The Southwest Voice

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            Growing up as a Baby Boomer, many of my notions of how we as Americans fit into the global society were formed. During the Cold War, it was not uncommon for parents to warn their children of the evils of communism and socialism, and the world was seen in black and white, much like our television sets. 

            With the fall of the USSR and a new Russia embracing capitalism, our ill feelings toward Russia and the Russian people relaxed. Yet I, like many others in this country, still held China in disdain for being the last of the big communist countries in the world.  But as technology advanced bringing color to TV screens, so has knowledge brought understanding to the pervasive hatred and fear of the unknown. 

            On a recent trip to China, I found my preconceived notions shattered and I gained a new appreciation for the most populated country on earth. China was not at all what I was expecting.

            One myth dispelled was that “Big Brother” would be breathing down our necks. Many of my family members were apprehensive when we told them we were going to be traveling in China, and to be truthful, I too was a little unsettled by what I thought would be a constant police presence. 

            Nothing could have been further from our experience. There were lots of people wearing uniforms, everyone from shopping security to museum curators to police. Those who wore them had the least official persona of anyone serving in a government position I have ever seen. They yawned, scratched, slouched, spit, and donned their ill-fitting uniforms with such a casual ease that it was hard to feel that the general populous, let alone visitors, would feel oppressed.

            Beyond that, the Chinese people spoke freely on every topic that was brought up for discussion, and we Americans are fairly outspoken when we see something of which we disapprove. 

            In fact, several times I asked our guides if they were concerned about answering some of the questions. They unequivocally answered, “No.” Our national guide, Rocky, firmly replied, “I am not scared of any repercussions. I can speak freely,” and he did.

            We saw disfigured people begging on the street and asked if there was any provision for their welfare. We were told that if these people would go and fill out some paperwork that they could receive a check from the government, but instead, they preferred to beg.  People, it appears, are the same wherever you go, for we Americans have our share of these citizens as well.

            We inquired about the number of Chinese baby girls being adopted by Americans and what the government was doing to help ensure the existence of possible mates for the next generation of Chinese men. The answer was that there have been modifications to the strict enforcement of the one child per family law. 

            Outside the cities, most Chinese families earn a living by farming. Running a family farm is hard physical labor without strong young men to assist with the chores. Therefore, most of the farming families prefer having boys. Acknowledging this problem, the government has made new rulings. 

            In the countryside where most of the minorities live, if the first child is a girl, the family is allowed to have another child, whereas families are limited to having only one child if it is a boy. If the second child is a girl, no further pregnancies are allowed, but there is a financial reward offered by the government—a check from the government for life to the family and free schooling for grades one through nine for the daughters. 

            The cost of education is not exorbitant. But to farmers whose incomes are less than $400 per month, a fee of $25 to $100 per year can be prohibitive. 

            Giving financial motivation to these farmers to have daughters helps to increase the number of minorities, ensure a female populous, and not over-burden the cities. It is unclear what the plight of the next generation of farmers will be, but the government has already eased taxation on farming income and has vowed to improve the lives of the people who feed the nation.

            In the cities, there is still one way to have a second child: paying a fine. The fine varies from city to city and province to province, but it is quite high, allowing only the wealthy to afford the luxury of having another child.

            Although many foreigners are greatly disturbed by these regulations, our guides reminded us of the sheer number of citizens for whom the government is trying to provide. The city of Chonquing alone has more than 40 million people. Perhaps China’s only hope to raise the quality of life of her people is to limit the population’s growth.  But even with these laws in place, the numbers are not expected to decline until after 2025.

            I was greatly surprised by our freedom to take pictures almost anywhere in the country. The only sites where they were forbidden were inside the temples (understandable) and a handful of exhibits within one of the museums. Even at the floorshows photos were allowed. 

            China was a land of great contrasts, where old met new in startling ways. The scene of a farmer plowing his field with a water buffalo while talking on a cell phone was a surprising sight. The view of an ancient village that shared a property line with the modern high-rises was another. The sight of the open-air market that was tucked inside the modern cityscape was yet another.    

            The growth of the economy has caused the country to be catapulted into the 21^st century where progress peppers the land in a half-hazard manner. There were numerous examples of the growing pains that China was dealing with, from traffic congestion to building standards.

            Our accommodations in 4 or 5-star hotels seemed like more than we required when we read the brochures before embarking on our adventure. But we noted some interesting things on our trip that convinced us otherwise. My husband was a general contractor for more than 20 years and he pointed out a number of deficiencies in building construction.

There was no shower pan in our hotel room and water was obviously leaking from above and outside our room—the floor just outside our bathroom in the hotel’s corridor was wet. This was in a fairly new hotel. In a year or two, this would present a huge problem.

            Despite all of the construction going on in China, we saw no maintenance being or having been performed. No painting, no repairs, no re-roofing, nothing. It appeared that structures were either new or neglected.

            Even on the ship making its maiden voyage on which we cruised up the Yangtze River, maintenance was lacking. The brand new carpets produced that fuzz which all new carpets do and was never vacuumed up during our entire five-day cruise.

            With travel in China being such a great bargain anyway, I would suggest splurging and opting for the newer hotels. We tend to think that other countries maintain our same standards in construction and safety that we enjoy here in the United States, and this is simply not true.

            China was a land of many surprises, some good, some not so good, but it never disappointed me as an excellent vacation destination. 

            Look for more of “The China Chronicles." Margie Custer is a Southwest resident and writer.  E-mail her at: custer@ix.netcom.com