China Quiz

China Quiz

To help you get an idea about life in China today, I thought I'd give you a short quiz.

Which of the following are signs that China is still a Communist country?

1) trains leave precisely on schedule
2) internet connections are slow because of censors
3) people never walk on the grass
4) all of the above

Answer is 4. The trains, at least the new ones we rode between Shanghai and Hangzhou, Suszhou and Beijing, were exactly on the minute, departing and arriving. They were also very clean and the staff gave out bottles of water to passengers in their seats. Very impressive.
It was disconcerting to wait for internet conections because your web site had to clear the censors. Every time I called up an article with Obama in the title, there was a short delay. I don't know how the censors or their machines can be so efficient but they definitely do their job!
With Chinese cities made up of huge masses of concrete, it is appealing to see manicured parks with lots of roses and peonies. One feels tempted to stretch out on the grass and have a nap, but I never ever saw anyone walking on the grass.

Which of the following are signs that in China you are in a capitalist country?

1) every second man on the street in Shanghai is selling fake designer watches
2) all Chinese tourists seem to have digital cameras
3) the world economy sold a TRILLION dollars worth of knock-offs last year, mostly made in China
4) you can buy real designer items everywhere in fancy shops
5) all of the above

Answer is 5. The watch hustlers are annoying but not yet obnoxious -- they will be someday.
When I visited China thirty years ago, there were no Chinese tourists. Today every tourist site is crammed with Chinese tourists,including grandma and babies, all discovering their country and buying up cheap souvenirs.
China is a world of knockoffs with fancy neighborhoods filled with luxury stores. I came away with the impression that China will out-capitalize the U.S. in only a few years -- certainly within my lifetime.

Which of the following are signs that in China you are still in a developing country?

1) food is inexpensive
2) beer is inexpensive
3) public transportation costs very little
4) personal services cost next to nothing
5) all of the above

Again the answer is 5. Most of my meals, excpet a few in fancy restarants, cost less than $10. A neighborhood shop offers a delicious noodle soup for lunch for $1.50. Tsingtao, a fine Chinese beer introduced into China long ago by Germany, goes for about $2 for a very large bottle.
The public bus costs 8 cents. Taxis cost about $1.50 for most rides. A ride of 45-60 minutes to Beijing airport costs about $12 including the toll. And NO tipping.
A massage by an expert masseuse, Dr. Chen, cost about $12 - $13 dollars. Mr. Chen says all his foreign customers come back for a second massage because his service cost 6 times as much at home. I had two fantastic, vigorous massages.

As a last observation, the Chinese people we have encountered have all been pleasant (of course, people in the tourist business usually are).
I do have a few negatives to remark on. Plumbing is not modern in many places and street smells can be most unpleasant. Chinese men still spit on the street. Much signage is only in Chinese, including in Beijing's impressive art museum.

Overall, however, the experience of finding my own way through China -- with my husband's help who speaks a few Chinese words in the right tones and reads maps very well -- has been rewarding. Still, at my next stop, in southwestern China where I will be in the countryside with little foreign tourism, it will be lovely to have a personal guide and driver!