China and Curiosity

China is everything and more.

Before arrival to be honest, I did not have such a good impression of China.
From Non resident Chinese and non Chinese visitors alike I had been warned.
I was told that the people are aggressive, and the soul aim is to make as much
money as possible as quickly as possible, at any cost.

The last penny matters in every respect, and this breeds aggression everywhere.
If you are waiting for a taxi, do not be surprised if someone pushes you out of the way, time after time. People seem to be shouting everywhere, even when you are just trying to buy something. Do not expect please, excuse me or thank you. People spit everywhere an d seem to be blowing their nose out onto the street – everywhere. There is no need or room for politeness. And so what I was expecting was a rude and crude nation, and I was not really looking forward to it.

I think that the best way in which to give you a snap shot of what this land is like is to take you through some places, and sharing the answers that I experience d to some of the questions that I had.

I had many questions and each place that I visited would give me a different answer but then that is China…so diverse that it has everything you expect and everything you did not.

What is Beijing like?
Beijing is so beautiful, that it can bring you to tears. It is really hard not to sit in awe of the grand, rich and elegant palaces of the Forbidden City or The Summer Palace. I really did not expect such wonder, and it is unparalleled. Beijing takes you back to the days of the emperor and grandeur through millions of ways and sites. You can easily become lost, day after day, in this temple, those gar dens, that palace, the hutons (interlocking alleyways housing the now disappearing city huts). You could happily spend a good few weeks here and be having very different experiences every day. It is great for the photographer; you can be stuck in a bike traffic jam even on wi der than wide streets in the morning on your way to the pearl market, get to the bed bar for an afternoon nap after weaving through the narrow alleys ways, and then arrive to a Peking duck restaurant via a small peddler boat at sunset. It is hauntingly beautiful, an d this word is apt given the way the grand city looks under think city smog in the summer, or the low cloud fogs in the winter. It is very spaced out as a city, and so the think air just hangs in the wide streets, for you to loose yourself in never to escape again.

Shanghai?
There is no place on this earth right now like Shanghai. It is by far the most vibrant city – and its vivacity can be seen everywhere. Everything that is being built is up with spee d, grandeur and modernity. Whether this is the urban sprawl to house the millions, or the latest most hi-tech opera house in the world, or the ever expanding game/ sport facilities.
There are bright lights everywhere, but such a large volume that the world cannot support the expenditure of energy and so the city tones down after 10pm. So if you are wanting to catch the most awe inspiring view of the city, be sure that you are up in a high tower by 9.55pm (speaking from experience you see;-) Everything is available in Shanghai, from the best karaoke places (more hi-tech than Japan would you believe), and where you can do anything and watch anything, to rip of DVDs that work a treat, for less than 30 pence. The trick with DVDs or anything counterfeit in Shanghai, is to be asked to be taken to the source. Many dark alleys, and thousands of crammed flats later, you will get to THE flat, which may be on the fifth floor where precarious ladders have become stairs. In one room you might fin d a family of 8, and they will have every film imaginable on DVD, from mainstream to art house, and Nike trainers, Gucci bags, and Armani wallets to boot – all looking too much like the real thing!

Hong Kong?
HK has always been the first destination for tourists, because of the length of the rule of the British. On one hand it feels as though they have only just left, an d on another 1999 feels like a million years away. The Island has most definitely become one with Japan, but at the same time it is very distinct in character with areas such as Soho (which have the same feel as the Soho in London, New York or any other Metropolis). It is extremely cosmopolitan and the communities live side by side in perfect harmony. I celebrated diwali there this year, with the Hindu and Sikh communities. Both ha d flourishing temples, with elaborate festivities in accor dance with their respective religions, and then the two groups that I experienced got together at the end of the evening and ran riot with song, dance and party – together. It was easily one of the best diwali's that I have ever ha d the fortune to experience. Hong Kong has an incredible diversity of food, sights (because of the way it has been planned out) and activities. But the one thing that I appreciated most of all was the senerity you feel as you enter this highly charge d city, because of the way in which it is set around a calm body of water juxtaposed on the other side by scenic mountains.

