Life and Travel in China

China is certainly not a perfect country, it does not have a perfect system - but I'm starting to wonder... Europe and the United States, despite the ongoing pandemic, are opening shops, companies, and soon restaurants, and restoring "normal" activities. Of course, this is their way of trying to save the economy. It is easy to guess that the number of sick people will increase. Thus, these modern, democratic countries will sacrifice some of their elderly and/or sick citizens in order to save the majority and thus save their own asses (of course, in a crisis there will be more protests, anger against the government will grow in society, the overthrow of the government is guaranteed). The Middle Kingdom did the opposite, first limiting the rights and freedoms of everyone just to save the weaker ones. Only when the situation was largely under control; only when people were safe and illnesses were limited to a minimum - then the functioning of companies, factories, shops and restaurants was gradually restored. The Chinese government is quite rich, so they can afford some budget losses, some concessions, and a period of economic downtime. Now the question arises: where are human rights, civil rights, freedom, democracy? Does democracy mean the right to eliminate weaker individuals, sacrificing victims for the well-being of the majority? Apparently yes, but somehow in this particular situation Chinese communism seems to be more humane?!

Hainan instead of Hong Kong? The authorities in Beijing decided that since the US does not treat Hong Kong as a special zone in international trade, they will create a new zone. Hainan Island is to become a new center of international trade, transport and investment. The province is to be subject to other forms of taxation, which is intended to facilitate the import-export of goods. Many investments have already been planned to strengthen the position of the island. Until now, it was a typical tourist area of China. When I was there, we were surrounded by hotels and restaurants everywhere, some open space, palm trees, beaches - quite a nice place to relax. Apparently a lot will change in 15 years.

The Prime Minister of the People's Republic of China encourages his country's citizens to support street trading. In every metropolis (population of 15 million people), town (population of 5 million people) and village (population of 500,000 people ;-)) there have always been various stalls, stands and ordinary blankets on the sidewalk. Most often, you could find mobile restaurants offering buns, dumplings, beef or mutton on a stick, the famous pampuchy, Chinese hamburgers, melons and watermelons, etc. In addition, there were people offering books, small toys, souvenirs - something like our fair stalls. Some people were able to carry the products on their person, in their bags, backpacks, or sacks. Several times I witnessed China Security or other police forces chasing such people away. The nation was getting richer and the stands were decreasing, people were opening physical or online stores. Now China's economy is suffering from a downturn caused by the coronavirus. Apparently, "red streets" are appearing in many areas and prostitution is increasing. There are photos circulating on the Internet of bars and restaurants that have employed young, shapely waitresses parading in lingerie - this is to attract customers. In the face of crisis, all methods are allowed. As Deng XiaoPing used to say: "It doesn't matter whether the cat is white or black, what matters is that it catches mice." I am afraid that as a result of this crisis, various minor frauds and shady deals will be allowed, maybe more fakes will appear again, and care for the environment will no longer be so important. The nation must redeem itself - at what cost, we will see?!

In Shenzhen, 19 children committed suicide over a few weeks in April and May. Why? It's mainly about the pressure of exams in primary and secondary schools. For 2 months, learning took place remotely, at home... many parents purchased various additional online lessons and additional classes. Observing our friends, I sometimes have the impression that children in China are treated as an investment product. I invest in my child and make my dreams and desires come true. Of course, every parent wants a better future for their child, but children in the Middle Kingdom have too much pressure. Additionally, schools conduct very detailed rankings of students, who are the best and who are the worst. The same thing works everywhere, in plants, hospitals and hotels. If you are in a Chinese bank or hospital/clinic, you can usually see a ranking of the "best employees" with photos at the entrance. In China, there has long been a cult of being the best, and in adulthood, a cult of being the richest. It often happens that the newborn has already planned its future by its parents and has chosen an appropriate name. It's hard for me to imagine, but unfortunately it is true. Some of our friends from Guangdong or Hunan provinces, and even Chinese living abroad, treat children as some kind of fund. They are investing now, but it should pay off. They are not so interested in the child's emotional sphere, his problems and helplessness. There is some commandment from above: "you have to be the best!" These kids really don't have it easy. School from morning to evening, with a lunch break, late evening or even at night, additional classes, e.g. online English with native speakers from the USA, England, Australia, piano lessons, tutoring. In addition, both the authorities and parents expect obedience and discipline from children. I have already mentioned drills in kindergarten. It has some advantages, but nothing can be overdone. These children have no freedom, they have no time, they have no real childhood. Parents only demand, but it is often the case that from birth to preschool age, grandparents took care of their grandchildren. It's a pity that all this has such a strong impact on the children's psyche and they can't stand the pressure and can't cope with the unhealthy expectations of their parents.

If I count, I probably crossed the China-Hong Kong border, or more precisely Shenzhen-Hong Kong, about 100 times. I once even had an entry in their register saying that I crossed the border too often. First the old border in Luohu, and then the new one in Futian. Each time it was a transition from one system to another. There was such a breath of freedom in Hong Kong. On the Hong Kong side, the border guards were more relaxed and smiling. In Hong Kong, people could say whatever they wanted. They had different hobbies and interests, and were influenced by the culture of the East and the West. They lived differently than in Shenzhen. Of course, not everyone was perfect, because it's not like a Chinese from mainland China is bad and uncultured, and a Chinese from Hong Kong is good, educated and sophisticated. They were simply surrounded by a different culture, different realities. Despite everything, there was a sense of democracy in Hong Kong - different posters, different views, civil liberties, privileges, human rights, although the life of ordinary people was not easy at all. I myself sometimes saw some small manifestations and protests. When we returned to Shenzhen, there was already some stress. Things were different at the border, and on the Chinese side, the border service was not smiling or relaxed. Sometimes they just didn't like someone's face and looked through the passport for 20 minutes. I had such a situation when I was returning from the island of Bali, in the middle of the night, and this serviceman looked at every page of my passport and analyzed whether any stamp was fake. I also knew people from Poland who crossed the border with me, one of them was detained for almost half an hour and they asked why he didn't have a stamp from London, since he flew from there to Hong Kong and then tried to get to China? In Hong Kong, they didn't look into stamps and passports so much. What I'm getting at - today a Chinese security office was established in Hong Kong and I'm afraid that in just a few months there won't be this breath of freedom on the Hong Kong side. The Middle Kingdom absorbs Hong Kong and apparently the slogan "two systems - one state" has not worked.