Packing in Beijing feels odd. It’s the end of my time on the Chinese Mainland, and it’s both a good and a bad feeling. I’ve had an amazing time here and in Shanghai - I’ve seen the glittering lights of the Bunt, markets, The Great Wall, the Forbidden City, travelled at 287 kmph on a train, and eaten some of the best food; wonders most don’t ever see - but on the other hand Hong Kong is currently 20 degrees centigrade warmer than the -7ºC of Beijing, and I will fulfil the dream I’ve had for longer than I can remember to go to Hong Kong. I remember seeing the official handover ceremony on TV (I must have been about 8) and knowing I would one day go there. And almost two decades later, it’s happening tomorrow (or at least, tomorrow as I write this).
I’m a little behind in my writing about the trip and there are many stories to come from China, but a combination of my short time here and the Chinese firewall mean I’m behind. Let’s start with an overview and fill the rest in later.
From Shanghai’s irresistible beat to the treasures of Beijing, I am glad I persevered with the visa (I did come very close to chucking it in and changing my flights), and whilst my ignorance about this vast and ancient country is still almost total I feel my brief time here has taught me a lot. My inability to speak Mandarin has definitely been a hinderance, and I’m clearly far too British for the pushing and shoving ‘me first’ attitude that is simply the norm, but perhaps I better understand the differences our cultures provide.
I think I can go some way to summarising my experience (barely touching on the surface as it was) with the words said to me by three others.
1. The member of cabin crew who clearly saw my raised eyebrow at the shoving process of boarding the flight to Shanghai from Abu Dhabi (think Ryanair with undesignated seating, then triple it): “Guessing this is your first time in Shanghai? It worse than this there, even our Chinese crew members think people from Shanghai are a bit mental.” Shanghai is like New York on steroids. The equivalent of my generation are the first to have access to the glamour, fashion and spirit of today’s Shanghai, as a result everyone there wants to be ultra glamorous and this comes to life as everyone battling, jostling and competing to get there as quickly as possible. If you get shoved onto the road or hit with a selfie stick, that’s your lookout. To everyone else it seems insane and with little dignity but it also makes sense in a way, it’s just a battle between a couple million people to get their way in a ‘here and now’ culture.
2. Our guide on my trip to the Great Wall: “We have a very bad reputation abroad. Chinese people only recently have more than enough to survive, and they can now travel and see the world beyond China. We just need to learn we need to behave differently abroad.” I guess no one gets it right first time, and whilst most of us have grown up with trips abroad and often our parents too, for many here that is not the case. It doesn’t necessarily make it easier to think positively about some tourists, but it gives it considerable context.
3. A random guy in a queue behind me at Shanghai’s main railway station when I was struggling with an automatic ticket machine: “Do you have an identity card? It won’t work if you don’t, but it probably doesn’t tell you that. The ticket centre at the far end of this hall is usually a bit quieter.” It’s the kindness of strangers that always gets me. Sure it meant the guy got his ticket quicker, but saved me a whole lot of hassle too. It also illustrates one of the things I’ve realised most in my time here - the attitude to ‘aliens’ (what foreign citizens are called) of different generations. It also links into the other two points: we often hear on the news about the emergence of the ‘Chinese middle class’, and it is their offspring who are much less likely to scorn at an alien, but interact. That’s an overly broad statement, but true for most I’ve met. Anyone I’ve talked to under the age of 30 has interacted positively. Over this age, the likelihood of a suspicious response or (more often) simply shouting at you in even more rapid Chinese increases exponentially.
Being yelled at in Mandarin, people subtly trying to take your photograph (or just plain coming up, an arm round your shoulders and getting you to smile), or being referred to as ‘alien’ is not the most notable part of life in China. I think that ‘honour’ goes to the world’s best censorship machine. It’s amazing to realise how few companies our modern life has as a norm; and the noticeable change when you don’t have access to them. I’ve naturally been brought up to believe strongly in the power of free speech, so it feels very alien to me, but it’s interesting to see how you cope when certain things are denied (I think I did better than several others I’ve met) or when it’s just a part of daily life.
People talk about the ‘Millennial generation’ a lot and how it will affect the world in the future, but I suspect this change will be especially interesting to watch in China. I look forward to coming back to see how the country changes and to see more of its wonders, and - of course - learning to cook much better Chinese food!
PS. Yes, it’s already been pointed out to me that some of these photos look like the cover art to lost works about Tintin in China, if I find Snowy I’ll say hi.
Edinburgh-dwelling, baking and food-obsessed, twenty-something adventure enthusiast. Runs on liberal amounts of coffee, cheese, cake and gin; bribable with same.
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