Life and Travel in China

I fly a lot on Chinese planes and I must admit that the situation is getting worse when it comes to service, quality of services, approach to passengers and punctuality. Currently, a 20-30 minute delay is standard. I used to think that it only applies to large airports and depends on the weather, but now I know that there is no rule. I don't even pay attention to it anymore, I'm sitting on the plane and reading something, I used to get irritated by it. It happens that the plane staff does not even mention an hour's delay. Sometimes they thank you for your understanding, but they rarely apologize! Depending on the airline, passengers are treated differently, but generally it is getting worse, because even if you offend 200 people, the airline will still have millions of customers in the future. There are thousands of passengers. Even when flying to small towns, I have a full complement of fellow passengers. When I have one free place next to me, it's simply a celebration! I don't know about the luggage because I never check it in, but I don't think there are any major problems here. The quality of the planes is ok, mainly new Airbuses and Boeings, less often MD-83s, I once flew an older MD-83 and I was really scared! I don't like this design with engines at the back, I have also read about many accidents of these planes. When it comes to flight safety, pilot training is very good - considering the number of flights and millions of passengers, I don't know of any major disaster in the Middle Kingdom. The biggest problem, however, is delays and sometimes confusion during some stopovers. I also noticed that flight attendants are nicer to foreigners than to Chinese people. It happens that they raise their voice to a Chinese person, ask for something to drink in a not very polite way, or ignore any questions from a Chinese passenger. They treat foreigners more kindly, are more understanding and devote more time to them. Recently, I was traveling with some Poles on an airport bus, then we separated at the airport, and after an hour they were sitting next to me on the same plane, it was not a popular flight destination, it was not an international flight, but a local flight in China! A really interesting coincidence, the world is small.

I found further confirmation that China is a police state. Photo by Reuters, children in Henan province wearing traffic police uniforms! Shocking! I don't know exactly why, it's probably some kind of performance or drill. In China, they already have drills and military training in primary schools. Such propaganda and discipline have a strong influence on young people. First of all, they learn to respect uniformed officers, they feel distanced, they are afraid of the authorities (army, police), and they know that they have no right to argue with representatives of the authorities. Secondly, they love their country, they are devoted patriots, they trust the government, and they are ready to give their lives for China. For us, of course, it is unpleasant brainwashing, for China it is simply another training of loyal patriots who will never oppose this system. And this is how it has all worked in China for years.

I bought Chinese National Geographic because there was a special supplement with historical photos from Shanghai - due to the current Expo 2010. The photos are very interesting, the supplement too, but the main magazine is a tragedy! Of the 14 initial pages, 8 are devoted to car advertising! Of course, the next ones are similar, every second and every third page is a car advertisement, either one page or the entire spread. BMW even made additional tabs and thicker sheets of paper so that it must be opened on this advertisement - 6 pages were devoted to it. At the very beginning in National Geographic we can read about Audi, Skoda, Hyundai, BMW, Honda... The magazine gives the impression of an "Auto

I've heard that admission to amusement parks in the United States costs around $30-50. The absurd thing is that in China the prices are almost identical! The problem is that in China there are millions of people in such amusement parks, open-air museums and theme parks. Of course, the owners of these places don't care about this. They always let the crowds come in, millions of people buy tickets and then stand in lines. It's often the case that they spend half the day waiting. They are not only waiting to ride a carousel or enter a 3D cinema, but even to take a photo in some important place. However, this does not bother the Chinese, they are used to crowds. In 6 years, I have never, absolutely NEVER seen a Chinese person complain that it is too crowded, that there are too many people, that they are wasting their time and money, that it is unfair, that it is stuffy. This topic is usually discussed by foreigners visiting China.

There is a huge football stadium in the center of Shenzhen, it was a sports center. There are tennis courts, smaller soccer fields, basketball courts, bike shops, sports accessories, golf, clothing, etc. The problem is that the entire center is terribly run down! It's hard to believe, because China can generally afford renovations, changes and improvements. They will probably abandon this stadium after all! They are already building a new sports center in a completely different area. In this old center, even the entrance gate is destroyed, Mercedes is testing cars on the main square, the security was shouting at us to get off the Mercedes route! Walking around the stadium, you feel like you've stepped into another era. Rusty gates, cracked walls, damp, bad smell. Of course, there are still shops, bars, people coming there, but everything looks as if time stopped 20 years ago. The Chinese generally love sports, they are very active, so I am surprised by the condition of this facility and the approach of the city authorities to this sports center. The Universiade will be held in Shenzhen in 2011. I wonder what they will do with the old stadium? Will they demolish it, renovate it at the last minute, or cover it with something and pretend that nothing is there?!