Walkabout in China
As told to me by the taxi cab drivers, cafeteria restaurant workers, roadside farmers at their stands, businessmen and their wives, and personal observations
what do y’all know about China of recent years?
Sometimes I listen or watch the international news
whether it is a left leaning source like the New York Times out of New York
Washington Post and NPR out of Washington DC
or a right wing outlet like Fox News, also based out of NY
Once in awhile when I tune in, this is what I learn about China and the Chinese:
They are a bunch of heathens who don’t believe in the freedom of anybody
They torture muslims and lock em up
They hassle the dalai lama, and kill the compassionate Buddhists
They go after the hong kong protesters
Their state religion is socialism or communism, which is atheist
they do not acknowledge the one God
Another view is that
Chinese want to take over
They are trying to become the number one country of the world
They are claiming the south China sea, bullying Taiwan
Buying up land all over, making harbors into military bases
building infrastructure in Africa
setting up factories throughout SE Asia
making a whole economic zone from there to the middle east including all the -stans, and so on
Last one is that they are a bunch of drug dealers
They are selling chemicals to the cartels, fueling the opiate trade, feeding the addiction, ruining our cities
For sure there is more details and perspectives, but that is the gist of things

Well, I know next to zero about politics or machinations at the highest levels
That is way outa my realm of knowledge comprising mostly of plants and bugs
Figure we are just pieces on a chess board for presidents and sheiks, emperors and prime ministers, and all their counselors deputies and background bosses
For all I know, the news is probably all true
I give the media outlets the benefit of the doubt, is alright, I’m a believer
Anyhow, went to China for a lil visit, been some years
Sat around a barbecue of lamb kebabs and had a drink with the locals
Went here and there in taxis hailed from the side of the road
Gawked at mystery fruits and bargained in markets
smoked one Chinese cigarette of tobacco
The following cluster of essays emerged from these conversations of questions back and forth
Tales that they told me, or that they tell themselves
They are in some cases conglomerations of many voices for ease of reading
And in other cases, they may have been slightly embellished by the teller, such are stories
its not the official news, not any party’s line, not fantasy stuff of movies and TV
its just a pair of ears and eyes on the ground level is all
They are presented here for your enjoyment and for your information –
Another view of the ching chong ching chong Chiiiiiiiiii – neeeeeese

Surveillance and safety
Yes the borders are secured. From the moment you go in, check point after check point. Fingerprints scanned. Data in the computer. Go take a subway – show your passport, metal detectors. Buy a ticket for the train – show your ID and your ticket two more times before the train leaves the station. Go to the center of the city at a big intersection, before you cross the street – stop, show your ID. Cameras – everywhere. Cops – everywhere. Some look like they are about 14 years old, in black uniform. No they got no guns or tasers, just big long four foot sticks and riot shields. But, there’s a lot of them, constant presence traveling in pairs or large herds. That is not to mention the plain clothes police too which I don’t know what they look like cause they are in plain clothes. They are for sure around somewhere…LOL. So, you are watched, but you are also safe. Old ladies, little kids, anytime of the day or night, walk around just fine. Ride an electric bike at 1 am, not a problem. You not gonna get robbed, beaten, smacked down. No gun point funny business, no graffiti, no homeless sleepin on the sidewalk, no smell of urine and kaka. No crazed drug fueled eyes muttering nonsense, garbage strewed all over, broken auto glass on the road. Once in a while, you got some country bumpkin new to the city, spitting in public, but not much, not like in the old days. Smokers are few and discrete – frowned upon, again, not visible in public spaces. They are tucked away in an emergency stairwell, or by the outhouse puffin away. Country moving up, looking more like its clean and orderly prosperous Asian neighbors Singapore or Tokyo.

