Life and Travel in China

The Year of the Horse has begun! Like every year, I won't write about traditions, food, symbolism, etc. I just wanted to draw attention to one thing... The Chinese very often wish for themselves on this day - a lot of money! They also hand each other red envelopes with cash inside. I must admit that these envelopes are getting thicker every year. Society is getting richer! The problem is that when someone's situation is worse and the New Year comes, they have to prepare for greater expenses and loans. If there is a newborn child in the family or there are newlyweds, all uncles, aunts and cousins give them envelopes for the New Year. The value bar for these envelopes is getting higher and higher. At the beginning, when I was here for the first time, families gave each other 50-100 RMB (25-50 PLN). Now they are starting to go crazy, because the standard amounts are 500-800 RMB, and sometimes even thousands. They will change the tradition a bit and instead of envelopes there will be red suitcases! Ha ha! Suitcase manufacturers would be happy. Generally, my point is that on the one hand people are doing well, but on the other hand it's going to their heads a bit. I have friends who have changed because of money, they are different, supposedly more worldly, but also conceited. Sometimes I have the impression that they forget about others - about exploitation, about poor provinces, about the workforce that has a hard time living in big cities, they are the second category of people. Sometimes these wishes for "money", all this materialism, this comparing and outdoing each other become tiring and it's hard for me to understand it. Money is worth having, but health and a happy family are the most important!

Most people in their twenties and thirties in Poland have had experience with Lego and other similar toys. People know more or less what to buy for their children and how to have fun with it, grandparents also manage it somehow. In China it is different, because most thirty-year-olds grew up in poor conditions - at best they had books, notebooks, pens, and sometimes small toys. In general, however, the concept of "toys" was foreign in the Middle Kingdom. People in their 20s already lived in better times, but toys were not so widely available, in fact there were no even toy stores, and what was produced was mainly exported. That is why now Chinese mothers and fathers cannot cope with choosing toys and using them. Basically, they learn it together with the children and play with them because they haven't had the opportunity to do so themselves. It's true that they use I-Phones, but putting a helmet on a Lego figure is a more complicated task ;-). A friend of mine also broke his son's remote-controlled car quite quickly because he didn't know how to operate it. Some people also find it difficult to insert batteries into the toy. Of course, I'm not making fun of anyone, but the generational differences when it comes to technology and toys are incredible. What should the grandparents of these grandchildren who now have practically everything say? I've seen grandparents simply give toys to toddlers and leave them with this "problem" because they don't know how to play. I'm not just talking about robots or consoles, but about completely simple toys for babies, some grandparents don't even know how to engage in play. So now Chinese toddlers have everything, but they do not have appropriate adult companions and play teachers.

In China, buying a car is no longer a problem. The prices of models produced in Europe are, of course, much higher due to customs duties - China promotes its own car industry. Despite this, many residents of the Middle Kingdom drive Mercedes, BMW, Audi, or even Jaguar, Ferrari and Maseratti. For the middle class, owning one or two cars is no longer a dream, but a standard. However, another problem has arisen - in large cities, where traffic jams and smog are a serious problem, the issuance of new registration numbers is often limited or even suspended. A friend bought a new VW Golf for about PLN 80,000 (converted). It may be hard to believe, but obtaining license plates cost her an additional PLN 13,000! She lives in Guangzhou and participated in an online auction where you can get the numbers for the car. You cannot sell these numbers, exchange them or register a new car and keep the old numbers. She did not see the minimum and maximum amount in the auction, so she decides how much she can offer for the new registration number. It turned out that thanks to the amount of 27,000 RMB, she managed to win the auction. I laughed because I told her that for that amount of money, many people in Poland simply buy a car. The Chinese are getting rich so quickly that the authorities very often impose various penalties, additional fees, etc. This applies to cars, newborn children (this is slowly changing), places of residence, access to schools, etc. I am not even talking about bribes, but official fees. Interestingly, the Chinese are quite humble about it and pay, they do not rebel - that is, they simply can afford the fees.

I used to be amazed by the progress in China, then it terrified me, and now I don't know how to comment on it, it's shocking! Sometimes I try to imagine the mega-tons of steel, concrete, glass, aluminum, etc. that are used in the construction of subways, skyscrapers, tunnels... It happens that I visit a city 1-2 times a year. It turns out that at that time two metro lines were added, four new skyscrapers were built, and the shopping center was extended by a kilometer-long underground passage. The speed of construction and reconstruction is simply shocking! In Poland, it is often impossible to build a subway, and in Shenzhen, for example, trees were cut down, the sidewalk was moved, a new surface was laid and the street moved an entire lane. A wall is being built nearby and deep excavations are being made for the subway. I am not saying that it is very ecological, but in China, if something has to be built at the expense of greenery, at the expense of demolishing other, older buildings, it is not subject to any discussion. I'm only worried that one day nature will take revenge for all this, because in the Middle Kingdom many areas are at risk of floods, earthquakes, typhoons and tsunamis.

China has 'relaxed' one-child rules. Now many couples can legally try for a second child. In fact, many people (some I know personally) already have a second child who is not registered. Currently, to obtain consent for a second child, you need to prepare 16 different documents! The regulations are different for different regions, it all depends on whether the first child is a boy or a girl, whether one of the parents is an only child, etc. In the Middle Kingdom, a child is a 'little emperor'. I see how much grandmothers and grandfathers adore their grandchildren, compete with each other in taking care of the little one, buy various wonders, special jewelry, shoes, organize paid professional photo sessions, etc. However, it comes to a situation that these spoiled grandchildren, sons and daughters do not want the 'competition' of their siblings. It may sound absurd, but in such a materialistic world, older children are already worried about the division of property, and some declare directly that they will kill their newborn brother or sister. Scary but true.