Life and Travel in China

Poland is a very interesting country. We are inviting a Chinese delegation to support PKP Cargo, and at the same time the Delei Lama is also visiting Poland. And I ask, where is the diplomacy here? All countries that host the Tibetan leader are later disadvantaged by the Chinese, just like France recently. Maybe the average Pole doesn't even think about it and is happy that we support Tibet. But what will Tibet give us? Will he invest in PKP Cargo? Interesting... Chinese diplomacy will definitely take note of this visit and it will drop a few more places in their ranking, if we are not already at the bottom. Well, who is Poland to China? Apart from a few industries, there are no major imports from Poland, and we are not a power that buys Chinese products on a large scale. We are nothing to them. Of course, we are talking about the authorities of the Middle Kingdom, because average Chinese are quite kind and friendly to us. Of course, unless they know about the Dalai Lama's visits. My Chinese friend said outright that she hates him and how can I discuss that?

You may remember the scene from the movie "Wanted, Wanted", when the engineer was planning the city's spatial development on a model and was interrupted by the lake, he said: "Oh, that's not good, let the building stand and we'll put the lake here." Corny and funny, but not in China. Just imagine that the lakes here are actually being filled up! And when necessary, they are dug out in another place. Two years ago there was a wild park, a lake, small fishermen were catching something with their nets. It was a link between two districts of the city. Now this lake no longer exists (or at least part of it), the greenery has been cleared and a large housing estate is being built there. The apartments will definitely be expensive, because they guarantee a view of the sea and Hong Kong (a crappy sea, where there is no beach and no one swims, but what counts is the view). Exceptional idiocy! Cut down about 5 kilometers of forest, fill in the lake and build, build, build. A similar situation is in the very center of the city, there is a large park divided into three parts, and of course there are traffic jams between these parts. A small part of this park was a forest of lychee trees, a charming pond, several pavilions, benches... Now - the pond is half filled, there are no benches, the pavilions have been demolished. There is some construction going on, either a road, or more office buildings or apartments. Chinese cities in a few dozen years will look like in the animation WALL-E. Mess, polluted air, mountains of garbage, skyscrapers, apartments, no greenery. What kind of greenery is it when the forest is cut down, the lake is filled in, the mountains are leveled, a housing estate with a hundred thousand inhabitants is built and a few clumps of grass, five trees and pots of flowers are put in? You stupid people, oh stupid! In a hundred years you will regret all this and you will pay the highest price for it - your health and life!

Average Chinese people don't have many pleasures in life. People who live in large metropolises have almost no entertainment. I remember how once my wife's friend, her husband and children were amazed after walking through the city center (the promenade next to the city hall, the bookstore and the youth center). It was great weekend entertainment for them. Just like that - a walk around the city?! In China it is not like in Poland, where you can go to the forest, have a picnic, go fishing, go for a walk, ride a bike in peace and quiet, go kayaking, etc. There are no such entertainments, in general, to go outside the city you need 1-2 hours and you won't find anything interesting there. Fields, factories, dirty rivers and lakes, no forests, no greenery. Even if there is a fragment of natural landscape, it is usually cut off from the world (maybe that is better). Usually, every highway and railway line is limited by barriers and fences. People can't just stop the car or get off the train and go to the forest or the mountains. If anything, the Chinese go to such famous and well-trodden places where you have to wait in line. I have already written about waiting in line on a mountain trail to walk between the rocks. There is no peace, no privacy, no silence anywhere, literally nowhere. I have been to 10 provinces of China and nowhere did I feel that I was in contact with nature, that I was alone, listening to the breeze and birds singing. Here, you even go to the mountains by bus with a tour, as far as possible, as high as possible, so as not to get tired sometimes. Besides, what fun is it to go to the mountains with 200 people? There are no bicycle trips (crazy traffic, constant honking), the water, as I have already written, is dirty, there are no clean lakes or rivers anymore, I have never seen anyone bathe there (maybe only in some distant villages). Pools - crowded, hundreds of people. Cinemas - prices slightly higher than in Poland. Philharmonics, opera - the prices are outrageous, but with this population there will always be people interested, even when tickets cost PLN 500. Most families just spend the weekend at home, in front of the TV, sometimes in crowded parks, sometimes they go shopping and admire their own car (while standing in kilometers of traffic jams), and here the traffic jams are not like in Poland. When there are cars parked - they are on 4-5 lanes, thousands of cars, can you imagine the smell of exhaust fumes and the temperature when it is 30-35 degrees outside? The Chinese really don't have many opportunities to have a nice time. The worst thing is that they don't even know how people can relax in Europe, these siestas in Spain, Greece, in Poland, some people finish work at 3-4 p.m., weekends off, sitting in the garden, on the allotment, cycling... It's practically impossible here. I just feel sorry for them! Such a life has no taste.

Coming back to the previous topic. Maybe that's why the Chinese go so crazy when they go on a trip. Just euphoria! I remember once when we were rafting near Zhang Jia Jie (Hunan), suddenly it rained heavily, the mountains cooled down, my wife was shivering from the cold, and I was paddling to end this crazy trip as quickly as possible. Other groups, delighted with the entertainment! Not only were they wet from the rain, but they also rented toys to pour water on others, and we got hit too. Great fun! After returning, I was furious, my underwear was even wet and of course no one said that we would get wet there (regardless of the rain). We could rent a shower - renting a shower is one thing and renting a towel is another! I was really angry, as were maybe a few other people. However, most of them were delighted. I might also have had more fun if I had some decent protective clothing if I didn't get cold. Many Chinese during such company trips (rafting, walking in the mountains, mountain railways, downhill skiing, paintball, cycling, go-karting, some shows, dancing) - they simply go crazy like monkeys. Of course, I'm also happy, excited, involved, but they just scream with joy and don't complain about anything. The hotels may be crap, the food very poor, the planes delayed by several hours, but for them it's great fun. This amazes me! Apparently the Chinese are the most positive nation in the world and I think I noticed this during such trips. Recently, in Guilin, on a 4-hour bus ride to the terraced fields, I saw a French family. My father was constantly complaining and commenting on the traffic and was very loud. At the end, he was furious that they had to pay extra for some show and they separated from the tour for a while. He was just complaining! Another young French woman (not from this family) was fascinated by China and studied in Beijing for a year. We managed to see these famous rice fields together, even though it was raining quite heavily, but eventually the sky cleared up and as if on cue, a wonderful landscape appeared. Despite everything, Europeans have some moderation, distance, they are moody, demanding, complaining, expecting. The Chinese - minimum expectations, maximum satisfaction. And now who is right? Who is happier, who spends time more pleasantly?

The 70th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II is rather irrelevant in China. For the average Chinese, the most important thing is the war with Japan, and the hatred of the Chinese towards Japan is still being fueled. Regarding the war in Europe - they know that Germany easily and quickly defeated Poland (there is such a myth), no one mentions the attack of the Soviet Union on Poland or the lack of Allied support in the first days of the war. The World War is perceived more through the prism of Hollywood movies. In this way, the Chinese know about the heroic English, Americans, French and practically nothing about Poland and the fighting Poles. Moreover (regardless of European history), the Chinese really like and appreciate the Germans in terms of business cooperation and reliability. Russians have been friends of the Middle Kingdom for years - therefore, the same 'version' of history is circulating in both countries. I wonder what the Chinese would say if I praised the Japanese for their progress, ideas and diligence? Well, they would grimace and return to the war and the crimes of the Japanese. Comparing the mutual attitudes of the Chinese and Japanese, Poles and Germans are probably better, with greater reconciliation and understanding.