Where I live

The China You Probably Don't Know, by Jim Mountford

Where I Live

Where I Live

The China you probably don't know

I wish there was a way to describe China in simple terms but that's impossible. What I can say, very honestly, that what most in the west think they know of China would fit in a barrel, what they really know would fit in a thimble. That China is a fraction of what we think she is, and much of what we want her to be.

That is not an exaggeration.

In order to really understand China one needs to understand her history, culture, traditions, government and economic system, their way of life and how the average citizen thinks.

Prior to my first visit in 2003 the images of China were the ones burned into the western consciousness of more then 20 years ago. I expected to see a paranoid citizenry scurrying from one place to another, heads down in shame with few goals in mind, one to get out of their abject poverty and the other to get out of the country. What I found was the opposite. Again, no exaggertion.

It was then I set out on a goal, to learn the real China. Not the one that we have been told over and over in the west, but rather the one of the people, their way of life, their dreams, goals, family and future. It is those things that really hold a country together.

For the most part the Chinese people are friendly, traditional, reserved, easy going and optimistic. They are curious and unusually patient. They are also very patriotic and proud of China. They are aware of the shortcomings and successes of their country and government, although not to the degree we in the west are used too. Nevertheless, they seem to take most of it with a grain of salt, that there are bigger fish to fry, such as getting to or maintaining the middle class dream, or getting stinking filthy rich.

They are also some of the hardest working people I have ever met. It is common for someone to work six days a week, ten hour days with little complaints. Yet they still manage to have time for their families and friends.

In China, family is everything. To give you and idea, in my college English class the lesson today, 'what would you do if you only had a few days to live?' The vast majority of the students told how they would spend their last few hours with their family, parents and relatives. Many times the subjects in the classes centers around family and friends.

I have often wondered where the human rights organizations are getting their data, because while I

teach upwards of a thousand students a year, talking to them freely, none of them have stories that we hear in the west. That is not to say it does not happen, but to the degree we are lead to believe, that is where I have the problems. What I do hear is the same complaints we have in the west of stupid overbearing officials who have raisen to their highest level of incompetence. The difference between us is that we look at it at the national level whereas the Chinese are more concerned with the local level.

As a Chinese friend of mine put it, "never underestimate the stupidity of those in power", he was referring mostly to the school officials, who, from my personal experience, seemed to do things that make no sense whatsoever. The college that currently employs me is miles away better of which I have nothing but praise for. My former college, I shake my head wondering what kind of work ethic and honesty they are giving their graduates.

Change in China is a slow process that usually does not result in the instant changes that we in the west are used too. While they have a top heavy government, pretty much like us, full of bumbling bureaucrats, on the other hand, when the debate is over, they all get together and make it work. If the solution does not work as intended, they go back to debate

and fix it, then get behind it again and keep repeating the cycle till it is right. On the other hand, in the USA, we debate the issue, then refine it, then debate it some more, then refine to the point of confusion, etc., etc., etc., committees, hearings, and on and on, then place the laws and regulations on the books and complain about it and try to change it, even before the ink has dried.
None of which makes China worse or better then us. It does make us different.

We have our ways of thinking that would probably preclude that what works for China to affect change would not work in the USA. What I do believe however, if we take off our blinders and stop concentrating so much on the negative, that we can learn from China.

What about China learning from us? Go into any well stocked bookstore in China and it is full of books about our icons of history, such as Washington, Lincoln, Martin Luther King, to books on how to do business in the west. I have seen billboards, posters and books in everything from elementary schools to factories of the greatest minds in the west, from Isaac Newton to Albert Einstein and Warren Buffet. Mention the name Bill Gates, he's as well known in China as Wal-Mart is to Americans.

Most everyone in the west knows of Chairman Mao and usually associate him with some of the worst atrocities known to man.

But they do not know who Deng Xioping is. Mao, in China is viewed as the father of the country and is described as 70% good and 30% bad. On the other hand, Deng Xioping, who was Mao's successor, is viewed as the father of China's economic miracle. He was the one who started the change from an ineffective communist economic system, to the capitalistic system that today stretches from one end of China to the other.

Over the last decade I have read many articles of the pending demise of China's economy. Every one of those articles turned out to be wrong. I predicted, during our economic meltdown of 2009, that China's economy would follow suit. China defied my prediction and everyone else by turning to their own people of 1.3 billion to keep their economy strong and still enjoyed 6% growth while our economy was imploding. Which made it very clear to me why the wests predictions habitually turn out wrong along with my own. It's because of the vast numbers of consumers China has.

