fter living anywhere for a while, it’s easy to become complacent. Things that once fascinated you become expected. Things that once shocked you become normal. Sometimes it takes a pair of fresh eyes to remind you how lucky you are, and how interesting a country can be. This is why I am grateful that after the long pandemic years, I was recently able to welcome a friend from Europe here in China and escort him across the country. Seeing China through his fresh eyes was fascinating. It highlighted many things about China that are so positive, a few things that are a little negative, and some things that are frankly hilarious. Here are a few observations.
Friendliness: Employees of international visa centers are a notoriously grumpy bunch. As a result, my friend was under the impression that Chinese people were generally rude and unfriendly. Thankfully he discovered the opposite to be true, and left China beaming with joy at how fundamentally kind, helpful, and considerate Chinese people are to travelers.
English Support: On Chinese trains and airplanes, or in hotels and public venues, you often find you’re the only foreigner. This is natural for a country with such an extensive population, and relatively few immigrants and tourists. Therefore, it is extremely impressive that so many Chinese services go out of the way to make announcements in English.
Nationalism: My friend had expected China to be a land forceful with aggressive militaristic nationalism. In reality, he observed that you see more of such worrying nationalism traveling through many European countries than you do in China.
Food: What can I say other than we ate like kings for two weeks, and I was reminded how much variety exists in China.
Active Older People: It is both heartwarming and inspiring to see so many older Chinese people fill their time with active outdoor pursuits, including playing board games with friends on tables under the sun, dancing as the night arrives, or playing sports in parks.
Bike Helmets: It is rather terrifying how many people travel at speed on bicycles, scooters, mopeds and motorbikes without any head protection at all, including small children. It is also rather terrifying how many people you can squeeze on a small electronic bike.
Drivers Using Phones: It seemed that in two weeks of traveling China we barely encountered any drivers who were not simultaneously engaged with social media while driving. Some waited until they arrived at traffic lights to use their phones, while others seemed intent on livestreaming the journey as they drove. Aside from being dangerous, one must wonder who on earth is the intended audience for a taxi driver driving along a flat and featureless road.
Social Media Stars: It seemed there were more social media “stars” at every famous landmark we visited than actual tourists. Many were individuals livestreaming their adventures. However, a good number were clearly professionals, with extended teams of assistants permanently applying make-up, adjusting portable lighting gear, and snapping photographs. It seems that to take a casual selfie where you appear peaceful, tranquil, and alone with your thoughts next to a statue of Buddha, you need at least five support staff and a raft of expensive equipment.
Dairy Products: Rightly or wrongly, China is renowned globally for its lactose intolerance. Indeed, there is a notable absence of dairy products from traditional Chinese cuisine. However, China seems to have found a bizarre obsession with milk-based drinks. They include cold coffees, fruity milks, yoghurt drinks, and strange fizzy milk drinks, but not one bottle of water or any other non-dairy drink even on days when the temperature hits well above 30 C.
Before my friend left, I asked for his top observation. He reflected carefully and answered that China is very “normal.” Not in a good way nor a bad way, he was simply amazed at how very similar life in China was to life in other countries. This was a rather sobering realization for both of us. We live in a world where political discourse seems intent on emphasizing our differences. The reality is very different. In the immortal words of the murdered British Member of Parliament, Jo Cox, “we are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us.”
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