The People
The one thing that I will always remember about the people we met in China is their kindness. Random strangers would see us struggling with our map and they'd stop to translate for us and then point us in the right direction. Between Brian and I, we took 5 trips to hospitals and if kind souls didn't help us get to the right place, who knows what we would've contracted by now. People we met on the buses, trains, and boats paid for our meals because, as they put it, they were Chinese and we were guests in their country. And we received so many other gifts - for example, in a museum students gave us their book with information about all the exhibits (it was in Chinese, but they were so excited to present it to us how could we refuse?). A little kindness doesn't just go a long way - it can make all the difference.
The Government
Time to address the elephant in the room: communism. Although the Communist Party is the ruling party, China didn't exactly feel like a communist country. For example, healthcare is not universal. People who cannot afford health insurance aren't able to have surgeries or other procedures. Also, we were told that students without the grades to go to the best universities can buy their way in (provided they have the money to do so, of course). If we had to describe China another way, we might go with a capitalist country with a dictator or authoritarian capitalism.
Some of the ways things are run made it difficult for us to travel around: foreigners are only allowed to stay in certain hotels; everyone has to register any time they go to a different city or they can be fined; the internet is monitored like crazy. But there were aspects that really impressed us: public work projects get done quickly; co-pays at the hospital were around $2; and the tangible emphasis on the value of education is refreshing.
Other stuff that we learned worth noting:
1. Politics and government are inaccessible to the vast majority of people because the Communist party (which runs everything) isn't open to everyone. Folks have to apply and then they are "watched" for a period of time before a decision is made to accept them or not.
2. Not all individuals working in the government are members of the Communist Party. China's huge, both geographically and in terms of the number of citizens, and considering that a lot of things are state run (the mobile providers, for instance) they need (wo)manpower to keep the ship afloat.
3. Just because the Communist party is in power doesn't mean that every citizen supports them. We met a number of people disappointed in the government, but since they can't vote, their options for expressing their dissatisfaction are limited.
After two months of observing and listening to stories, we won't claim to have more than a superficial understanding of China's government. There's still a lot to learn. However, what we know for sure is that we are leaving China with a newfound appreciation for our freedom to vote.
The Food
Chinese food in the states that we've eaten pales in comparison to Chinese food in China. Sichuan style, beef noodles, sweet and sour chicken, and Peking duck will forever hold a place in our hearts ... And stomachs. Oh, and in case you were wondering, we didn't ever see dog on the menu.
The Language Barrier
The Chinese character for the verb "listen" is made up of the symbols for ears, eyes, and heart. I found that when others used their ears, eyes, and hearts to listen to us, it didn't matter that we couldn't speak Chinese and they couldn't speak English. This wasn't always the case, though, and there were some days when I was frustrated to the point of tears. These contrasting experiences made me realize that language is only a barrier if we let it be a barrier.
So, one country down, the rest of the world to go...
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