Sometimes raw data can give insight that is easier to understand. I have found the CIA World Facts Book is better then most, although it has it's own prejudices when describing countries, the data can be even more telling. Compare the USA and China side by side and you will find some of the economic and demographic indicators are surprisingly similar and that China is

not dependent on the USA to the degree that so many assume. Now look at another emerging giant, India and you will find some of the indicators seem to not bode well for them

The cost of living here is extremely low compared to the USA. While the city I live in is small by Chinese standards, medium size by ours, nevertheless, while I make 15% of what I did in the states, I live better. Non imported foods are very cheap, housing the same along with clothing and public transportation is very low. Even taking a taxi is extremely cheap by western standards. Where there is little cost savings, compared to the west are high ticket items, such as cars, computers and electronics, airline transportation, designer clothes, and some brand name merchandise.

The theft of intellectual property has been a sore point for westerners. Yet surprisingly, many western companies quietly put up with it, because name brand recognition is more important for their future then the profits they are losing now. Lets put it this way, lets say an employee in China makes 2,000 Yuan a month, if you were that person would you pay 600 Yuan for Adidas shoes, or 50 for a knock off? If it were not for knock offs, Adidas wouldn't even be known here and while they sell a fraction of the number the knock offs sell, Adidas, nevertheless is a household name here. In time, as wages go up, genuine Adidas will become the norm

and the knock offs will be shunned. I call that smart business.

In the 50's and 60's many aspects of life were strictly controlled by the state, sometimes with disastrous results. Today very little of that exists. The people in China have as much freedom as we do with two notable exceptions. They are not allowed to stand on a soapbox publically complaining about the state, and news and distribution of information is somewhat controlled.

They also have other issues, like the two tiered system based on rural and city dwellers. Which tries to prevent a rural individual from moving to a city so as to enjoy the same benefits. That system is slowly being dismantled.

The one child rule, which if it was not implemented there would be 400 million more people in China. This country is extremely crowded where a daily ten mile commute in most cities can take an hour or more. While China says it will not relax the rule, nevertheless there are exceptions. Such as some rural families can have two or three children, some religions are exempt from it altogether. Forced abortion is against the law, but is sometimes practiced by over zealot local officials. Some families have more then one child and pay steep fines based on income. The rich are the most flagrant abusers of the system.

There are a few things I do not like about China. One of course is the silly great cyber wall which any person, with a rudimentary knowledge of how the internet works can get around. But there is the crux of the matter, do the people really want unimpeded access? In some quarters, of course they do, but with most of the people, it seems they don't care one way or another. Venturing into a internet cafe, which are as common as 7-Elevens are in the states, I find most people are playing online games or chatting with friends. Not reading news or current events, or going to the New York Times web site, which anyone can do in China with complete and unrestricted freedom or venture into almost any news service in the west.

With all the reports of people thrown in jail here that do not agree with their policies, this country is amazingly apathetic. Which is one of the reasons I have a hard time believing the vast numbers that are reported. If such huge numbers existed of prisoners languishing in their prison system, my students, who come from every walk of life and areas, would be telling me, at the very least privately, or standing up in the classroom telling such stories. The few things I do hear about is the incompetence of a teacher or school official, not how their father or uncle was thrown in jail for expressing a view.

The other thing that drives me nuts is how long simple things that we

take for granted can take. Which is more the fault of myself and my western values then China's. An example, I have a banking problem with an old account in a city on the other side of this province. I have been told I must go to that city to straighten the problem out, that the branch in this city can not help me. While I can withdraw money from any ATM in China, problems can only be solved at the local level.

I can not find a good steak dinner here, no matter how much I spend or where I go. I suppose, if I went to Beijing or Shanghai that such a meal exists at a very hefty price at a five star restaurant.

I had mentioned earlier that China seems to like change slow. There are two reasons, one is so it does not result in social and economic upheaval, although with slow change, social problems can be compounded. But for the most part, it seems to work.

The other reason why slow change is accepted is based on tradition and a system that has been in existence for 5,000 years, the Mandate from Heaven.

The Mandate from Heaven is not a spiritual belief, but rather based on the will of the people. Roughly speaking, if the people are generally happy then the mandate is good and those in power stay there, if the mandate is bad, sooner or later they are thrown out.

Today the mandate is good, although there are many problems, for the most part the people are happy and have a very bright future. The grumblings we do hear are from small groups and as those voices become louder, the country will deal with it as it sees fit, more then likely towards the positive and not repeat the tragedy of more then 20 years ago.

Recently there was a group of old retired hard liners that published a paper here in China that spoke of the need to do away with censorship. That the old ways are outdated and no longer needed.

The change towards what we want China to be is closer then most of us think. But that change will come slowly. In situations like this, there is no instant change.

The reasons are simple to understand why instant change could be dangerous for China, even the world. While there are some hard liners that want such change, nevertheless, there are those in power that will do what they can to prevent it. In order for a smooth transition, that will take time and would probably require those who would block it, to die off or be removed from power.

The change we want so badly of China is in the works, we just need to be patient.

Prior to my first visit to China in 2003, I was working for the San Francisco Chronicle as a technician. I sometimes worked with reporters and editors and got to know a few of them pretty well.