Great Wall of China?
You cannot leave China without visiting The Great Wall. Though it is not actually a sight that you can see from the moon (sorry, that is all marketing hype that the Chinese are the first to disclose) it is one of the biggest feats in mankind, in size and significance. It resembles such a large part of Asian history, mentality, and prowess.

A visit to the Great Wall is not like anything else. No two experiences could ever be the same. Each part of the wall is different, there will be different views, different history, and even the time of the day that you visit makes a difference to your experience.

One evening, whilst out in Beijing, a local told me that he knew of someone, who knew of someone, who had heard once, that there was one hold man, who had made an arrangement with the local guar ds of the wall – such that he could use the towers as a over night resting place when traveling across the wall. In other words, someone knew that there was a possibility of being able to sleep in the Great Wall. You can imagine how exciting this su ddenly made me, and so I followed the trail back to the person who knew the old man, and the old man and his wife – who did not know a word of English – but really knew how to be hospitable, and invited me and my friends over for the 'experience'. Go d, and it was an experience. It was magical to see the sunset from the wall, it was not quite as magical when we were found out that this is where all the animal kingdom also roam, from mice to wild fox, but still, an experience none the less, an d it was especially easy to get up for sunrise! It was the closest I can imagine to feeling like a soldier in the Chinese/ Mongol armies, who would spend their lives living on and protecting the Great Wall. Only in my case, the Great Wall was more like protecting me!
The site, experience (however you would like to arrange it) and history truly blow you away.

Terracotta Warriors?
The Terracotta Warriors are said to be the 3rd biggest tourist attraction after The Great Wall and Forbidden City. It is in Xian, that there is a 2000 year ol d army of terracotta warriors – it was one of the most major archaeological discoveries of the 20th century. An underground vault containing over 6000 life size terracotta warriors, each with their own individ ual facial expression and style, stood with their horses in battle formation.
It is extraordinary…and my words can't do this site justice, but once seen and registered, you wonder what was the point?!

Some other sites?
There are many sites that just have to be visited, such as the Kung Fu Fighters at Shaolin Temple, which leaves you breathless because little children can literally kick the life out of an elephant with one lightening kick. Or, the Yellow mountains, which are a heavenly para dise for you to become lost in. They are a painters or artists dream – you know what I am talking about – every Chinese scene with delicate mountains clouded over by mist. Other idyllic places, include the garden town an hour outsi de of Shanghai, which is almost a scene from Coaching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Or Pingyao, where the whole town situated within the walls and architecture of the Ming dynasty, comes out at 11am in order to melt away with the best fresh donuts in the world. They are not what we are used to in the west – stogy, sugary and greasy. But airy in the centre, so that the sweet dough encasement just collapses in your mouth becoming a shear delight.

What is the food like?
It was hard to get used to restaurant Chinese food at the beginning, because it is really greasy, heavy, and when eaten morning, noon and night, like the Chinese, it was actually har d to stomach (literally). But this does not mean that there is not good food. It is just that you had to really search for good local food, and normally the best and healthiest food were the regional specialties found on the street. Every city I visite d would have at least one to die for delight, that only one shop would make, and at normal prices, so you would have to wait in a long line no matter when you arrive. In Peking it was fleshly steamed dumplings with a trillion varieties of filling, anything from pizza to salmon to spinach. Dippe d in vinegar and soy sauce they give a wonderful kick. In Pingyao it was a melt in mouth soft and slightly warm, sweet and gooey inside donut like plait. In Xian it was to die for Muslim-style lamb meat and nut cakes. In Shanghai it was the drinks for me. They seemed to have the greatest varieties of soya, bean curd, wheat, barley milks, every tea imaginable (with the flowers literally opening up in the bottom of your cup), and every colour an d flavour of pearl drinks (in which there are soft pearl like jellies that float up the special fat straws as you drink) and In the islands it was steam bread with a lovely nut, sugar, soya beam cream mixture. In Hong Kong it was the infamous egg cakes, made famous originally by Chris Patten. China also introduced me to sea delicacies that I had never eaten before; sea cucumbers, sea urchins, shark fin. You name it, they seemed to eat it. It is not uncommon for the fish shop to have crabs, lobster an d other such delights foaming in plastic buckets on the pavement, trying to escape from the netting.

