The Air France pilot announced that our jet would land at Copenhagen within half an hour.

Terraced homes line picturesque Nyhavn Canal.

Through the window I could see a big island dotting the deep blue ocean. A long bridge spans the sea and connects the island to another. Then a large city with few highrises began sprawling below.

It was late afternoon on September 8 in the capital of Denmark - and around midnight in Beijing. After an exhausting 12-hour flight we would soon start our 12-day journey of discovery.

Photographer Jiang Dong and I were guests of the Danish Centre for Culture and Development for a media exchange programme. Under the programme, we would spend six days working at Jydske Vestkysten, a regional newspaper in Esbjerg, the fifth largest city in Denmark. The rest of the time was ours to explore Copenhagen.

The capital city is the nation's largest and home to a quarter of all Danes - about 5.3 million.

City of cyclists

Before this trip I always considered China the world's No 1 cycling nation. With the world's largest population and largest number of bicycles, it's only natural.

Two young musicians join their instructor in a rehearsal at Copenhagen's historic church, Vor Frelsers Kirke.

After only one day in Copenhagen, however, my confidence was shattered. For I found that compared to China, Denmark seemed to have more reasons to be considered as "a country of cyclists."

During the taxi ride from the airport to the hotel I noticed that Copenhagen's traffic was not dominated by automobiles. Bicycles seem to play the more important role. There are cycling routes running parallel to lightly trafficked roads, and bicycles clearly outnumber cars.

That initial impression was strengthened during the next morning's rush hour, when we saw far more bikers than either drivers or pedestrians.

There were cyclists dressed in special helmets, gloves and sportswear riding beside those in suits. There were children and dogs carried in trailers attached to bicycles. In established bicycle lanes along the roads, most cyclists were moving quickly.

At a glimpse, I could tell the proportion of cyclists in the total population of Copenhagen is much larger than that of Beijing, and I saw no traffic jams while strolling around downtown.

Later I was told that Denmark prides itself on being a bicycle-friendly country. Fully half of its citizens ride bikes on a regular basis.

Danish cyclists have rights that in many other countries are reserved for motorists. Road signs are posted for bicycle traffic and bicycle racks can be found outside grocery shops, museums and many other public places.

While many Beijingers are longing for cars and many bicycle lanes are being nibbled by automobiles, Copenhagen certainly provides a contrast for reconsidering our attitude towards traditional transportation.

Christiania

Returning to Copenhagen from Esbjerg on September 15, we were joined by Klaus Holsting, a freelance photographer who worked at China Daily in early September as part of the exchange programme. He offered to guide us on a visit to Christiania.

A local resident picks up a free newspaper.

Located on the eastern edge of the capital, Christiania is not only Denmark's second most popular tourist attraction ( behind the Little Mermaid - the famous statue of Hans Christian Andersen's heroine), but also a symbol of the country's diversity and tolerance.

Christiania was originally an abandoned 41-hectare military camp. In 1971, it was taken over by squatters who proclaimed it a "free state" subject to their own laws.

The police tried to clear the area but it was the height of the "hippie revolution" and an increasing number of alternative folk from throughout Denmark continued to pour in, attracted by the concept of communal living and the prospect of reclaiming military land for peaceful purposes.

The momentum became too strong for the government to hold back. Bowing to public pressure, the community was allowed to continue as a "social experiment." About 1,000 people settled into Christiania, turning the old barracks into schools and housing, and starting their own collective businesses, workshops and recycling programmes.

As well as hosting progressive happenings, Christiania also became a magnet for runaways and junkies. Although a policy was established later by local residents that outlawed hard drugs in Christiania, and heroin and cocaine pushers were expelled, marijuana and hashish is still openly sold (though not legally) and smoked here.

"There is the Pusher Street in Christiania, and many pushers live there," said Hoslting. "That's one of the major reasons why Christiania remains controversial."

We visited it the next morning. After half an hour walk, we saw an archway made up of two timber totem poles and a wooden board erected between two old buildings.

It was the main entrance of Christiania. Passing through the archway, Klaus told us to look back to the wooden board, on which was written: "You are now entering the EU."

Pusher Street and most of the shops in car-free Christiania are within a few minutes walk of the entrance.

While we were close to the street, Klaus asked Jiang Dong to put his camera back in his bag. Soon I saw a yellow sign warning that photography is forbidden in the street.

Pusher Street is actually a lane lined by booths. One or two pushers sit in each booth, in which marijuana joints and hashish from such countries as Afghanistan, India and Nepal are showcased.

The pushers look no different than the common souvenir peddlers found in other parts of the city, except they are usually accompanied by large dogs. I saw several teenagers that looked like their customers.

Passing a small market where pipes and jewellery are sold, Klaus guided us to the quieter living section of Christiania, where I met a resident.

Monica Lee, 40, is a Danish-American who moved to Christiania from Norway when she was 10 year old. The married mother of a 15-year-old son has lived in Christiania ever since.

She built a small house together with her husband. Though the house is rent-free, the family has to pay 5,000 krone (US$589.6) to the government for the supply of power, water and gas every month.

She said she enjoys the liberal and laid-back atmosphere of Christiania even though she feels a little tired of it sometimes.

After losing her job for eight months, she admitted that the family could not afford to rent an apartment outside. Still, she is worried about the future of Christiania, as the municipal government of Copenhagen is considering turning sections of it into new real estate development.

"Being afraid of the government demolishing our houses, many of us haven't painted our houses for a year," she said.

Pushers are the main source of troubles in Christiania, she admits, but she thinks the only way to solve the problem is "to legitimatize hashish like in Holland."

"I'm worrying about my son smoking," she said. "But there is no way I can stop him. I smoked when I was 15 years old. It is something you have to experience on your way of growth."

Mayor on bike

After the visit to Christiania, Klaus offered to help us arrange exclusive interviews with such officials as the Prime Minister of Denmark, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the mayor of Copenhagen.

Jens Kramer Mikkelsen poses with his bicycle in front of Copenhagen City Hall.

I was surprised, for that kind of offer would certainly be considered big talk back in China.

"Is that really possible?" I asked.

"I will call their offices in the afternoon, and we will see," Klaus answered, truly sincerely.

We got Klaus' phone call that evening. He said the Prime Minister was touring abroad and the minister would only be available next week. But the mayor had agreed to give us half an hour in his office the next morning.

"I told his secretary that the mayor would talk to not only two Chinese journalists, but also one billion potential Chinese tourists," Klaus said.

His promotion surely was taken seriously.

When we arrived at the mayor's office in City Hall, we met not only the Lord Mayor of Copenhagen, Jens Kramer Mikkelsen, but also the only Chinese member of the City Council, Heidi Wang. She was invited to be our translator.

The mayor said that he had been to Beijing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Changsha, Shenzhen and Chengdu over the past two years to improve city-to-city exchanges with Copenhagen. In 2004, he will lead a big group of businessmen to China and promote Copenhagen's tourism, business and investment.

"Copenhagen is the safest city in Europe," he said. "We warm-heartedly welcome Chinese visitors."

He said that he is concerned about the fast growth of privately owned cars in China and thought that Copenhagen could help China in such fields as traffic planning.

"I'm proud of being a mayor who can cycle to work without security guards," he said. He also graciously accepted Jiang Dong's request to pose in front of the City Hall with his bicycle after the interview.

It was around noon. There were hundreds of Copenhagen residents passing or taking a break on the square in front of the City Hall.

But no one seemed to care about the mayor's "photo op." 

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