I wanted to like China. I really did. I went with an open mind, ready to absorb as much of the country as possible.
But after a fairly uninspiring 3 weeks we decided enough was enough - neither of us was particularly enamoured with the country nor enjoying the experience.
So what was the problem?
Well, given that China is a vast and massively diverse country, I can only speak from the experiences that we had in Beijing, Chengdu and Xi'an - basically big cities in north and central China. We arrived at the start of March in a chilly and pretty drab Beijing. Grey, fairly characterless
aside from the Tiannamen Square and the Forbidden City in the centre, overrun with police/army/security and jammed full of people all plugged into their phones almost constantly.
It wasn't a fantastic first impression, but we spent persevered and spent a few days exploring the sights - from the massive Tiannamen Square to the labyrinthine hutong alleyways dotted around the city. One thing that strikes you as soon as you arrive in China - and particularly Beijing - is just how polluted the city is. A thick smog is omnipresent, and rarely seems to lift. If the sun makes an
apprearance, it is shrouded by smoggy haze. And breathing is hard. Not gasping-for-breath hard, but uncomfortable enough that after a week you'll be laid up with a pretty nasty cough and cold.
It's also frighteningly restrictive as a country in general, and seemingly even moreso around the major sites in Beijing. There are security personnel of some degree or another absolutely everywhere. Army, police, secret police, SWAT teams. They're everywhere. To enter the
train station/bus station/subway/Tiannamen Square/anything deemed remotely interesting you must queue and wait to be herded through various scanners and x-ray machines, while someone else checks your ID.
On our first afternoon in Beijing we decided to check out Tiannamen Square but soon realised that this is easier said than done. It's the largest 'public' square in the world and security is maximum. I'm not entirely sure what makes the square a public one though, because it certainly doesn't belong to the people.
To cross the street - not even to enter the square - we queued in total confusion for 40 minutes. Surely this can't be right? Our protestations of "we just want to cross the street" fell on deaf ears. So we spent 40 FUCKING MINUTES in a queue just to cross the street. Hey, at least we can laugh
about it now.
I feel uneasy at this level of restriction and suppression. There are sinister undercurrents to it in China - as though we are being scrutinised and spied upon all the time. I have never felt this in any other country so strongly before. Big Brother is watching us; suspicious and paranoid. This is definitely not shanti shanti.
Entering a train station n Beijing, a security guard even asks me to drink from my water bottle, just to prove the contents is actually water and not something poisonous or flammable.
You can bet your last pound that any whiff of rebellion from the masses will be swiftly 'dealt with' before it's even had time to come to fruition.
Aside from the pollution problem, I found the Chinese cities we visited to be on the whole very ugly and altogether characterless. Ubiquitous tower-blocks dominate the skylines, relentless traffic moves in an eerily silent fashion through the streets and industrial chimneys choke the air with more smoke,
more smoke, more smoke. Our only points of reference for navigating the vast urban sprawls were the obligatory McDonald's and KFC's that seem to be on every other street corner.
There was a distinct lack of greenery too; of life in general. The people are compliant - understandably - but I felt that the cities lacked 'spice.' My notions of chaotic, bustling cities were completely off. People largely keep themselves to themselves.
There is none of the forthcoming vibrancy that you find in Delhi, for example. There is none of the frantic scramble that is Kathmandhu. The blend of modern and traditional that works so well in Kuala Lumpur just doesn't happen here. I have seen a lot of Asia over the past few years and I love it - the sheer diversity, the smells, the people, the experiences, the food - everything gels together in to a magical package that captivates from the word go.
I can say with conviction that China is distinctly un-Asian. It is like no incarnation of Asia I have ever experienced. There is a coldness; a veritable hostility that just ain't Asia. Don't get me wrong, the people are mostly pleasant enough, but out interactions we pretty limited.
Which brings me to my next point.
The language barrier. Not so much of a barrier as a Great wall. Now, I know this is an ignorant complaint because my level of spoken Manadarin extends to Hello and Thankyou, but barely a soul spoke English to us in the entire time we were there. Even in the tourist information
points it was hard to garner much actual, useable information. Usually in such situation I rely on good on Google but.... The Great Firewall of China and all that!
Anyhow a language barrier is only a minor complaint when travelling. Sure, sharing a common ground for communication can unlock some wonderful information, some great insider secrets and help form bonds, but I've had equally fulfilling bonding experiences with people whom I never spoke a single word to. Alas this was not to be in China.
