Forgetting the pollution and any political commentary of the government, China has created a healthy, wealthy, and happy population in the Eastern, well-developed portions of the country (the factory areas and poor farming regions of the west are less accessible, but someday we hope to see the beautiful nature there). The people who we met were well fed, had fancy clothes, had cars, had a thoroughly comfortable life (remember that there are a whopping 110 million middle class Chinese). Those that weren't quite there yet were still in a much better place than their peers in other countries. The fact that we could eat anywhere and be safe (save for pick pockets) all over was an amazing testament to the livability of the places we visited in China. I would be so happy to spend more time in this wonderful country if given the chance. One very memorable moment was on a boat while dodging the smoke of one of the passengers. A member of our group wanted to buy a package of tea but the boat leader was all out. Upon seeing what had happened, one of the Chinese passengers who didn't speak English handed (refusing payment) one of her tea packages (worth about $5) to my friend. Based upon my experiences in China, this generosity was out of a desire to show China in the best possible light (true Chinese pride) or a spirit of building relations across the world that are becoming more important every day.
I just read an article on Time in which the author brought up a point that by year 2040, China's economy will become the biggest in the world, reaching $123 Trillion. I doubt whether the GDP will also become the highest. The large population is still a big problem.
ReplyDeleteThe competition among students to enter higher education is extraordinary - and cruelty (like infanticide of second children, especially girls)is scary, so I wonder how much of their efforts are just window-dressing.
ReplyDelete