Just as the world is descending on Beijing for China’s long anticipated Olympic coming out party, we are on our way back to Lincoln from our semester in Xi’an. If our experiences are any indication, the thousands of Olympic spectators, and the millions tuning in to enjoy this spectacle on television are in for quite the show.
From Beijing’s dramatic new monumental architecture that has remade the city’s skyline to the investment of billions of dollars to improve the quality of the air that will fill the athletes’ and spectators’ lungs, China’s leaders have given their capitol an Olympic makeover. Yet, extrapolating Beijing’s modernity onto the rest of China would be a mistake.
While visiting Beijing’s Olympic sites and traveling along China’s well-trodden tourist circuit, it is easy to forget that China remains a vast, developing country with a per capita GDP of around $2,500. Indeed, part of China’s allure is that it combines both of these extremes in one setting. In many ways, China is more a continent than a country, containing within its borders a diversity that rivals Europe’s. The expanse, both geographic and ideological, separating the eastern coastal boom cities that are driving so much of China’s modernization to the western provinces of Tibet and Xinjiang is immense and this, no doubt, poses one of the greatest threats to Chinese stability in the coming decades.
During our last two last trips out of Xian we tasted a bit of this diversity. We first headed northwest to Zhongwei, an outpost on the edge of the series of deserts which have historically formed part of China’s border with Mongolia. For centuries, desertification has plagued northern China and it continues today as growing population and urbanization places increasing strains on limited water supplies. Laid back Zhongwei allowed us an opportunity to combine the excitement of an overnight camel trek into the desert dunes with a leisurely afternoon river rafting excursion down the Yellow River.
Water scarcity is clearly not a problem in water-rich southern China. Our last excursion was to Dali and Lijiang, picturesque towns nestled in the lush mountains of the Yunnan province. Located at the crossroads of the Sichuan and Tibet provinces, this remote area has much in common with neighboring Laos and Burma.
While part of China for centuries, it is easy to see that many of the people in these cities are not ethnically Han Chinese, but one of China’s 55 minority groups. Around Dali, local Bai and Naxia peoples still wear bright blue or red traditional garb and buy and sell their goods in small markets with wicker baskets or babies strapped on their backs. It is a far cry from these timeless village markets and camel camps, to faraway Beijing’s Olympic stadium.
Along with geography, food was a constant reminder of China’s diversity. From Xian’s noodle-rich, somewhat saucy fare to Sichuan’s renowned spicy dishes, we found that both the general Chinese foods and the various regional specialties to be delectable, more diverse and fresher than we had imagined. In the mountain valleys of Yunnan, for example, restaurants are supplied with locally grown produce daily. After choosing our fresh vegetables, they were expertly prepared with just the right balance of garlic, ginger, vinegar, peppers and spices.
Our stay coincided with a year of challenges for the Chinese people. They struggled with uncommonly harsh winter (ice storms that paralyzed parts of the country) and spring storms (that continue to flood the south), but nothing compared to the tragedy associated with the horrific Sichuan earthquake. The Chinese resolve in the face of this tragedy was both heartfelt and inspiring.
It is this spirit of resolve that the government and its people have brought to the Olympic preparations. Wherever we traveled in China, we were met by unbridled enthusiasm and pride for the Olympics. The Chinese government has invested an incredible amount of energy building up the public’s anticipation for these Games as validation of the country’s place as an emerging power. And the people we met seem genuinely excited that the world is embracing China once again.
With our time here drawing to a close, we leave with a deeper appreciation for Chinese hospitality, their unfathomable fascination with Western children, but also a better understanding of the serious issues that await this country. And while it is easy to assume that China’s rise will inevitably lead to conflict with the US, we should not forget that over the past decade China and the United States have developed a deep rooted and mutually beneficial relationship that neither of us can afford to take for granted.
So, it is our hope that China’s coming out celebration this summer will be a huge success and that Americans, while cheering on our own athletes, will tip a glass and offer a traditional Chinese “gumbei” toast to celebrate the accomplishments of the Chinese -- both on the sports field and across the this amazingly diverse country, and will offer them our hope for continued peaceful growth and development in the years to come.
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