In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen taught us that first impressions can be both misleading and inaccurate if little care is taken to truly try and know the subject or person. Hopefully, during our six week stay in this amazing country, we will take that care, and may many of our preconceptions be challenged, and even proved wrong. But despite the age old lesson of not judging on face value we all do it anyway, and here’s my first impressions of China purely by just driving through it.
Firstly, Beijing is huge! And as modern and impressive as any city I’ve ever been to. The road network we drove through seems to resemble the American system where they are built like a grid and all roads run parallel with each other along horizontal and vertical axis. Apparently though, this is quite common throughout the world and in the UK we are not used to it so much as our cities are older and were built on top of the old ones and thus follow the unique pattern that existed all those years ago. London is a series of windy roads and curves whereas New York is famous for its blocks and pretty much follows a grid.
It is hot here (although not as hot as in Dubai; when we got off the plane yesterday it hid us in the face like a brick and many of us were sweating simply walking off the plane and into the airport) but the humidity makes it stickier than normal. That said, lasts night’s temperature was just right and it made for a pleasant first experience on Chinese soil.
Driving through the city there are so many similarities to our capital, but also many differences. The traffic and the people are just as busy and just as bustling as London and the skyline is both full and impressive. But we have already began to witness the large number of street vendors here and the ‘make shift’ cafes, food stalls and shops on the side of the road. There was one activity we saw where it looked like a group of people had set up a temporary café under a bridge and were enjoying beers and food and having a right good time. It was a reminder that underneath all of the seriousness that exists around China protrudes a country of sociable and welcoming people. It also showed that wherever you go in the world, you’ll always find a group of men chatting with a few beers.
Moreover, globalisation, on face value, is clearly evident here. Next to our hotel at BNU is a McDonald’s, and we have already seen KFC, Holiday Inn and Armani in both Dubai and China. It was not a shock to see these brands here but with regards to global interlinking it s just scratching the surface. Yes they act as a stark reminder of the cultural overreach of the west and transnational operations of big companies, but in order to understand the issue we need to look further – much further – below the surface and that means speaking to the people of China. By the way, yes I did have a Maccy Ds when I arrived at the hotel last night, and yes I do appreciate the irony that I came half way around the world to sample Chinese culture, and the first thing I do is have a slice of our own. But come on, you have to break me in gently!
The journey here was comfortable and fun. On the first plane to Dubai I watched a film called “The Last Station” which focused on the last years of acclaimed Russian author Leo Tolstoy, and the conflict of whether his literary estate should remain with his family or pass to the public domain. Our short time in Dubai was hot, but long enough to witness what a fantastic city it is and how globalisation is affecting people there (McDonald’s, Armani, Starbucks, etc.). The second flight was much more sociable as all fellows were seated together and so a lot of talking ensued. My tiredness overcame me and I slept for some of this flight but towards the end I gained a second wind, spurred on by the thought of China. It talk us almost 24 hours of travelling to get here but it was worth every minute. And plus, travelling doesn’t seem such a chore when you’re with some fantastic people with the thought of an awesome experience awaiting.
Anyway, I’ve woken up early to write this blog so now better go and get some breakfast. China has laid its first impressions in my mind but now it is time to dig further, to challenge the expectations and learn what China is really about!