Comparing Beijing and Kansas City

We’re always excited to share great examples of our students’ work. In this post, one of our Level 3 students has written an comparison and contrast essay discussing Beijing, China, and Kansas City, Missouri.

Different cities have different life experiences, and two cities half a world away – Beijing and Kansas City must also have significant differences. As an international student, I have lived in Beijing and am studying in Kansas City. Even though I have not lived in Kansas City for a long time, I clearly understand the different aspects of Kansas City and Beijing. Therefore, this essay discusses several parts of these two cities, including “the origins of cities” (Historic Kansas City), “the city’s population” (Huth) and their musical histories.

            The origin of Kansas City and the origin of Beijing are quite different in history. According to the Historic Kansas City Website,

The origins of Kansas City date to the early 1800s, when French fur traders arrived by the Missouri River and built rough cabins along the river. The town of Kansas was formed in 1838, and a trail connecting the river landing to the Santa Fe Trail in the town of Westport was established.  Several years later, commercial buildings were popping up along the river bluffs.

            The difference in history and culture has led to a significant division in the population of these two cities. According to Lindsay Huth, Kansas City’s population increase is close to 120,000, and 40,000 new immigrants have arrived. Kansas City has a large population, some of whom have immigrated from other areas and countries. As a result, the population is growing at a rapid rate. Conversely, Beijing’s population is much larger than Kansas City’s. By 2021, the population of Beijing was 21,843,000. In addition, the same as Kansas City, many individuals are migrating to Beijing from other places. The number of immigrants is 38% of the total number (Beijing Municipal Bureau of Statistics). In terms of population, the two cities have the same demographic composition because both cities have many immigrants and different population sizes.

The origins of Kansas City date to the early 1800s, when French fur traders arrived by the Missouri River and built rough cabins along the river. The town of Kansas was formed in 1838, and a trail connecting the river landing to the Santa Fe Trail in the town of Westport was established.  Several years later, commercial buildings were popping up along the river bluffs.

            The residents of the two cities are also different in their love of music. On the one hand, according to the Historic Kansas City Website, “During the 1930s, Kansas City was at the heart of the thriving jazz scene.” Readers are able to understand that jazz was all the rage in the 1930s in Kansas City, and almost everyone loved it. Also, Kansas City is one of several specific historical places for United States jazz. On the other hand, beginning in 1790, an influential theater entered Beijing, and through continuous fusion, eventually formed Peking Opera. Beijing opera was popular with the emperor and the inhabitants, making it one of China’s national treasures. Finally, the two cities’ residents differ in the music they love, but they both love the art of music.

            In summary, there are many differences between the two cities, reflecting different towns with different cultures. Differences between the two cities include “the origins of cities” (Historic Kansas City), “the city’s population” (Huth) and their musical histories. Each city has its character, and everyone should respect and enjoy the different cultures.

The left image of Beijing’s skyline, created by NG09FZ, was downloaded through the Creative Commons and was resized and cropped to fit this format.