THOUGHTS ABOUT BEIJING AND CHINA

Shanghai Train Station (a small one)

Fast Train Platform- all aboard!!!

Welcome to Beijing !!! After a 4.5 hour fast train ride (comfortable, clean and easy) from Shanghai to Beijing, traveling at times about 215 miles/hour, we arrived in Beijing. This time the differences between the two cities feel more obvious than before. Beijing is larger: it takes more time to get from one place to another. There seem to be more people and (I sense) greater economic diversity among them. We see many women dressed in stylish fashions, but many more in casual jeans and tee shirts of some sort. At least where we have been exploring, there seem to be fewer young women with hair dyed blond/white.  This is a trend in contemporary China according to news articles. We are not sure if this reflects the desire to become more western in China’s desire to surpass the US, or reflects something about the psyche of Beijing and its relationship to the US and the west.

Our first hotel, perhaps the most basic of any we have stayed at so far, appears to be in a somewhat working class neighborhood near  several teaching hospitals. We have to walk to a more affluent area (about a mile or more) for coffee or even a food market. Restaurants are more basic, including several Muslim ones (not sure from what region), where we ordered kebobs our first night here.

There is of course a big beautiful park, often filled with older couples dancing different dances in different areas of the park, and sometimes swirling long streamers in beautiful ribbon dances that resemble Chinese calligraphy.  And roller-blading!  It is a quiet neighborhood, but we also pass rows of what probably were once small restaurants and shops, now closed. We wonder if they were put out of business by the newer and larger shopping mall nearby, or if they suffered from the more recent economic changes that have been occurring in China: growth but with more debt. 

Dancing at Behai Par 

Shopping Mall Sale.. 

There are many things that seem to express a desires to share patterns (and perhaps values) with the US.  There are lots of BIG cars and we see long lines at the car wash every day.  There seem to be more people who appear overweight, and shops to purchase expensive jewelry, new computers and other fairly opulant western items (though perhaps made in China?!).  There are also signs encouraging people to be healthy and also to quit smoking. (many many people here smoke, all the time) Is China still Communist? What would Marx or Lenin or even Mao say? With the introduction of economic capitalistic possibilities, people seem to be quite happy to acquire and subtly -and not so subtly find ways to communicate that they are well off- or not- is that a BMW that just passed us or a Citroen? 

Street on the way to our Hotel 

There also seems to be lots of low skill jobs- such as street sweeping, maintaining beautiful parks or making announcements on the metro. While they are not glamorous jobs, it is better than being homeless or unable to earn any money at all. However, there is also lots of prosperity with a huge weath gap between people's economic status. Students from a class I taught, talked about the expense of renting in Beijing and the impossibility of even purchasing a house of their own. What does this economic disparity have to do with communist or even socialist ideals? It looks and seems much more like capitalism to me. 

I wonder: is acquiring wealth a universal human need? Is it a response to the many years of poverty caused by the economic and cultural devastation caused by early Communist leaders? Is China become capitalistic, and primarily different from the US because of its top-down one-party political system?  

 A recent conversation with some students (I had just taught a workshop for a friend’s Music Therapy program, and we were having dinner together) also suggested that China is not yet wrestling with the issue of how or IF they should welcome people who are significantly culturally different.  According to these students, indigenous tribal people easily assimilate into the dominant culture (whether I completely believe this, given other perspectives I am aware of, is another story).  

 

Local Restaurant 

Inspirational message to not smoke

 One of the perks of a top down system is that
 China has an amazingly excellent public    transportation system (I wish we had one half as good).  But am also aware that while I am thoroughly enjoying the friendliness, ease of getting around, and low cost of local foods, I can be oblivious as an outsider to the political surveillance I only hear and read about. The government seems to be becoming more active in their desire to monitor ‘rule breakers’.  Does this include people who cross the streets against the light? Or cars the blithely driving through when the light turns red?  I'm aware of many police cars and people in uniforms in random locations. Or is surveillance more overt here in China, while we are being watched as much in the US, but less obviously or secretly?

As a possible sign of westernization, this inspirational sign seems to be encouraging people to not smoke. However, in true Chinese spirit, very few people seem to be heeding this message. (Cultural note: many housing areas whether Hutongs (old traditional courtyard housing or tall apartment buildings are surrounded by a wall that is displays 'inspirational' slogans for passer-by. But this no smoking sign is a new one for me.  But needed?  China is one of the world's leaders in the rates of smoking, especially among men.)

These are all questions that arise for me from our explorations… more to come!