It is time for me to close the Chinese chapter of my trip. I have always been unimpressed by the Chinese claims for grandeur, and more often than not a harsh critic. I went to China for a honesty check - an attempt at forming an unprejudiced opinion. Alas, the discovery wasn't as surprisingly positive as I had hoped.
China is the image of its people: self-centered, irrationally proud, borderline aggressive, instant-gratification seekers and with an autistic ignorance of the outside world. That is of course a general trait and, in a country of 1 billion people, exceptions are legion. More than once, I have unexpectedly found courtesy, generosity and friendliness. Those are memories I keep dear.
Government propaganda vaunts the country's past greatness and talks of an equally bright future. Granted, ancient Chinese have produced many technological innovations while the West was only dreaming of burning its seers at the stake. These are no small achievements, and an inspiring plea for the power of human imagination.
Behind the great wall, though, I see the millions of lives sacrificed at the whims of a few pampered emperors. As for the future, China's main asset resides in its huge population. And that, is a double-edged sword: For China's economical fortunes stem first and foremost from keeping the price of its workers cheap. That means grinding poverty. That means horrendously maimed ex-workers sprawling on the streets of Shanghai, begging for survival. And that also means that on the day industries become fully automated, those slaves will turn to the government.
At this stage, I realize I am no longer talking just about China. All that happened before in Louis the XIV's France, in the Ottoman empire, and indeed everywhere the fancies of a few sociopaths were deemed supreme.
There is no greatness where achievement means treading down on the weak. Greatness is the granddaughter of invention, grit, vision and hope. No doubt, past discoveries imply that China has a lot of potential, which the world will discover in awe when it ceases to act like a bully.
China is the image of its people: self-centered, irrationally proud, borderline aggressive, instant-gratification seekers and with an autistic ignorance of the outside world. That is of course a general trait and, in a country of 1 billion people, exceptions are legion. More than once, I have unexpectedly found courtesy, generosity and friendliness. Those are memories I keep dear.
Government propaganda vaunts the country's past greatness and talks of an equally bright future. Granted, ancient Chinese have produced many technological innovations while the West was only dreaming of burning its seers at the stake. These are no small achievements, and an inspiring plea for the power of human imagination.
Behind the great wall, though, I see the millions of lives sacrificed at the whims of a few pampered emperors. As for the future, China's main asset resides in its huge population. And that, is a double-edged sword: For China's economical fortunes stem first and foremost from keeping the price of its workers cheap. That means grinding poverty. That means horrendously maimed ex-workers sprawling on the streets of Shanghai, begging for survival. And that also means that on the day industries become fully automated, those slaves will turn to the government.
At this stage, I realize I am no longer talking just about China. All that happened before in Louis the XIV's France, in the Ottoman empire, and indeed everywhere the fancies of a few sociopaths were deemed supreme.
There is no greatness where achievement means treading down on the weak. Greatness is the granddaughter of invention, grit, vision and hope. No doubt, past discoveries imply that China has a lot of potential, which the world will discover in awe when it ceases to act like a bully.
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