Travelling enlarges one's perspective. This past month, I experienced China, and have come back with a deep impression. China is fundamentally different from the United States, more so than most other places I've been to. I will elaborate more on this later. First, I will go through all the places in China I visited, along with some notes and descriptions.
Shang Hai - 600 years old, a relatively new city. It lies at the mouth of the Yangtse River. Originally it was settled by two princes who knew their father wanted the third son to be the king; so when their father was ill, they gave up their positions and settled here. In the early days, Shanghai was a fishing village. They innovated and used a device called a Hu to catch fish with the rising and falling of the tide, and Hu became the ancient name of Shanghai. Later, Shanghai became a major port for trading tea, silk, and china, the three products that China supplied to the world. Today, Shanghai is China's industrial and economic center.
Su Zhou - 2500 years old, one of the ancient cities of China. Originally it was a plains far from the mountains and the sea. The soil was poor for growing food, but the settlers planted Mulberry trees, which changed the soil to be good for growing food. Then, they started breeding silkworms, which ate Mulberry leaves exclusively. Up until the present, Su Zhou is still the place where the best silk is made. Su Zhou is an easygoing place with a very comfortable lifestyle. The people walk slowly and talk slowly and gently. This is also the site where the longest manmade canal was first built by a famous official. The front door led to the street, and the backdoor led to the canal. In those times, travelling by boat was more convenient and quicker than by foot or carriage. There are more than 50 houses with impressive gardens which have been preserved from antiquity in this city.
Wu Xi - meaning "without tin". This city became famous during the Bronze Age, due to its tin mines, and was also the center of many wars. Towards the end of the Warring Period, all the tin was exhausted. Wu Shi is on the edge of a lake. This city specializes in freshwater pearls. Also in the area is a mountain which produces a kind of rock (purple sand) which is used to make high quality teapots. Because of the limited amount of this material left, only the best masters are allowed to use it. Teapots made from this material exhibit a smooth flow of water from the nozzle, the water does not cling to the nozzle, the teapot stops pouring as soon as the breathing hold is blocked, and the lid does not fall off.
Nan Jing - at one time the capital of China. This city retains the name "Jing" due to two people: Sun Yat Fat and Tsu Yuan Zhang. This is the site of the largest castle in the world and the longest city wall. During the construction of the wall, under Tsu Yuan Zhang, the brick makers were directly responsible for each brick that they produced. A defective brick would result in the whole family being executed. The name of the maker is engraved on each brick. Nan Jing is the educational center of China. Having experienced a massacre during the Japanese occupation, the natives value progress and advancement.
An Hui - one of the poorest areas in China. Natives are part of the Hui clan. When the men come of age at 13 or 14, they marry and leave the place to make a living. Some die along the way. Others become very successful. When they leave, they have rope for three uses: for packaging the things they sell, for making bridges across mountains, and for suicide if they are unable to make the trek. The women wait for the men to come home. At night, to pass the time, they spill coins on the ground and spend the night looking for them. The people value education. Some of the best stationary are produced here.
Han Zhou - also an ancient city of China. Known as the romance capital of China. This city is famous for beautiful women. Two of the four legendary beauties were from here.
Bei Jing - the Capital of China since the Ming Dynasty (from the son of Tso Yuan Zhang onwards). This city has many famous sites which we visited.
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Yan Tai - some of my mom's cousins from her mom's side of the family.
Peng Lai - some more cousins and nephews from my mom's side of the family.
Ping Du - visiting my grandparents graves; this is where my mom's dad's family live.
Gao Mi - visiting more family (my mom's cousin).
Jinan - visiting a friend of my aunt's. This place has natural springs.
Qufu - visited Confucius's hometown.
Ningbo - visited my mom's classmates.
The tours were very cheap, but they came with strings attached. The tours were sponsored by the Chinese government, and it seems that the agenda included recruiting Chinese people to return to China. On the surface, China does have a lot to offer. There is no shortage of beautiful destinations. But, is it a good place to live? That is where we need to look deeper, and the picture immediately becomes less rosy. The following are several points which I immediately thought of, many of which are responses to points brought up by the tour guides for moving to China.
China is a heaven for people with money, but a hell for people without - this was actually a point brought up by a salesman we conversed with while waiting for several suits I had ordered to arrive. Yes, we were treated like kings when we were in China. Everything was so cheap. The table was always filled with food every meal, to the extreme. However, this does not mean that China was prosperous. Instead, it was a sign of a large wealth imbalance. While we, the tourists, the people with money, ate like kings, and could not help but leave some food uneaten, which would be thrown away, things were probably different for the people who served us, many of whom make very little money.
