Another surprise is how little of that Communist feel and visual vestiges of the ideology China has - save the obligatory Mao portraits here and there.
Capitalism has been embraced here whole- heartedly and on a grand scale. Sprawling shopping malls spring up everywhere and the supermarkets carry anything one could wish for, down to four sorts of edible turtles and fresh crocodile meat in your brand spanking new Wal-Mart branch. Forty years of Communism could not have possibly beat five thousand years of free entrepreneurship. The customer service attitude would put most businesses in Continental Europe to shame. Outside the two major public holidays, the Chinese New Year and October the 1st, you can just walk in any hotel and get a discount on any room, no booking required. Try that in Normandy or Barcelona.
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The variety of food is astounding. As you travel through China's regions, save for a few classic basics, not a single same dish gets to appear on your table. If your idea of Chinese cuisine is based on the MSG-laden kungpao chicken and greasy fried rice from your local takeaway, it will be interesting to know that regional varieties across this country vary as much as, say, Swedish and Greek in Europe. Yes, they do eat dogs, frogs and snakes in China, but there are also thousands of less exotic yet scrumptious dishes to choose from.***
And as is the case across Asia, simple grub from a roadside stall can be as delicious as more fanciful dishes served in posh restaurants. In fact, you can keep your tummy full without ever entering a restaurant thanks to xiao chi - savoury and sweet snacks sold virtually round-the-clock in the streets. The comprehensive spectrum ranges from your common- or-garden steamed dumplings to skewered seahorses.***
With all that cultural abundance, China still has a sort of image problem abroad, caused mostly by biased media coverage, lingering Orientalist attitudes and occasional substandard imports. Envious and fearful of China's unstoppable progress Western upstarts try to check it by massive anti-Chinese propaganda. My fancy, however, was completely taken by the refined aesthetic sense developed by this ancient civilization. In fact, it even made me cool down towards my first love, Japan, when I realized just how much the Japanese borrowed from their big sister China.***
There is so much subtlety in both sprawling landscapes and close-ups: the gentle undulating countryside, laborious stone carvings full of profound allegories and historical allusions; quaint villages with whimsical roofs against the backdrop of misty mountains; exuberant eaves and fantasmagoric railings. I have come to greatly admire the maniacal yet discerning attention to detail, the daring yet harmonious colour combinations, the sensitivity to seasonal changes and flavours.
Chinese ground principles of harmony, cohesiveness and balance in policy-making seem more attractive than Western short-sighted obsession with profit, bottomline efficiency and sanctimonious hypocrisy. Having barely achieved acceptable standards of living and social equality in last few decades, West assumes a high moral ground to teach the rest of the world on how to live their lives. Visiting China gives you an eye-opening perspective on such false claims by the same people who hunted Native American and Aborigines like wild animals, starved millions Irish farmers to death, had separate water fountains, bus seats and schools for Blacks and Whites, burnt with napalm and sprayed with Agent Orange whole areas of Vietnam, bombed Serbian civilians with cluster bombs and depleted uranium and keep economic abuse and plundering of developing nations.***
One proverb kept coming to my mind during my 3-and-half-week journey, "The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on". According to The Economist (Sep 14th 2006) China had been world's largest economy up to the 18th century when the Industrial Revolution and colonialism brought Western Europe to the forefront. This day and age, we are witnessing how China is regaining its rightful position among other nations at an awe-inspiring pace.
- Beijing - Grandeur, Rusticity & Russiatown
- Great Wall In Autumn Hues
- Pingyao - A Feel Of The Days Long Gone By
- Xi'an - Terracotta Army, Hot Springs & Mosques
- Nanjing - The Swanky Capital Of South
- Yangzhou - The Treasure Box Garden
- Suzhou - The Silk Capital Of China
- Tongli - The Water Village
- Tunxi - Breezy Gateway to Huangshan
- Huangshan - Mountain Range From A Classical Chinese Poem
- Hongcun - Water Buffalo Shaped Village
- Shanghai - Carnival Of Life
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