My very last moan about China before I launch in to what I actually liked about it (there was a little bit, I promise!) relates to the money. China ain't cheap. In fact, it's probably cheaper to buy Chinese-made goods where ever else you are in the world. The accommodation (hostels for us)
worked out at about 7 pounds a night each. Ok, so not extortionate, but not exactly cheap either, especially if you want to keep travelling for a while.
Food can be anything from street snacks to local restaurants and won't break the bank as long as you choose wisely. Transportation is where you will really feel the burn in your pocket - particularly long-distance travel. Trains are generally chepaer than buses, but even still are on-par with European
prices. My transit costs in China are the most expensive I've paid anywhere in the world. If you want to see the sites in China, you can also expect to shell out a significant wad of cash for the pleasure. The Terracotta Soldiers outside the city of Xi'an has a very hefty 16 pounds entrance fee - I have never in my life paid so much for entrance to a museum. And it seems that we have to pay an entrance fee for absolutely everything. Even the local park round the corner form our hostel in Beijing charges admission.
If you expect China to be cheap like the majority of the rest of Asia then think again. Not in the cities it isn't, anyway.
But hey - it wasn't all bad. There are things that I found agreeable in China (like is perhaps too strong a word!). The beer is cheap - cheaper than water. Public transportation (subway/buses etc) is relatively straightforward, convenient and relatively cheap. And always ALWAYS on time.
The food was not too shabby - even for vegetarian. On a few occasions I was stuck with a plate of egg-fried rice or generic noodles, but there were decent options around most of the time. Steam buns and dumplings always go down well, and they have these little egg-custard tart things that you can find everywhere that are delicious. And I'd now rate myself as an intermediate level chopstick-er, which I'm sure will be useful in the future...
A few of the markets we found were quite nice (if a bit touristy). Muslim Street in Xi'an is a foodies paradise, with an abundance of street stalls selling everthing from fried bananas to huge hunks of 'fresh' tripe. In Beijing, Wangfujing market sells everything from the sublime to the ridiculous;
live scorpions on sticks, deep fried spiders, starfish (who the fuck eats a starfish?), fried ice-cream, seahorses...
But the highlight - by far - of our cut-short trip to China was definitely our hike along the Great Wall. It's a truly incredible piece of architecture and engineering, and absolutely worth every penny. The Great Wall is not a continuous wall, but actually a series of separate segements
dotted around the countryside surrounding Beijing and neighbouring provinces. It's 100% advisable to escape the sections closest to Beijing (Badaling/Mutianyu) etc, as they are generally jam-packed with tourists, huge groups with guides, touts, shops, scammers etc. We went instead to Jinshanling section, about 140 kms form Beijing.
It's fairly straightforward by public transport and so no pricey tour is needed. We spent an amazing day hiking the 10.5 kms between Jinshanling and another section of the wall, Simatai. It was spectcular - so peaceful, so quiet and almost completely deserted of tourists, bar a few wandering quietly along the wall, taking in the breathtaking views and marvelling at the sheer audacity of it all. When you see the specific location of the wall, it really is a marvel. Perched on top of sheer an craggy, semi-mountainous ridges - what a feat!
But that's enough about China for now. I'm in no rush to return any time soon, and feel pretty disappointed that I didn't like it much. In many ways I am not massively surprised though. Although I entered with an open mind, I knew that I had - and still have - a coldness in my heart/fairly strong
reservations when it comes to the Chinese government's stance regarding Tibet (and human rights in general). Last year we spent several months in northern India, which is home to the majority of Tibetan refugees.
It was an education to say the least; more than can be understood from a book or a newspaper.
Of course this Tibetan stranglehold is not the fault of the average Chinese person , who is seemingly oblivious largely due to the sheer extent of state censorship - but it is difficult to reconcile this anyway. Tibet is not theirs, and yet it is treated like another province in China. They even have the gaul to feature the Potala Palace on their banknotes. It's abhorrent, I can say more no more than that.
This is the first country I've travelled in that I've actually disliked though, so this is quite a new feeling for me. But I guess you can't like everywhere you go. No regrets though - we wanted to go, so we did.
Sadly, because we decided to cut our trip short but a couple of weeks, we decided to put our plans for Mongolia on hold for now. (It's still about -15 there at the moment). For another time!
So now, we are in Java, Indonesia. Beautiful, friendly, relaxed and full of hospitality. It's incredible how a change of place and can radically change your mood and your feelings.
Time to explore Indonesia now...
PS if anyone from the embassy in Edinburgh is reading this, can I get a refund on my Chinese visa please...?
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