As the remaining minutes of the afternoon were overtaken by a clear night sky in Beijing, the swirling mass of people buying tickets never stopped. Hundreds, thousands streaming…
The first bombs fell about 10 pm. Their arrival was no surprise — journalists left the city two days prior. Residents gathered in Cold War-era shelters as the air raid sirens wailed and radio reports warned of the need for gas masks. The state-run television station blinked out. Explosions erupted around the city and the lights went black.