BLOG FOR 9/8/2013: CHINA: A COUNTRY WITHOUT A SOUL: “I don’t need your thanks, I need your money” is the mood of China. I went to China for a 15 day tour along with three other families on a private guided tour. While seven others came to see the china as a typical tourist, I went to china with a view to analytically study the secrets of their phenomenal success and growth in the last two decades. It is my quest to learn first-hand the China of today is the prime motivation for my trip. We arrived in Beijing on September 6th and left China from Shanghai on the 20th September 2013. In the 15 days of stay in China we visited the cities of Beijing, Xian, Guilin, Chongqing, Yichang and Shanghai. We went through Yangtze River cruise from Chongqing to Yichang. We stayed at Four Points by Sheraton in Beijing we saw Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City and Summer palace on the First day. Second day we went to Great Wall of China that was built in 210 B.C running for more than 1000 miles. We went up on a cable car and then walked on the wall. On the third day we visited the Temple of Heaven and Hu tong Tour on a Rickshaw. This is the old part of Beijing where the houses are small and traditional with no attached toilets. But on each street we saw community toilets ten of them grouped together and maintained by the employee three times a day. They pay a small fee of 20 yens to use it. The fourth day we flew into Xian and stayed at Golden Flower Hotel by Shangri-La. On the next day we saw Big Wild Goose Pagoda built by Hua song, the student of Nalanda University in India. We visited Ancient City wall and drove on it in a Golf cart. In the evening we saw a Tang Dynasty cultural show. On day two in Xian we visited the Terra Cotta Warriors of third century B.C and then flew into Guilin. In Guilin we stayed at Guilin Royal Garden Hoteland visited Reed Flute Cave, Elephant Trunk Hill and rope way to the top of the mountains. From Guilin we flew into Chongqing, we drove through city, saw some pagodas and by evening got into the river cruise boat. We spent 3 nights on the Yangtze River Cruise boat with shore excursions at Fengdu, Three Gorges.Reached Yichang city on the 3rd dayof cruise and disembarked. We had atour of Three Gorges Damand flew into Shanghai. In Shanghai we stayed at the Radisson Hotel at Shanghai Hongquan and saw the Yu Gardens and the Shanghai Museum. On the 2nd day we visited the Zhu Jia Jiao town in the suburbs. On this day we took the MAGLEV Train from the city to airport and back at 320 km/hr. completing the 60km journey in 14 mts. On the next day which is 15th day in China we flew back home from China. OBSERVATIONS: China made unimaginable materialistic progress in the last 3 decades since 1978 when the Deng government took liberalizing China. This growth was maximum in last two decades since 1985. Seeing is believing. It is beyond most people’s imagination. As you drive in cities one sees miles and miles of concrete structures as high rises. This is seen in even in small towns. I rarely came across single family residences. I was told that all the land in China belongs to the Government and they moved villagers living in single family residences into high raise apartments to make it easy for the government to provide utilities and for conservation of land. I was told that only the rich and super rich live in SFRs in designated areas of towns for the purpose. Significant number of freeways and highways and bridges are seen everywhere.Greenery is preserved and roads and waterways are well landscaped. High speed trains are abundant. China’s bullet trains on wheels go at 300km/hr. The maglev train in Shanghai goes between 320-430kms/hr. I was told that the gap between rich and poor has increased since liberalization and all people that are closely associated with Communist party became overnight millionaires and billionaires. One child policy increased the number of pampered kids who are thoroughly westernised in all their habits and functioning except in self-reliance. They seems to be enjoying the new freedom. People are travelling and indulging in materialistic possessions of liberalization. China seems more capitalistic than USA now. Money is China’s mantra. When I was window shopping in Beijing and said thanks to a shop keeper and about to move on, she said “ I don’t need your thank you. I want your money”. This statement reflects the mood of the nation. China’s God seems to be money and all activity revolves around this money, power and prestige. Their symbols of dragon and lion represent this. This attitude was reflected in the burial of Terracotta Soldiers in Xian city or in building the Great Wall of China. China reduced poverty by 75% in the last 20 years by increasing the per capita income. China achieved almost 100% public housing of poor. Public sanitation and toilet facilities are seen on each street for a fee that are well maintained. Public health facilities are clean and attractive.China seems to have accomplished employment for all. Few people are seen in the streets during working hours of the day. A national identity card is given to each resident. This identity card is needed to buy even a rail ticket. A second child is not eligible for this identity card, without which it is not eligible for government services. All youth are required to go through mandatory military training. Tourism was developed phenomenally. All the destroyed Buddhist monuments are being renovated currently or renovated allready for tourism purpose. 