Just before my departure I was repeatedly warned, by the some of the people who report our news, keep my nose clean, don't look a policeman in the eye, never mention anything negative about China and expect to see a lot of in your face poverty. There were even predictions from some that I would end up in jail or worse, a gulag. Honestly, I was beginning to wonder if I was making the biggest mistake of my life by coming here. What I found was, of course, the opposite.

Upon my return I told them how wrong they were and few believed me. I quickly learned to keep my mouth closed after realizing the negatives of China are so ingrained in our thinking that to break those down are going to take more then words. That did not really happen until the summer Olympics of 2009, when the world saw a side of China they didn't know existed. I noticed that reporting of China after seemed to turn more positive.

But we are still reporting China in negative terms by bring up events that are decades old, as if it is a sense of the present. We habitually mention China's shortcomings, of which there are many, without taking into consideration our own and ignoring our own history.

Militarily, we're starting to fear China, as if we want to start another arms race all with very little understanding of their history and their anti imperialistic attitude. Nor do we take into consideration that the modernization of their military is to replace outdated equipment, of which some date back to pre WWII, and to protect their

country, and because they can afford to without robbing the people.

Then of course is their threat of invasion of Taiwan, which will never happen. Over the last decade they have been normalizing relations, advancing technology and commerce between the two, tourism, cultural exchanges, diplomacy and business. Were they differ is Taiwan believes they are sovereign, China believes they are part of the mainland. That issue will be ironed out over time. In the mean time, it doesn't seem like war is on the horizon, it's more about sabre rattling to appease the haters and for western dollars.

China is very unique with their influence of power in different area's of China and those regions they control. When Hong Kong was given back to China,. the predictions of a blood bath was all over the news. What happened is they surprised even their harshest critics by doing what they said. Today, while Beijing has the ultimate authority, China has a system of one country, two governments. The people in Hong Kong enjoy more freedom then the mainland and have better internet and news access. That is the same system they have said they want with Taiwan, and Tibet if the west would leave that area alone.

Tibet is one of the few area's I can not visit freely because westerners have such a poor track there. Groups have gone in trying to stir up trouble, our government is suspected as being part of that, and of course western news focusing on the negative instead of looking

at their history and seeing what they have now, which in most cases is far better today then the past.

I believe the worst thing facing China today is their pollution problem. It's not just air and water pollution, there is noise and garbage pollution as well.

Air and water pollution is on the daily news, school textbooks and peoples minds. That is not a problem that will go away easily, it's going to take a lot of money, work and time.

China is not going to commit economic suicide to instantly fix these problems, but they will do so over time so as not to disrupt society, peoples livelihood and the countries future.

There are two areas that do have almost instant fixes that will make peoples lives nicer.

One is garbage pollution. I have walked blocks in some cities trying to find a trash can or anything to throw away a wrapper from my lunch. It is no wonder that some city streets are littered with garbage. I have seen people throwing their garbage on the sidewalk right in front of a trash can, even in places considered to

Life is so simple
But we insist on making it complicated
Confucius
551-479 BCE

be scenic wonders. Of late it seems China is starting to become more aware, trash cans are more abundant, yet the problems persist. Like the park near my school that has garbage littered around benches with a nearby trash can seemingly ignored.

Its not because people don't care, it's because they don't think about it. Plus there is no ongoing campaign to Keep China Beautiful and that the public is used to tolerating such behavior. I wish China would put anti trash laws on the books that are as strict as the west along with an ad campaign where even children are given permission to scold their litter-bug classmates, even their parents.

The second issue is noise pollution. From the incessant honking of car and bus horns to distorted loud music blaring from the doorsteps of stores trying to attract business.

In the first city I lived, Xiangfan, there is a very nice old section of town that I avoided like the bubonic plague from Friday afternoon to Sunday night, because there was at least a dozen stores blaring the most god awful distorted music during the weekends, with one notable street corner that had all four businesses going full tilt boogey with over amped break your eardrum music! There was no way on earth to pick out a melody, I considered it to be "black noise."

I sincerely wish local officials would put a stop to that. China is noisy enough as it is with its 1.3 billion people, that is to be expected, but why allow people to add to it makes no sense whatsoever.

When we read news of China, please read it critically. Rarely, if ever, will you see anything mentioned of the positive changes China has gone through since the days of Mao. While it is true this economic miracle has not reached many areas of China and have left many wanting, we also have the same problems. We know there are area's in the USA that are in terrible economic shape and have been so for a long time. That some people, no matter how good the economy is, there will still be poverty. Why do we seem to think China should be different?

We often say the words, but the words seem shallow when the same problems exist in my country, the USA. We need to get rid of the do as I say, not as I do attitude. Nobody or country likes to be told what to do by people or countries that they have little understanding of, other then what took place in the past, and what amounts to hearsay, gossip, fear and hate.

When I am asked which country do I consider better, China or the USA, my answer has always been the same. "We are not worse or better then each other, we are only different."

Jim Mountford
jims-photos.com
March 22, 2011

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