Electronic economy and internet
Tried to buy a bun at a roadside food stall, she wouldn’t take my paper money, she only took payment by phone and QR codes. I left hungry… Most places do still accept the RMB ren ming bi (people currency = cash) but got to fish for change cause the frequency of use decreasing. My VISA card doesn’t work, they don’t accept it. My phone apps like wassup and search engines like google don’t work either even though the AT& T telecommunication carrier plan was supposed to provide the coverage. Blocked. I know there are ways around it, but I declined. It is fine I don’t really miss the constant notifications, spam calls, and surveillance feedback all that much. Lady says one time she forgot her phone and wallet, went to buy something. It was okay, because they just scanned her face and subtracted the cash from her account anyways. Facial recognition, banks, records, its all connected. Again, for some people this is called convenient and efficient (the future), for other people it is cringy overreach, lack of privacy (the dystopia), and they want to hide in a bunker and prep for the end of days. G luck, have fun.

News and information
Well, they can tell I am not from there. But they are also not used to tourists in that area and not sure if my accent is from being from another Chinese province (a Chinese province being similar to an American state), or if I am a foreigner. Once I tell them I am from America then the chatting gets earnest, and you can feel the heat in the rubbing palms. Not everybody likes America because they are scared of Americans. Others don’t really care cause it is a faraway country that has little impact on their daily lives. They have better and more immediate things to worry about. A few of the younger folks think America is filled with rich people who live better lives than the Chinese. Some people are mildly curious about the state of affairs in the US of A but realize that in their lifetimes they are unlikely to make it here or anywhere else outside of Chinese borders, so it is out of sight out of mind. Who cares.


Some people tell me that they know everything about America cause its all in their well-informed international news – there is constant gun violence, and the streets are dirty. We are stacked to the teeth with arms and intend to invade China. One taxi driver liked Trump because he owns hotels and has two hands to maneuver himself out of awkward positions (a Chinese colloquialism meaning he has ‘ability’), and his nephew is smart because he is Jewish. Because all Jews are like Einstein. Funny. Another driver was convinced that videos of Biden are fakes, and that the pres. was actually out back sleeping not giving a speech. Funny. Keep in mind these are commoners like myself that don’t really know what is going on or who is running things. Mostly they just laugh and shrug. It is like they recognize that there is manipulation and falsehood but accept it with a smile. They don’t get bummed out about it. Its like okay whats new.


Religion and belief
Technically there is just the one religion which is socialism communism and the state itself. Folks recognize this system as coming from the west, from the Soviets, so it is not an indigenous religion so to speak. Nevertheless, the government is wary of further inroads made by ‘western foreigners’ such as the Christians – both Catholics as well as protestants. Just a few years back Christian education for those under 18 was officially banned, so no Sunday School or youth groups that sort of thing. Chinese party doctrine and education only! This isn’t to say that groups don’t meet in secret in office spaces for a worship service, or that the government is going to bust in on you like a bunch of storm troopers and drag y’all off to jail. Its not that bad. You can talk all the messianic diatribes you want; they are keeping tabs on you. Remember that the cell phone is also a tracking and listening device. Now, if you start taking action, or want to foment a revolution, then the noose tightens, and you will get a slightly reprimanding text asking you to love your country. Not joking.


Buddhists are sorta in the same situation but are a little bit more tolerated since its source is closer to home, and its antiquity goes back further in time. So, the government is not tearing down the pagodas, temples nor the churches, especially if they are historically important, but they are not building new ones either. Nevertheless, there is this void in a human being when they do not address the spirit and only rely upon the material. That is a hungry ghost that is never full. The somewhat more well to do Chinese feel this acutely. They like “Do you provide for your kids?” I say “I say I help ‘em what I can but try to instill a sense of independence and work ethic, so that they can make it on their own. That is how we do it in America”. They say “Oh no no no, Chinese parents got to buy a car for their kid, a house for their kid, lavish wedding, etc.” There is still the dowry. The whole nine yards. It is tiresome but the peer pressure is strong in that regard. The striving middle class dilemma. Many households already have two cars, now what? Real estate is the same everywhere worldwide, priced higher and higher out of reach of regular workers. Pricey even for a bit of small square footage in a forty-story apartment building. Back to the grind. You never have enough, its built into the system…