China belongs to all of us - Simply put, this is propaganda, because if we were to look closely at exactly who owns what in China, we would see that the government, of which the people have little or no part of, owns most of China, and a lucky or connected few own most of the rest. China belonging to us sounds good, but is far from reality.
The Chinese government cares for the people - he gave two examples: the Chinese government sent every single Chinese in Libya out during the civil war, and the Chinese government sent soldiers into the areas devastated by a major earthquake in order to find survivors, even at the cost of the lives of some of the soldiers, who were crushed by an avalanche. To this, I'd say that the Chinese government cares more for foreigners than for it's own people. We, who were from other countries, were treated like kings when much of the population are left to scrape out a living for themselves while being heavily taxed (at around 40%). For the amount that the government taxes, there is surprisingly little that the government gives in return. Instead, officials put the money into their pockets.
Do the people with money stay in China or leave? They leave. Housing is cheaper abroad than in China. In addition, whereas in China the Communist party holds absolute power, abroad in most places, the law is absolute, and everyone, including the government has to abide by them. This I find to be one of the most compelling reasons why I will not move to China. Regardless of how successful someone is in China, he owns little, because everything either belongs to the government, or can be taken by the government at will. This kind of behavior or power does not inspire trust.
Cheating is prevalent in China, starting at the top, and propagating throughout the whole system. Something I noticed in China is that the people say whatever they want, and it doesn't surprise anyone when no one believes them. They only care about your money, and will go to extremes to get it, regardless of what they have to say. Many times, I was tempted to simply leave, because with their words being so weightless, it is quite meaningless to talk to them.
Chinese people are cultured and I should find a wife in China - when I heard this, one word came to mind: ridiculous. First, the person who came up with this suggestion is selfish, as only a selfish person would ignore the fact that China has a huge imbalance of male to female ratio, where there's already not enough women to go around for the natives, and suggest that I should find a wife here. Next, I'd like to ask what culture they speak of. It is common knowledge that nowadays, the ladies find boyfriends by the following: a car, a house, no dad, no mom. To be frank, that is not traditional Chinese culture, and that is not the kind of wife I want to have. Finally, though China claims to be full of culture, the culture they still retain are mere fragments of what little has survived the Cultural Revolution. For one thing, I find it shameful that Japanese people, who the Chinese hate and always talk bad about, may be able to read or understand traditional Chinese poems better than the Chinese who now only read Simplified Chinese.
When I visited Korea, I lost a lot of respect for Koreans. For as much as they talk bad about the Japanese, they are just like them. In fact, you could say that they imitate them, the similarities being so plentiful. On this trip, I was also disillusioned. To be clear, if you hate someone, should you not try to be as different from them as possible? But, in China, I found that things were the same. It would be enough to copy the good things, namely that the Japanese imitate and improve, that they are a hard-working bunch, but to find prevalent smoking, drinking, and prostitution and pervertedness in China was for me a big disappointment. How can you say, "We are better", when you are clearly the same or worse? To still say that you are better would be self-deception.
Does this mean that Chinese people are all bad? Not necessarily, because there are some redeeming traits. Chinese people are hard-working and talented. Despite their products not being up to the quality of yore, I frequently found myself impressed. When they put their minds to it, they still produce quality. Chinese people care about their family. Though they may not care for their country, but they sacrifice a lot for their family, and that is admirable, even though they have no problems cheating in order to get the most out for their family. When I got to know them, I realized that they aren't bad people, but they do what they have to do to put food on the table. To help them, I would, gladly. However, the situation they are in is similar to the situation my aunt is in: her daughter-in-law uses her child to force my aunt's son to give her money. It's as if she is holding a hostage and demanding a ransom. Except that she won't release the hostage. In effect, she uses the hostage to make money. Similarly, the Chinese government has so much of the population in poverty, but any way I may try to help will end up going into the pockets of the government. When I step back and look at Communism, I wonder how this system would result in a degree of social imbalance that far exceeds that of countries that encourage free competition. The very sort of government which is supposed to distribute wealth equally among everyone is responsible for keeping wealth in the hands of a connected few. I laugh with scorn when I heard the Chinese describe their system of government as "Communism with Chinese characteristics". I wonder what are the Chinese characteristics they mean.
It was ironic that I was reading "Common Sense" by Thomas Paine, during this trip. Here are a few quotes I would like to leave here.
