Reflections on China during Lunar New Year

Going back to school after a 30-year break is a tough slog, to put it mildly. But after a while, you fall into a groove. A kind of pattern that propels you from the dinner table after work, to the keyboard and research papers.

I am in the second year of my master's degree program in International and Intercultural communications. One of the reasons I chose the program is because it contains a mandatory three-week residency in China. I was eager to return to China having visited there in 1992.

I knew it would be entirely different, but I wanted to see for myself. My fellow students and I arrived in Shanghai in mid- November. I could see the difference as soon as I left the airport and ventured into downtown Shanghai.

The beautiful buildings on the famed Bund Avenue were now big banks sandwiched in between high-end designer clothing shops. The only place I was legally allowed to shop at in 1992 were 'Friendship' stores, state-owned businesses that sold a few Western-styled imports such as cup o' noodles, and souvenirs of Chairman Mao tea towels.

For about $30 we took a very fast and equally efficient train to Hangzhou, a jewel of a city in the most prosperous region of China. The trip took less than an hour and we had no trouble navigating the train station once we arrived. There were English signs and people who spoke English everywhere I turned. I don't remember that being the case in 1992.

Online shopping in China

We stayed near the Zhejiang Gongshang University campus in Hangzhou and were paired with 'Buddies' who were university students studying English translation. They were good. They showed us how they shopped for almost everything online, all the time. They told us about 'singles day,' in November when everything online is half price. It's intended to mirror 'Black Friday,' as a one-day shopping frenzy. I saw proof of 'singles day' outside campus dormitories where mountains of cardboard boxes were collected, leftovers from online shopping sprees.

The local shops in the neighbourhood where we stayed were friendly and welcoming. It didn't take long before someone wanted to engage us in conversation. It would start off with the weather, then progress to talk about China's 'one-child' policy, and even capital punishment. These topics came up from time to time, and it seems I always heard the same thing; that China's one-child policy was a good way to control the huge population, and capital punishment meant they didn't have to build prisons because criminals were just 'killed.'

When controversial topics emerged, I was happy just to sit back, listen, and watch.

Fog or Smog?

Now, admittedly capital punishment didn't come up as often as the weather.

I had heard about the air quality in parts of China, but I really didn't know what to expect. It was almost a daily question during our stay: "Is it fog, or smog?" In fact the smog was so heavy at one point, our field trip outside the city was delayed by about two hours because the highway was closed. The smog had become a driving hazard.

The Beijing of 1992 had legions of bicycles, back then two wheels outnumbered four.

During my previous visit to China, most of my time was spent in Beijing. My friends and I had a guide, who really didn't let us out of his sight. His name was Wong, and he was arranged by a University professor in Regina, Saskatchewan. The professor had developed ties with China through university student exchange programs. Even at that time, Canpotex, an international potash exporter based in Saskatchewan was selling product to China, explaining the emerging relationship.

Our guide took us to the major spots in Beijing such as the 'forbidden city,' the imperial palace from the Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty, and of course Tiananmen square.The massacre had been only three years earlier, and nobody was willing to talk about it. All Wong would say was that he was in Hong Kong at the time.

This time in China, for fear of alienating my Chinese buddy who acted as my translator and host in the country, I didn't broach the subject of Tiananmen, human rights, organ harvesting or the arrest and detention of a Canadian couple.

The perceived freedom of being a foreigner

I had almost complete freedom to roam around China as I pleased. I could wander alone, with my Chinese 'buddy', or my Canadian friends. I could spend hours strolling along beautiful West Lake, then absorb myself in a rich latte along a lush tree lined street. I could engage in lengthy conversations with Chinese women and men about almost anything. Certainly as a foreigner, I had much more freedom.

One place I wasn't free was on the Internet. I was warned by several people ahead of time that our emails would be read. I was blocked from Facebook, Twitter,and even CBC news. If not for the timely email of one of my family members, I would have known nothing about the tumultuous floor crossing of the former Wildrose leader to the PC caucus. Being in China, it really wasn't an issue, but still it would have been nice to know.

I visited factories and malls, restaurants, markets and classrooms. I saw shows, and beggars, and opulent shopping malls without customers. There were lineups outside Starbucks, and at one point I dug my entire arm into a bucket full of luxurious pink, white and orange pearls. The wine was pretty bad, and the beer was watered down, UNTIL I discovered the good stuff at the Korean barbeque restaurant next to our hotel.

I can't wait to return to China, and I have no idea what awaits me when I do. The challenges of the environment and the emerging middle class are daunting. I met young people eager to see the world, and older folks worried their kids won't be around to take care of them.

All of those issues sound familiar.

Until next time, China.