One of my most important points of intrigue was – would I see or feel any communism?
This is a tricky one because it can vary so much from place to place. In Beijing for example, you really feel the presence of the government. Perhaps because it is so different to any other city that I have ever been to, but the extreme spaciousness means that you can be monitored all the more easily. Sounds odd, but from what I understand, everyone watches everyone very closely still, an d I have been told that it is good to watch what you say and how loudly you say it. A little like Big Brother multiplied by 1.5 billion! There is a large presence of police too. I was in Beijing when the country was celebrating their national day and on this day, every single Beijing citizen seemed to be in Tiananmen Square. The place was heaving with people, just like I had always pictured it the square, and the police and army were monitoring everything.

For this reason, and the closeness of community China feels like one of the safest places in the world. No matter what gender, age or appearance you are perfectly safe on the streets, day or night. I have never heard of theft and this is supported by the fact that people are very trusting with their property. The shame that ones' parents, teachers, colleagues, family and friends would experience if you were ever caught thieving (an d believe me everyone would find out) would make your life unbearable.

In companies there is almost always a member of the party in one of the senior positions and this person is someone often required for authorization and is again monitoring matters. This is not a big deal in the day to day running of the company, but when anything happens that is not according to party lines, and it does still matter, then it is always picked up by the 'party' person in your section of the company..

How can you survive without Mandarin?
I am finding it impossible, and before I arrived to China I thought that I was fairly ok at picking up the barebones of any language. But not here! I am not sure if taxi drivers have just decided that they cannot understand foreigners or whether they truly not see anything in my obsessively practiced address / location - but they will never listen. I have often experience a taxi driver just say no, (but a little more emphatically, for they wave their han ds in the air, shake their head rather violently, and shout 'pudon, gudong! – which I think means no no !'

How do people interact with one another here?
Right now I am in a café sitting opposite a Chinese couple, and this couple, like many others that I have observed, seem to fall into one of two categories. They either are very romantic, cute an d couple-ey (almost cheesy). Or they talk very little to one another, and there are lots of silences and not much eye contact. That is happening right now in fact, and I am beginning to realize that both are equally prevalent here. It is not rare to see a couple sitting in a car together, an d not utter a word for the entire time that you are able to peer into their window from your car (and no, this is not because they see you, watching them – I think;-)

What are the people like?
The more I got to know the Chinese the happier I was. They have the most fantastic sense of humour! It is very slapstick and dissipates any aggression or anger that you might feel is coming your way. Very quickly things become a joke, an d they are not shy at slapping you across the back if they are particularly pleased. Another way of getting out of an aggressive situation is to stand your ground back. They love that! Recently I was on a bus, an d I was tol d to pay by the ticket lady, but I was not only asked for my money before everyone else, but asked for three times the price. I told her that I would wait my turn, thank you very much (through hand actions because I can't say a thing in proper un derstandable Mandarin), and the bus, including the ticket lady loved it. She tried insisting, and then I would insist in return. The bus was in hysterics, and she too had a huge grin on her face and towards the end of the conversation she cracke d up in laughter and slapped me hard on my back, in approval it seemed. So I waited my turn, and when she came to me, she tried again, and asked for an exaggerated sum. I gave her exactly what the other passengers had given her (it was alrea dy prepared in my hand, so no attempt at speaking was required). She looked down at her palm, I held my breath, and then she said something to the rest of the bus, laughed, told me that was happy that I was learning the 'Chinese way', accor ding to my Chinese friend next to me and then slapped me on the back again (the longer I stay in China and the more I learn, the more my back hurts!). After that she was my friend and I was treated very well!

So what is it like to travel across China?
Well, there are a few things to be aware of…if you are eating, please skip this bit…

Toilets – the worst I have seen in the world. The smelliest and most unsanitary system of communal toilets is really something, and they are all over the place. Imagine a tile d dip in the floor over which you swat, as those the person in front of you and behind you, and you do whatever you have to do. If you are lucky, someone would have thrown water into this trough just before you arrive, so that it is empty. But more often than not, there is a little trickle of water maintaining this system, which is really not doing any maintenance, or moving along of your deposits, and so I am sure that you can imagine the rest including the stench and sight.