...it is one of those evils, which when once established is not easily removed; many submit from fear, others from superstition, and the more powerful part shares with the king the plunder of the rest.This is supposing the present race of kings in the world to have had an honorable origin; whereas it is more than probable, that could we take off the dark covering of antiquity, and trace them to their first rise, that we should find the first of them nothing better than the principal ruffian of some restless gang, whose savage manners or pre-eminence in subtility obtained him the title of chief among plunderers; and who by increasing in power, and extending his depredations, over-awed the quiet and defenceless to purchase their safety by frequent contributions....Of more worth is one honest man to society and in the sight of God, than all the crowned ruffians that every lived...Interested men, who are not to be trusted; weak men, who cannot see; prejudiced men, who will not see; and a certain set of moderate men, who think better of the European world than it deserves; and this last class, by an ill-judged deliberation, will be the cause of more calamities to this continent, than all the other three...Men of passive tempers look somewhat lightly over the offences of Britain, and, still hoping for the best, are apt to call out, "Come, come, we shall be friends again, for all this." But examine the passions and feelings of mankind, Bring the doctrine of reconciliation to the touchstone of nature, and then tell me, whether you can hereafter love, honour, and faithfully serve the power that hath carried fire and sword into your land? If you cannot do all these, then are you only deceiving yourselves, and by your delay bringing ruin upon posterity. Your future connection with Britain, whom you can neither love nor honour, will be forced and unnatural, and being formed only on the plan of present convenience, will in a little time fall into a relapse more wretched than the first. But if you say, you can still pass the violations over, then I ask, Hath your house been burnt? Hath your property been destroyed before your face? Are your wife and children destitute of a bed to lie on, or bread to live on? Have you lost a parent or a child by their hands, and yourself the ruined and wretched survivor? If you have not, then are you not a judge of those who have. But if you have, and still can shake hands with the murderers, then you are unworthy of the name of husband, father, friend, or lover, and whatever may be your rank or title in life, you have the heart of a coward, and the spirit of a sycophant..."The science" says he "of the politician consists in fixing the true point of happiness and freedom. Those men would deserve the gratitude of ages, who should discover a mode of government that contained the greatest sum of individual happiness, with the least national expense." "Dragonetti on virtue and rewards."But where says some is the King of America? I'll tell you Friend, he reigns above, and doth not make havoc of mankind like the Royal Brute of Britain. Yet that we may not appear to be defective even in earthly honors, let a day be solemnly set apart for proclaiming the charter; let it be brought forth placed on the divine law, the word of God; let a crown be placed thereon, by which the world may know, that so far as we approve as monarchy, that in America THE LAW IS KING. For as in absolute governments the King is law, so in free countries the law ought to be King; and there ought to be no other.A government of our own is our natural right: And when a man seriously reflects on the precariousness of human affairs, he will become convinced, that it is infinitely wiser and safer, to form a constitution of our own in a cool deliberate manner, while we have it in our power, than to trust such an interesting event to time and chance. If we omit it now, some, Massanello may hereafter arise, who laying hold of popular disquietudes, may collect together the desperate and discontented, and by assuming to themselves the powers of government, may sweep away the liberties of the continent like a deluge.The present time, likewise, is that peculiar time, which never happens to a nation but once, viz. the time of forming itself into a government. Most nations have let slip the opportunity, and by that means have been compelled to receive laws from their conquerors, instead of making laws for themselves. First, they had a king, and then a form of government; whereas, the articles or charter of government, should be formed first, and men delegated to execute them afterwards: but from the errors of other nations, let us learn wisdom, and lay hold of the present opportunity—To begin government at the right end.
I am incredibly grateful that the country I live in was founded on high ideals and wisdom. Many of the fundamental things we take for granted are valuable things which people in other parts of the world don't have. These are things worth fighting for to protect.
Finally, there were a few points the tour guides brought up which have become lessons for me.
What matters is to live our life as enjoyably as possible. Only a corrupt official could build a garden worthy to be passed on for 500 years.If you fall behind, then you get beaten up; people won't mess with you if you're strong.Your health is the most important. It is better to earn less and be more relaxed.It is possible to take a small advantage, but lose out big.Suh mah wan yer.
This first point, I'd take with a grain of salt. For China, which does not know God, I'd say that this would be the best outlook they have. But for us who know God, we have more to live for than as much enjoyment as possible.
The second point made the deepest impression on me. The Chinese have a habit of talking about how they were mistreated by the Japanese. It is one of the favorite topics they make movies for. However, the point they neglect to point out is simply the very possibility that the Japanese had the strength to invade China. Regardless of ruthlessness or aggressiveness, it was China's own weakness which resulted in its humiliation. For that, they shouldn't blame the Japanese. Instead, then should blame their complacency, shortsightedness and self-interest. However, this point is applicable to life, and a strong motivation for striving to rise to the top. If you're a good person, then you can guarantee that you won't mistreat others, but you can't guarantee that others won't mistreat you unless you are above them. If there's one thing that China has done right, it is the investment it has made to ensure that it will never be at the mercy of its enemies. Now, we will see whether China will actually be better than Japan, or whether it will be just as bad of a bully.
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Written on November 14, 2012