," she says.

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