Roads – now I don't think you can avoid them so I thought that I should tell you because again this is worse than anything I have seen elsewhere in Asia, Africa or Latin America. It is seriously life threatening. People have powerful cars that they are not used and very excited by. There is no consideration for any one else on the road, only your own need to get somewhere. So to go into the har d shoulder and over take, or the need to overtake someone who is overtaking whilst they are over taking, or to overtake on a cliff edge (I kid you not), is common - I have seen it all. But you don't have to watch the roa d – there are TVs everywhere for this very reason…in the cabs, coaches, trains and even in people's car – flip down the flap above your head, and instead of finding a mirror, your alternative entertainment to the road is TV.

My cousin's driver was the best though. Whenever we were late, for a restaurant reservation say(!), of his own accord he would press a button that he had installe d into the 4x4 and then suddenly our illegal sirens would come on! I could not believe it! We would then act like a police car and demand everyone to get out of the way for this emergency, and because no one had ever seen this before an d authority is definitely to be respected - so people clear the road! It is a classic move, that he could loose his license for I think if the police aren't moving out of the way too:)

But to be honest, apart from there two dangers, I think China is one of the safest and most friendly places that you could hope to travel to. As long as you are intereste d in the people, and make an effort with them.

How do the genders differ?
Well, women here are some of the strongest, if not the strongest in the world. Perhaps this is because of communism, but they work very hard, with initiative, an d think twice about heading the domain in and outside of the home.

I never felt that women were treated differently to men either. Rather, women were treated and almost consi dered to be just like men. This 'equality' begins right from chil dhood, from what I could tell. One primary example of this are the school uniforms. There is no difference between the uniform of the two sexes. Therefore the school uniform in China is not at all sexy for the girls either. Where for neighbouring Japanese girls the uniform constitutes of a short skirt an d slightly see through white shirt, with knee length stocking. In China the girls where a tracksuit, just like the boys. You know, baggy cotton pants an d a t-shirt covered with a sweater if it is cold.

What I was really surprised by is that whilst women are strong, the, the men are timid in comparison. We all know of a tough an d sexy Chinese woman who can kick arse. You have seen here in Crouching Tiger Hi dden Dragon, Charlie's Angeles, and Kill Bill, you know the type. Well you see these type of women all over the movies in China. They are tough, know kung fu so well that they can walk up walls, an d very sexy.

There were many times on the trip that I would find myself in Chinese only company. One time, when I was going to Shoalin, (the site infamous for its masters of kung fu), an d because I did not stay in a hotel or hostel there were no other tourists that I knew. So I found myself with a Chinese tour group bus instead. So there I am, on a Chinese bus, with no one understanding what I think is man darin, and with no one speaking English. I had run out of cash, and needed an ATM, so I tried to describe this to a driver. One woman sitting near the front, in her forties, understood what I was trying to say before the driver did, and told him what I needed and then took me off the bus, which was fueling up. That was it, she had decided that she would adopt me and thereafter she had made it her mission to make sure that I was ok, that I always un derstood and that no one messed with me. When we found that there was no ATM at the petrol station she told me to follow her, as we searched the streets. She was so great! She would ask people where the ATM is, and men woul d do anything to help her, and they would always obey. For example, the bus was due to leave, so she called the bus company, got put through to the driver and told him where to meet her. Just as she was running through the streets with me, an d I had decided that she was just like the women in the films she confirmed it by performing some kung fu types move of her own! Remember she is over 40 at least, and yet she jumped over walls with me, ran fast as dodge d the cars, and then smacked the ATM so hard that it released the money that was jammed in it! There after, she would always make sure that I was not ripped off by anyone, that I had eaten, and I knew where to go and what to do and how, at each point on our tour. After learning about the capability of the women here I never felt alone or vulnerable in China and it all lead to some great interviews. Now some of the top firms, brands and organizations are being run by women. The women that I interviewe d were generally under the impression that it was China and the egalitarianism and work ethic under Mao that had made them this way. So it is not unusual to find women bus driver, managers, train conductors, police sergeants, you name it, they do it.