This idea of a universal God and creation is a Christian motif that does have appeal. It appeals to a people stuck in a money centric economy and world view that is either dog eating dog (yes I did write that haha) or based solely on things you ‘have to do and adhere to’. That is the well-regulated Confucian system of old. Love?! – that is a neat and novel concept! Funny. One Chinese Catholic tells me that “God is love is all,” That is why he set up charities, old folks homes, etc. because that is the way, he is following God’s commandment. Traditional old time Chinese royalty may have frowned upon this sort of behavior and thought process. But then again, back in the day, tradition and obligation ruled supreme, no one spoke out of turn, and the basic unit was a family of three, or if lucky, four generations all under the same roof. You must have some kind of organizing structure or philo- sophy that keeps family and societal dynamics from spinning and peeling off into chaos.


Farmer tells me, “We are descendants of the dragon”, not joking, in all seriousness. Not belief or faith, not make-believe imagination. So, there is still that group in most of the countryside. They are like pagans of old, they have not gone away. In reference to a sacred mountain and the mountain gods that live there, and in response to if the gods will answer your prayers and requests, taxi cab driver says, “If you believe it, it works, if you don’t, it doesn’t.” Simple logic like that.

Hierarchy and behavior
What wild west Americans have a hard time seeing is how old and how domesticated the Chinese are in relation to history. They have had a strong central command for four to five thousands of years. Its hard to suddenly switch to a democracy or a republic where you have a say or some kind of ‘representation’. Good luck to commoners trying to sack the palace, seize power with a coup d’etat, or ‘protest’. Basically, if you obey that is good, if you do not then it is off with your head. Know your place. Bow. Submit. Fear and respect. All that. Plus over time there is the constant battle for supremacy at the higher levels. That is what happens when the emperor unites the whole kingdom and then kills off his own best war lord generals to consolidate power and ensure that his reign is secure. That is the whole thing with the art of war and strategy. There is not just one contingency back up plan, there might be a dozen.


Furthermore, as part of this nationalistic unification in ancient times, every citizen had to learn this crazy complicated language of characters in their formal years of schooling. If they were fortunate enough to have a teacher. The ante has only increased in modern times. The writing system is not based on alphabets, it is rote memorization of around five thousand squarish figures that makes you mildly literate, not even well educated, just the basics. Nowadays all the kids also must learn English. The national exams happened this year over a course of four days in early June. Super intense. Streets closed, everyone on high alert. A handful of exams that determine the fate of your future. College, connections, networks that sort of thing. In the old times, as well as today, this is how there was social mobility, and a person of bright intellect could test and advance to become a civil service servant, a bureaucrat official. This can have a bit of a negative connotation here in the States – that being a sit around lazy government worker or a talk lies politician. But in China, if you come from a poor family that struggles to feed itself, getting a spot to wear a silk costume, push papers and sign documents is like hitting the lottery. You are pride and joy and rewarded for being smart. You no longer have to labor on the farm in the hot sun and dirty manure soil anymore. You are not stuck, you can go places. Suppose the parallel or analogy here would be making it big in hollywood or in some major league sports team or franchise.


Businessman says, “In China, if a higher up or boss asks something of you, you always say yes. Doesn’t matter if you agree or not, if you can do it or not, whatever. Say Yes.” That is how to keep your head from rolling. That is called obeying the hierarchy. It’s like being in the military but in day-to-day life all the time. Well, what you do or have to do after that to accomplish the task, how many red envelope bribes you have to gently put in the palm of a hand, how many bottles of liquor and whores you have to send in as part of the deal. That is another story. Always say yes. Truth be damned. No direct confrontation. There is that culture here too, but more so in some sectors than in others. When you stifle that discussion and flow of ideas back and forth, sometimes innovation and healthy growth suffer as well.

