In 1990 Mintz went to Beijing to shoot a commercial that never aired, and he ended up staying.

FORBES: Hollywood's Secret Weapon To Combat Piracy In China

"I went to Beijing and spent a week there, meeting with factory representatives to try and develop this fur into the level that was needed and the quality that was needed, " Dickerson said.

CNN: Wild leopards threatened by religious tradition in Africa

When I graduated in 1982, I went to the Beijing Film Studio.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia | Visions of China: Beijing Film Academy

And when I went to the apartment building in Beijing where she lives, the guards wouldn't let me through the barrier.

BBC: Humphrys in China

Companies based in Hong Kong went out of their way to associate themselves with Beijing and Shanghai, the two leading cities in China.

FORBES: Why Hong Kong Is China's New Tech Hub

Before Begleiter began interviewing Baker, though, he went to Chinoy in China for the latest on what was happening in Beijing.

CNN: Mike Chinoy: TV news was going to change everything

The pieces went on a world tour to Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo, Los Angeles, New York, Milan, Geneva and Monaco prior to the sale.

FORBES: Charity Watch Auction in Monaco Raises $6.2M for MD Research

And so what we did was we went and looked at Athens (the Olympics in 2004) and really budgeted closer to Athens than Beijing.

FORBES: In Last Minute Change, NBC Takes Olympic Closing Ceremonies Live Online