But course that is not all women and the other main type that I was interested by were the so called 'real women'. It is not uncommon for a tomboy type girl to be tol d that she is not girl enough. Taxi drivers and a shop keeper had the audacity so say 'Your not a real Woman' to my Chinese flat mate – whilst I was with her – she would experience this all of the time. The 'real' Chinese women really take goo d care of themselves and appearance. They maintain their youthful appearance, their white skin, glistening thick black hair, slender frames and smart dress. They are called hand bags. This is not meant to be a derogatory term but just a way of describing how they are meant to look pretty, and they sit like handbags beside foreign men (!). It is very common to see a pretty Asian lady next to a foreign man. But I did not really expect to see this amongst frien ds my age. That was until I went to dinner with some friends who had extended the invitation to a friend of theirs, Nicholas. Their friend Nicholas had been living in Beijing, like themselves for over a year, working as an architect. There is a real demand for foreign architects in China at the moment and it is an absolutely fantastic place to be. So anyhow, French Nicholas has a French girlfriend, but has an extra Chinese girlfriend on the side, that is French girlfrien d does not know about. Fani, his Chinese girlfriend is looking to move out of China, and Nicholas is her passport. She is hoping that she will slowly become more important than Nicholas' current girlfriend, and will do anything to ensure this. How do I know? This is what she told Nicholas, and he is absolutely made up, for there is nothing like competition if you want the best, he said at the dinner table. I seriously hope that Fani does not understand French. She did know English however, and like all other such 'girlfriends' I am told, despite the fact that she could be part of the conversation and that the company was trying to include her, she did not want to be. She would never give more than one wor d answers to a question, she did not eat or drink anything, and her sole purpose of coming to the meal, it appeared, was to make Nicholas feel good – with the more than occasional kiss, sweet nothings in his ear, and a lot more sweetness elsewhere. I later foun d out that I was not the only one who was beginning to feel uncomfortable. Not because of the amazing upfront display of affection at the dinner table, but because it felt like she was letting down all women. I know, I know, I nee d to control these feminist instincts, but whatever, in this instant I couldn't help it.

Then there are other Chinese women, like my University friend Aria, who despite the fact that she lives in Hong Kong and you would expect it to be widely different from mainlan d China, is finding it tough to find a 'real' man. She admits she is not a 'real' woman – according to the Chinese definition of the word, but a 'real' man would not want that anyway, she is convinced. According to her, an d some other modern Chinese women that I spoke to, Chinese men are a little too shy, reserved, and don't really know how to love. This is less and less true for the younger generation of men, but that age group is a little too young for Aria an d the other women that I met, so now they would rather be single than settle.

What is surprising?
One fact that I did not know, is that pornography is banned in China, whereas again, in Japan it is in daily cartoons! In China you cannot access internet porn sites, there are no porn magazines, vi deos or books (not even soft porn), no adult entertainment centers or strip clubs and no brothels from what I could tell. Everything was very strictly illegal. Perhaps this meant that it was being done underground, as all other illegal things, but from what I un derstand Macau and Hong Kong were certainly the outlets for the frustrated. The sad thing is that although prostitution is legal in these places, in Macau at least, there are no laws protecting the women. So it is commonly known that women are promise d lucrative jobs in Macau, lured in from the mainland, and then have to work for pimps. They are told to pay a daily amount back for the privilege of having a 'job' which means that they have to sell themselves several times a night, in or der to save their lives. It is incredulous, and sadly so common. Physical abuse can be seen on women in the street, and you do not need to ask what happened to the second lady – the story repeats itself in some areas, girl after girl.

In Hong Kong, in contrast, many of the local girls are willing to offer their services. More accurately, if you go to someplace it is hard to not be harassed. I know that there are places like this in every country or city, but I have not seen them so pervasively –
as when out with foreign men in Hong Kong and Bnagkok.

Gambling is illegal in China too – and again, Macau (an Island that was a formerly colonized by the Portuguese), is the Las Vegas of the land.

