Life and Travel in China

In China, there is a strange tradition of giving money at various celebrations. Of course, in our country we also give gifts or envelopes at weddings, but in China it is based on the principle of "outdoing" - whoever gives more. Moreover, this tradition does not only apply to happy celebrations. It also refers to funerals. The death of one person means that their relatives must organize a wake and funeral. At this point, they try to spend large sums of money to show respect to the deceased person. Unfortunately, sometimes they even have to borrow money. The money is also transferred to the family that took care of the previously deceased person. The same should be done when visiting family. When a cousin visits her aunt, you should give her at least 100 RMB. When a grandson from the city returns to the countryside to visit his grandfather, he should also be given money. I have witnessed many such situations myself. However, the funniest are the fights and attempts at phrases: "no, don't give me anything - I'm doing well", "please take it, I've been away for a long time", "I don't really need it", "take it, you can buy some cigarettes". In Poland, people complain that they don't have anything, that it's hard. In China it's the other way around - it's hard there, but you don't talk about it, you can't show it, and you have to present yourself well even with other people's money. In the Middle Kingdom, money is simply a matter of honor.

My good Chinese friend is expecting his second child. Since neither he nor his wife are only children and they live in a big city, they cannot simply obtain consent for a second child. They have to pay a penalty of approximately PLN 50,000. zlotys. It's hard to imagine, but this is the reality in China. It all depends on the province, on whether the first child is a son or a daughter, whether they live in a city or in the countryside, etc. Generally, the authorities completely control the number of births. The solutions are financial penalties, hiding the child or abortions. It is also possible to give birth in Hong Kong for a fee, so that the child will immediately have a different citizenship and more freedoms. This service is a similar amount to this fine. The problem, however, is that the border guard does not easily let pregnant women cross the border. As I assume, you need a letter confirming the hospital's consent and the possibility of giving birth in Hong Kong. It's hard to hide an advanced pregnancy, no one wears coats in hot weather, and there are body temperature scanners - they also probably show the mother's belly. Some may say that it is good that China controls the population, but this is only an appearance. More and more wealthy families decide to have more children and simply pay the fines without a word of objection. People in power don't even have to worry about it, local businessmen and local government officials don't even have to worry about such regulations. So this birth control mainly affects ordinary, simple Chinese people who have no rights, not even the right to a second child! Is this fair?

We are observing that China is becoming more and more "branded". Small, small shops, stalls and markets are disappearing faster and faster (at least in large cities), and in their place are more exclusive, branded boutiques, shops and showrooms. This applies to every industry: clothing, jewelry, automotive, cosmetics, electronics. It is true that the government always supports local products, but an increasingly wealthy society prefers global, recognizable brands. It is known that someone who has an iPhone looks better than someone using a TCL phone. The same applies to jackets, skirts, watches... People start comparing and judging each other. It even comes to the point that some poorer girls from KTV clubs or some waitresses try to have a decent phone. That's why shopping in Hong Kong has become so popular, where there are branded items on every corner. In Chinese metropolises such as Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Beijing, we can also find many famous brands. The irony is that sometimes these famous products are produced in the same factories where typical Chinese products are made for the local market. This applies, for example, to clothing, shoes and handbags. However, the Chinese increasingly trust appropriate stickers, markings and logos, which are not always distinguished by quality, but rather by price. I guess that's what it's all about - to spend as much as possible and impress everyone around you.

Currently, most Chinese wives have no use for their husbands because the men are busy watching Euro 2012. The time difference of 6 hours means that the matches are broadcast live from midnight to 4:30 a.m. Now many Chinese businessmen also go to work sleep-deprived. China has never admired its own domestic football, but what is happening in European stadiums always fascinates them.

My Chinese friend also watched the first match live and congratulated me in the middle of the night with a text message for the first goal of Euro 2012. Unfortunately, when Greece equalized, he sent a text message: "Oh my God!" And when our goalkeeper received a red card, he wrote to me "Ohohoho". Ultimately, however, late at night he stated that the result was satisfactory and he could sleep peacefully. In Poland, we should be aware that even the Chinese support us - so "GO GO POLAND!" (we have the support of the People's Republic of China).