You Can't Get To China Via That Hole

Growing up, China has always been a nation that has found itself at the butt end of most jokes or empty threats. Such as, "well, I'm gonna dig a hole to China", I don't know why this has been the case, but it has. Maybe that's because there is a certain mysticism to such a huge country that is so different and that we know so little about. I simply don't know!

So that being said and having plenty of encounters with the Chinese community in Vancouver, I found it extremely ironic that I was actually in China. It definitely wasn't at the top of places I had to go in life, but I had to take advantage of my current proximity to it, so I did. This was the only reason for going.

So having such low expectations and a certain amount of anxiety about this country that is so much different than the west that many of us know, I was off to Beijing for a few days on this Children's Day long weekend (Korean holiday). And I was extremely surprised in some area's, anxious in others and am still uncertain of about my other impressions, wishing that I had more time in the country and an ability to decipher my own thoughts and experiences a little better.

The Surprise

I was shocked at how big and green Beijing was. I would compare it to LA in that there are freeways, people and city everywhere and Vancouver in that there is a lot of green space. My dad did point out that both of these are possible when the government owns everything and can move people whenever they want to allow room for both of these. I was shocked nonetheless, probably a result of the low expectations. It wasn't the cleanest city, but I was expecting this, the green areas and parks did throw me for a bit of a surprise.

I also couldn't believe how big some of the sights were. Tiananmen Square was huge. The Summer Palace, huge. The Forbidden City, massive. You get the point. The courtyards and open spaces in some of these areas were unbelievable.

The Anxiety

The anxiety was over my bible. I didn't want any trouble, but I did want to bring it, so I was weary that if for whatever reason I got searched, it could be taken away from me. The reason is Christ/Christianity is considered a threat to the communist government and rule, so the Chinese (from a political perspective) don't take kindly to the Word of God. However I am under the impression that this is mostly the case for Chinese nationals as opposed to foreigners, but I was still a little weary.

This anxiety of mine was quickly dispelled when I noticed a Korean man on the isle beside me openly reading his Bible on the plane and the two women beside me asked me if I knew who Jesus was. This was a relief! From my understanding the Lord has done unbelievable things to the underground church in China (as opposed to the church the Chinese gov't would let you know of).

The Politics

I didn't get a good glimpse of the reality of the political situation in China. I know enough about it to know that there are things that the Chinese do that wouldn't take place in the western world (copyright infringements, devalued currency etc.), but it was rather evident from my perspective that there was a "system" and the people stuck to it. Our guide translated a sign or two for us that said, "you must be _______ to be a good citizen" (we were fortunate to have the guide we did, she knew more than she should have, or so I was lead to believe). We also saw a fair amount of government personnel such as army and police. This was the case everywhere, and our guide mentioned that they simply didn't want trouble on the long weekend, but that was a lot of people we saw simply to avoid trouble.

Another interesting thing is that most or many people seek/want jobs with the government. This is where stability and power lie. It isn't in this business or that business, but in the prestige that comes with being in the government. This was very interesting, and I wonder if this would be the case for those who have been able to get a glimpse of life outside of China.

Concluding Thoughts

China was interesting, and I'd love to go back, but I suppose this is where my traveling thesis will poke its head in. I have found this to be a theme of mine of the past 11 months and it will probably be the most significant lesson I have learned over here. There are faces and people behind the names. These people here are not simply Asians (we'll they are, but that's not the point) or people on TV or in magazines, but they are faces, people, family and value in their society. I saw people in China as they were, individual people trying to get by and earn a living, not a group of people living in a strange nation. My weekend in China, even though it was a few days as a tourist, gave me a brief glimpse into the faces and lifestyle of the Chinese. It was amazing to see the way they do life, interact and live, and more than anything I was able to see them as a people of a nation as opposed to a far of joke.

I hope to have more of these times, unfortunately I've only got about a month left here in Asia. I hope I can make the most of it, yet I’m looking forward to the familiar faces of home again!

Kev