China is not all Chinese people, there are completely different ethnic groups in different parts of China, almost unrecognizable from one another. There are also pockets of muslim communities, Moguls, Tibetans, Mongolians…each with their own tra ditions and culture.

Bird flu is still frightening people and so you cannot get eggs, chickens or any food that might consist of these ingredients for the longest time, in some Chinese hotels, shops an d restaurants.

How does the 'one child policy' affect China?
As you look at the demographics of this wildly overpopulated country (despite the one child policy) there is a definite sharp bias towards boys, for the fact that they continue the family name. In some parts of rural China, if your first child is a female you are allowed to try again. But if you are 'unlucky' the second time, tough luck! But what I know for sure is that the majority of little chil dren were male. They are called the little emperors because that is how the little darlings are revered and treated. There are two most disturbing consequences of this. The first is that there is a whole generation of missing women, who are either aborte d before birth or killed straight after birth. Secon dly, you cannot help but wonder what will happen to all these men – who will marry them or be their life partner?

What is the fascination with Youth?
To look as young as possible is really important in China. Every cream seems to have an inbuilt anti aging agent. But it must also already be in the genes, because really, be they men or women, there seems to be no one between the ages of 27 an d 70! The population looks really young until they hit serious old age and then they over compensate with their wrinkly ness! The Europeans and Americans stick out for a reason other than being white. We look so old, especially aroun d the eyes! I don't mean to make you feel bad, and I include myself in this, and our races suffer less from acne than the Chinese, but I know which I would rather have;-) Though in my case I seem to be out to defy science an d both – acne and the wrinkly eyes;-) (and the constant winking doesn't help;-)!

What is it like to be part of the Expatriate Community?
There is a rapidly growing expat or Non Chinese population now in China. I experienced this through my French friends in Beijing, my first cousin and his family in Shanghai and International friends posted in Hong Kong for work.

Expat communities around the world are rather similar, symbolized by the fact that my cousin's wife, Tina, is looking to start a group called 'Mother Groovers'. This is for your typical expatriate wife who has a mai d to look after the children, people come in and clean the house and do all laundry and there is only so much shopping a woman can do. Almost all socializing is initiated through one's husbands work mates I was told, and the i dea is to get the expat women out together so that they can socialize with one another, away from children for one evening. I think that says a lot about the life of an expatriate wife.

However, if you work in China, as an expat, the world is your oyster. Everyone knows everyone, and this is generally a very well connected community which therefore knows or can get to know the right people to make things happen. You can meet the country's equivalent of Posh an d Becks, the top designers and artists, musicians and business people within the week if you wish. Since the country is only just booming, relative to its up and coming journey, the circle of successful people is still relatively tight-knit an d yet accessible.


How do people perceive Mao?
From my experience the Chinese that have always lived in China either praise, praise, praise him, or say, he made some mistakes, but the way that he bought such a huge country together – for the first time, creating a strong unit in the face of all foreign powers, deserves nothing but respect. Chinese people that have lived overseas are a little more critical of Mao, but I did not meet one person who is not in awe of the confidence and conviction with which he carried out his decisions an d plans (even though they were contradictory action-plans over time). For example, on one occasion, he blamed the famine on the birds in the sky, saying that they ate all the maize when flying over the harvest. So he encourage d everyone in the country to shoot or kill the birds with their bare hands if need be, in order to feed the nation again! There are many such examples of very extreme policies that do not appear to make any sense, but the fact that China – the big big big China that we know today, was formed never to be invaded again means that whatever problems that they may face today, at least they can deal with them together, for the benefit of China. This 'we can make it better' attitu de is everywhere, and most of all in the current government, who do not mind things being difficult for the nation today for long-term overall good. This is how the Chinese differ markedly to the rest of the World. They give up in dividual gain for the greater good of the country time and time again. There is very much a national unit / group mentality which is much stronger than focus upon the individual, and sets China apart. So to day, Mao is more of an iconic figure, a symbol of the country's prowess, and Mao memorabilia is all over the country…it is the time to go and pick up your very own piece of history in the form of a 'little red book'.