China - Final Thoughts

As with Mongolia I feel it is only right to put down some of my overall thoughts on China so as to clarify things in my own mind. Although I may not have realised it before, I think that I arrived in Beijing with many preconceptions about the country and its people largely based I imagine on the known human rights abuses, the whole subject of Tibet and the general negative press the country receives (or certainly used to get). I would not go so far as to say that all these preconceptions were proved wrong, far from it in fact, but in all I was pleasantly surprised especially with the general man-on-the-street (or in the paddy field!). Far from being rude and unhelpful, shoving and spitting, suspicious and grumpy; almost without exception we were greeted with smiling faces of people who were more than willing to help if needed or just to show interest in our travels so far. This ranged from waitresses patiently trying to understand any request that could not be made by simply pointing, people ensuring we got on the right bus and our luggage was securely stowed to hostel staff checking time and again we had all the information we needed. Amy's efforts at Mandarin really paid off as time and again a few words of conversation broke the ice or elicited a smile making the interaction and experience that much more rewarding. Getting around was also not the logistical or bureaucratic nightmare feared with an excellent infrastructure that was easy to navigate. The sights that we sought out were generally more than worth the effort, both man-made and natural, often exceeding any expectations. The one factor here however was the shear number of domestic tourists that poured through the gates having been delivered by the many tour buses. China's middle class population is growing larger and they appear eager to discover their countries history and all it has to offer. While we would happily go back to many places (most notably Yangshou, north Yunnan and Tibet）we also missed so much from the tea houses of Sichuan, the old silk road, the Muslim north-west, the bright lights of the east coast and Hong Kong to the pandas and the holy peaks. It is one big country!

From a purely observational standpoint the modernisation and development of China that we saw was fascinating. The big cities house financial and business districts of high-rise skylines and shopping centers so familiar in the developed west yet on the other hand more people travel using 2 wheels under their own power than by 4. Tiny shops and street stalls rule over any attempt at supermarkets and the ancient residential areas have, for the moment, survived demolition and modernisation. Such contrasts appear everywhere: a "communist" leadership ruling a population enthusiastically embracing consumerism with more than one person we spoke to openly critical of the ruling elite, the most upmarket cars crawling alongside rickshaws and hand-pushed carts, swanky restaurants with uniformed staff alongside hole-in-the-wall snack stalls and filthy canteens, mobile phone wielding youth alongside their parents in traditional dress.

It is hard however not to have all thoughts of China tarnished by what we saw and heard in Tibet. It is important to remember that the actions of a dictatorship power may not reflect the true feelings and desires of the population as a whole but when faced with streets full of fresh-faced Han Chinese soldiers and such obvious resentment expressed by the indigenous peoples it is a difficult concept to always keep in mind. Businesses appear for the most part to be Chinese owned, restrictions on the Tibetan way of life appear significant with penalties severe and more than one Tibetan we spoke to expressed the sentiment that times were scary. We even encountered one old lady who openly and enthusiastically expressed her gratitude to us for employing a Tibetan guide, all this in front of passing soldiers (though I doubt they speak a word of Tibetan). I will admit that we arrived with a biased view and any encounters were bound to result in a further polarisation as we did not seek out any Chinese viewpoints. I am sure the majority of Chinese in Tibet moved simply for a better life for themselves and their family and I imagine that there has been a significant improvement in infrastructure and services such as education and health but these alone do little to justify the so-called "peaceful liberation" and continuing occupation. The issues are complex and I would not claim to understand even a fraction. As for solutions, I imagine it will become increasingly difficult for the Peoples Republic of China to maintain the status quo as they become increasingly involved on the world stage. I hope one day we will have an opportunity to return to the Tibetan Plateau without any restrictions and once independence has been achieved.

It is an interesting time for China and although our stay was relatively brief and travels could hardly be classed as extensive some interesting questions were thrown up none-the-less. Who knows what the future will hold but whether it be success, failure or collapse it is likely that we will all be affected.