Beijing Impressions
Overall I kind of expected China to be like one big EU/US Chinatown. Having spent three days in Beijing I have to say it's wrong. Something like expecting all of Russia to be akin to Brighton Beach.
1. Chinese in China are more polite than I had expected
Having come across a fair amount of mainland Chinese in the West I was pleasantly surprised to find them a lot calmer and quieter in China. Maybe it's a North-South division, with Southeners being louder and more obnoxious (we'll see in Shanghai). I use road etiquette as an indicator - in Beijing people are extremely polite to each other on the road (even the Rolls Royce that drove sans license plates followed normal rules of traffic)
2. Like the rest of East Asia, it feels very safe. I walked around past midnight without worry. So far here I did not observe any kind of hostile behavior or aggression towards foreigners or each other.
3. Aside from Tinamen square we did not see any cops. Like - I have no idea what they look like here.
4. Likewise - there is not a single communist sign or logo. Mao's mausoleum on Tinamen square just looks like a building - I only realized what it is by checking the guidebook.
Communist insignia has been replaced with these types of posters (Beijing Airport)
5. Expensive Western food in Beijing is awesome. In our three days in Beijing we visited three top-end restaurants (Dadong Roast Duck, Temple & Udama Sushi). First was the best Chinese food I've ever had, the second was in the top 3 or 5 French restaurants while the last was just great sushi (it did earn the title for most expensive sushi I've had - 9 piece sushi dinner cost about $100).
It remains to be seen what South China food will be like.
Amazing salad @ Dadong Roast Duck
6. Service so far has been great - everybody is very polite and welcoming.
7. All of Beijing's scooters and tuk-tuks are electric. Apparently the government banned gasoline motorcycles - and the electric ones are fairly cheap (around $1,000). Velo rickshas also run with electric motors.
8. As a result (partially I imagine) the air quality was fine. I did not find it to be polluted - unlike Moscow. But there is plenty of traffic.
9. We found a lot of pleasant green spaces in Beijing. One of them was a park with a very pretty lake where parents strolled with children.
Beijing City Park
10. There I actually saw the one-child policy in person - every family had one kid they dote on. It doesn't strike you right away, but after a while you notice it - nobody is trying to manage multiple kids at the same time.
Beijing Parents Doting Over Their Only Children
11. Communism is dead. There is absolutely nothing we saw that would let one think that China is a communist country. It seems that the ruling elites are keeping the system in place for two reasons:
1. To stay in power. Kind of like kings in the past used to say that they rule because G-d made them kings, current Chinese elite uses its connection to the people who made the revolution (they are all their children or grand-children) as the reason why they are in power. Since that circle of people is fixed (they are not making Mao's children any more), it's as good way as any to stay in power and prevent others from getting in on the action.
2. Social stability - no contest for power means no potential for disorder.
While I am against this in principle, they seem to be much better than Russians - what with regular change of President & cabinet, visible actions against corruption and real economic results delivered.
Will follow up with thoughts on South China later.
1. Chinese in China are more polite than I had expected
Having come across a fair amount of mainland Chinese in the West I was pleasantly surprised to find them a lot calmer and quieter in China. Maybe it's a North-South division, with Southeners being louder and more obnoxious (we'll see in Shanghai). I use road etiquette as an indicator - in Beijing people are extremely polite to each other on the road (even the Rolls Royce that drove sans license plates followed normal rules of traffic)
2. Like the rest of East Asia, it feels very safe. I walked around past midnight without worry. So far here I did not observe any kind of hostile behavior or aggression towards foreigners or each other.
3. Aside from Tinamen square we did not see any cops. Like - I have no idea what they look like here.
4. Likewise - there is not a single communist sign or logo. Mao's mausoleum on Tinamen square just looks like a building - I only realized what it is by checking the guidebook.
Communist insignia has been replaced with these types of posters (Beijing Airport)
5. Expensive Western food in Beijing is awesome. In our three days in Beijing we visited three top-end restaurants (Dadong Roast Duck, Temple & Udama Sushi). First was the best Chinese food I've ever had, the second was in the top 3 or 5 French restaurants while the last was just great sushi (it did earn the title for most expensive sushi I've had - 9 piece sushi dinner cost about $100).
It remains to be seen what South China food will be like.
Amazing salad @ Dadong Roast Duck
6. Service so far has been great - everybody is very polite and welcoming.
7. All of Beijing's scooters and tuk-tuks are electric. Apparently the government banned gasoline motorcycles - and the electric ones are fairly cheap (around $1,000). Velo rickshas also run with electric motors.
8. As a result (partially I imagine) the air quality was fine. I did not find it to be polluted - unlike Moscow. But there is plenty of traffic.
9. We found a lot of pleasant green spaces in Beijing. One of them was a park with a very pretty lake where parents strolled with children.
Beijing City Park
10. There I actually saw the one-child policy in person - every family had one kid they dote on. It doesn't strike you right away, but after a while you notice it - nobody is trying to manage multiple kids at the same time.
Beijing Parents Doting Over Their Only Children
11. Communism is dead. There is absolutely nothing we saw that would let one think that China is a communist country. It seems that the ruling elites are keeping the system in place for two reasons:
1. To stay in power. Kind of like kings in the past used to say that they rule because G-d made them kings, current Chinese elite uses its connection to the people who made the revolution (they are all their children or grand-children) as the reason why they are in power. Since that circle of people is fixed (they are not making Mao's children any more), it's as good way as any to stay in power and prevent others from getting in on the action.
2. Social stability - no contest for power means no potential for disorder.
While I am against this in principle, they seem to be much better than Russians - what with regular change of President & cabinet, visible actions against corruption and real economic results delivered.
Will follow up with thoughts on South China later.