China Series: Land of Contradictions

China is a land of contradictions…from my perspective, that is. It’s a land where you tilt back your head and lift your chin high to view massive modern buildings that kiss the sky, and then turn a corner to walk into ancient old communities, which are rapidly decreasing to make room for urban sprawl.

China is a country whose customs and traditions influenced the world, yet some of the customs and traditions are slowly fading because of the influence of modern technological advances…and the world.

It’s a land where walking around the magnanimous cities assaults the senses because of the exquisite sights, unique sounds, aromatic (and not so aromatic) smells, opportunities to taste assorted cuisines, and regular human contact in the form of bumping into others; we were in some of the most populated cities in the world.  For example, New York City – America’s largest city – has a population of approximately 8.5 million people. Beijing – China’s capital city – has a population of 22.5 million people; Shanghai – 35.9 million people; and China’s largest city of Guangzhou – 44.3 million people; these are all approximate totals (worldatlas.com).

Yet in the freedom to explore, the fact that we were walking around a communist country lingered in the back of our minds, causing us to mind our Ps and Qs…particularly when using the internet.  We were unable to access certain websites that are easily accessible in the USA (YouTube, Facebook, etc.), causing us to realize that we, along with everyone else, were regularly being monitored – even when exploring the cities.

China was a place where my dark-skin and curly hair fascinated many people, and I became the object of attention with Rockstar status, particularly in Beijing – the capital city.  Our guides informed us that many citizens of China who visit Beijing travel far-and-wide from within China, including small villages, and it may be their first and only time to visit the capital city – a place they have learned and heard about all of their lives.  Thus, to be in a place of their dreams and to see foreigners, as we were called, was more than they imagined.

Our guides forewarned us that we would get attention, but I was unprepared by the amount of attention I received. Although we were all foreigners, those of us with certain physical attributes were focused-on more.  There were countless requests to have my picture taken (and those who simply took my picture or videoed me), and my hair and skin touched; it became overwhelming and unnerving at times, knowing I ended-up on many WeChat (approved by the government of China) social media newsfeeds.

Then there were times when the attention was not so positive. I have had the opportunity to visit China two times: the first time as a tourist and the second time as an educational leader.  The second time a group of us chosen from within our state visited three schools and a university.  Our sponsor later told me that many people asked about me and were surprised by my credentials, and some were even angry that my credentials matched or exceeded theirs.  Let’s be clear – it was again because of my dark-skin.

In both instances, however, I felt like an ambassador – representing others like me.

I am unclear as to when my fascination with China began; perhaps it was learning about the Great Wall in school or viewing documentaries and movies about their traditions.  I do remember wanting to visit China in college to teach English, but never doing such. Notwithstanding, my next several blogs will focus on different topics that fascinated me about China and expanded my mind: their educational system, traditions, architecture, and urban sprawl – to name a few.

Check-in next week to read more!