70% of the economy of major cities is contributed by tourism. In 1978 China received 120,000 foreign tourists. In 2010 China received 56 million foreign tourists. Tourist presence is seen everywhere. Dams, waterways, monuments, monasteries markets, arts and crafts are made tourist canters. Selling is evident in all package tours itineraries. They take the tourist to a silk, jade, pearl and painting places with selling these items to tourist as the goal. All tourism activity is centered around this selling. Monasteries and temples are no exception, though China does not encourage religion. They are re-writing their own history and are claiming the Yellow River Civilization as 7000 BC and the most ancient while contemporary world history dates it to 1500 BC. Hotels and restaurants are plenty and reasonably priced. Average price of a hotel room is $100 while in India it is $150. Most restaurants keep thermostats to 80 degrees foreign heat to the discomfort of western traveler. The resident Chinese seems to have been used to this. Small plates and small limited napkins is the norm. Water is rationed. Tourists most often receive packaged menus. Water and napkins are also rationed.Most tours are packaged tours that give a good sampling of various regions of China. Biggest hurdle in china to the tourist is language. Surprisingly very few people speak English and not even understand basic common English words even in 5 star hotels. Even the guides and translators knowledge is limited and only 50% of conversation can be deciphered. In shops there is significant bargaining to the extent that sometimes one can buy the item at 1/10th the original asking price. Some shopkeepers are rude when you offer what they consider as a small amount while others pursue bargains and complete the transaction. Because of the language barrier, most often this is done by tying on the calculator. Most prices in the government factory stores with no bargain are overpriced and similar products are less expensive outside. There is a national reluctance to freely share information in conversation. There is resistance one encounters for answering sensitive questions even by guides. I was told that more police are in civilian dresses than in uniform, spying on the citizens. Spying on each other is common like the tour bus driver on guide and vice versa. While Pedestrians have right of way in west, in China cars have the right of way in practice. Rarely any car stops for the pedestrians. People push you and walk over you in queuelines with no respect to priority of early coming. Chinese in general are not as hospitable as rest of the world. The common Chinese word when they meet each other is “have you eaten”. Even when we say no, it does not mean that they will invite you for a meal. Chinese in general show reluctance to help a stranger or a tourist. This could be cultural or because of the language barrier. This apathy is noticed clearly even in people who speak English, even in international hotels with tourists. This may be the results of years of curtailing of free expression. Most newspapers are government published and in Chinese. I came across China International”, China Youth”, and “China Worker” in English in the hotels. Significant problem encountered in using internet and emails because most pages are in Chinese. I noticed that there are no English translators in any of the hospitals and a sick tourist needs to take a English speaking guide along with them to the facility for translation. China is using its western product manufacturing as a vehicle to do reverse engineering and copying all international brands with indirect government sponsorship and help. There are no international brands that it does not copy. This includes, I-phones, computers, designer bags, you name it and they copy. But to show the world they have bill boards saying copying is punishable and hardly anybody is prosecuted or punished. They are flooding the world with this copied products and minting money. Money is God in China, not ethics. FUTURE: Country is filled with single children as a result of one child policy. The nation will be soon filled with these pampered children soon. These are self-centred children that are bent on enjoying themselves to the fullest. These are thoroughly westernized. As it is now China can be labelled as a capitalistic country. The changes that came are irreversible. How long the communism and one party rule in china will last is the big question. My feeling when the current one child generation gets into middle age, say in 10-15 years China will have a revolution that will root out communism out of China. Aging population as a result of one child policy is potential future problem. Average Chinese age is 39 while in India it is 29. There will be less youngsters to support the services for the elderly in the future. Aging countries become less productive. CONCLUSION: China is country without a soul. Outwardly beautiful, orderly, peaceful with phenomenal growth and inwardly empty in humanity and heart. Here is a country where the head rules the heart and hands. It is super materialistic and selfish in its outlook and attitude. It sacrifices freedom of expression for prosperity. You see more of sameness and monotony than variety and diversity. Their symbols like dragon and lion depicts Chinese obsessiveness for wealth, power and possessions. They do not hesitate to trample others in the way of their advancement. China is expansionist to the core by its past and current actions. It swallowed Tibet, parts of Mongolia and Hong Kong. It has border disputes with all its neighbors like India, Russia, Taiwan, Japan and Philippines. China unless it opens up will be the Germany of the 40s. LESSONS FOR INDIA: If India contains corruption by implementing proper systems of checks and balances and develop infrastructure on war footing like China and fosters national unity by addressing the issue of caste, language, region and religion, then India will shine to its ancient glory as the Heart and brains of the world. What India needs is unshackling by removing the barriers to growth. Tourism is the untapped natural asset of India that is not tapped even to 1/20th of its potential. If we increase the current 5.6 million tourists to our natural potential to even with china at 56 million, India can run only with tourism income with zero taxation. Combined with domestic tourism this is estimated to put 100 lakh crores rupees into the economy with 20-25% tax share to the government. What is holding back is corruption, lack of vision, commitment and infra-structure. This is a reachable goal in the next 10 years if we complete infra-structure projects in the next five years on priority. These will do more good to the BPL families to bring them out of poverty than all the government roll outs for votes. Let us pray together to give wisdom to our planners of the nation.
Posted on: Wed, 09 Oct 2013 00:38:01 +0000
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