Some of this will be a repeat from my second Beijing post. Please do your best to forgive me. I am well aware that my short time in the country (one week in Beijing and one week in Shanghai) does not provide an adequate sample size, but these are just my impressions from what I saw. Thanks!
Overall Impressions
Country (notwithstanding the government): Positive
People as a group: Neutral
People individually: Positive
Food: Very Positive
China was big, loud, cheap, and crowded. People shove and shout and spit and urinate and defecate (I only saw children doing this) wherever they please. It is incredibly polluted, the water is unsafe to drink, and the plumbing cannot handle toiletpaper. The govermnent is communistic and oppressive, yet many of the citizens accept this (what choice do they have, really?) and often go as far as to proclaim that China is the best country on earth; which is quite the statement. Especially since less than two percent of Chinese citizens have a passport. I listed quite a lot of negatives, but there is a certain... charm? zen? of the country that made me like it.
I went to the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Great Wall of China, and Happy (Happy) Valley theme park. I ate a lot of mysterious food that was oh so delicious. I saw the artsy district of Beijing. I stomached some warm beer, but it was OK because the presentation was really nice. I went to a boring aquarium, lost at Settlers of Catan, and frequented a fake market. I walked along the Bund in Shanghai, got depressed at the Planning and Development museum, and spent some time at Shanghai nightclubs. I made new friends and learned to not take my American freedoms and my family for granted, especially my brothers and sisters.
If the opportunity to return to China comes again I will snatch it up.
Overall Impressions
Country (notwithstanding the government): Positive
People as a group: Neutral
People individually: Positive
Food: Very Positive
China was big, loud, cheap, and crowded. People shove and shout and spit and urinate and defecate (I only saw children doing this) wherever they please. It is incredibly polluted, the water is unsafe to drink, and the plumbing cannot handle toiletpaper. The govermnent is communistic and oppressive, yet many of the citizens accept this (what choice do they have, really?) and often go as far as to proclaim that China is the best country on earth; which is quite the statement. Especially since less than two percent of Chinese citizens have a passport. I listed quite a lot of negatives, but there is a certain... charm? zen? of the country that made me like it.
I went to the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Great Wall of China, and Happy (Happy) Valley theme park. I ate a lot of mysterious food that was oh so delicious. I saw the artsy district of Beijing. I stomached some warm beer, but it was OK because the presentation was really nice. I went to a boring aquarium, lost at Settlers of Catan, and frequented a fake market. I walked along the Bund in Shanghai, got depressed at the Planning and Development museum, and spent some time at Shanghai nightclubs. I made new friends and learned to not take my American freedoms and my family for granted, especially my brothers and sisters.
If the opportunity to return to China comes again I will snatch it up.
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| Rusty old bicycle falling apart, chained to the pavement. Oh Asia. |
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