Cost of living, pension and retirement
Well, it is super cheap to live in China, especially the further out from city center you go. A fifteen-minute taxi ride across town cost you about 2 bucks. A fine meal of a ten-course lunch for ten people probably run you about seventy bucks US. Seven dollars a person! A super high end seafood banquet for six with lobster, scallop, a whole fish, abalone, shrimp, and about ten other dishes run you about $180. That is thirty dollars per person. Food wise, you can get by on millet gruel, pickled vegetables, and an egg or two for nothing at all. The most expensive hotel in the small town is about the price of a motel six here or cheaper, like $70 dollars or so. It’s got the massive marble lobby and staircase, extravagant bronze statues, out of this world water fountain feature, fifty-foot-tall chandeliers, 100 item buffet all you can eat breakfast, and obsequious staff. But the coffee might be so so for the American palette. That is not their forte. Getting by is not a problem. The government gives everybody a pension. Housing too if you are needy. The age for retirement for a laborer is 50. 50 cause physical work is hard. Then you get some money that is enough to live on, but not enough to start splurging or traveling abroad or anything like that. Office workers, professors and such retire at 60 or so and of course government officials can stay on the job and keep collecting till they are 80 or more hahahaha.


So, then what do you do with your time once you are 50 and retired? Well, many of them like to go fishing down at the river. The sign says that it is illegal, but it is not enforced. Many of the bigger fish are in the middle of the river but most people just fish off the banks with a twenty-foot cane pole and a bobber. You have to pull away the algae growing at the edge of the banks to get your bait and lure into the water at the proper depth. The fish they catch is a dinky little thing that looks like a riverine perch, and I am told it is tasty. You don’t have to buy no license or pay no fees, just go to the river. The river is mostly green with clear patches. It is not the cleanest high mountain stream but it is moving and not nasty either of smell or garbage. Its alright.


As for hunting, nobody hunts. Nobody has guns or bows or anything like that. All wild animals are protected – birds, frogs, feral pigs, rabbits, deer all that. Imagine a billion Chinese people scouring the wild for food – not a good idea. That would be total decimation and destruction. I was told that you can get a gun illegally by ordering the parts separately and putting it together yourself. But that is mostly just for the underworld folks doing illegal things like running drugs. And that it is not a good idea. Likely get tracked and caught. If you are not fishing you are likely sitting at a tea table with your fellow retiree friends cracking pumpkin seeds, playing cards, knitting, or kicking a shuttlecock around. Enjoying the good life so to speak after working so hard. Another common activity is to go traveling throughout the country in the summertime when the children have a break from school. It is more difficult and expensive to leave the country but there is a lot of China within to see and do. Get on a high-speed train and go, there’s almost like 30,000 miles of track that goes everywhere for pretty cheap price. Just gets crowded is all. And hot cause it is summer.

Progress and nature
The air is a lot cleaner since the last time I was here five years ago. And travelers from twenty years ago can really note a visible change. You can see the blue skies rather than the constant haze, and many vehicles are goin’ electric. Especially at the motorcycle moped scooter level. Most prominent to me are the utilitarian electric motor scooters that carry two or three people – an adult with a grown kid in the back and a baby in the front. Wearing helmets is optional. And you still see the village woman on a utility cart bike hauling what looks like 500 pounds of wide load stuff alongside the huge diesel construction trucks like its no big deal at all. The streets are clean and there is a whole lot of greenery – trees, hedges, and even bedding plants.

What was a bit odd was the lack of insects anywhere. I do understand the lack of mosquitoes because it is dry in the north. But the fact that I did not see bees on the flowers, dragonflies by the pond, was kinda weird. Even at the lil locals only market with hanging slabs of meat at room temperature, there was not a fly in sight. In a way that made me happy because I am not a fly lover. In another way it was a little bit spooky because you wonder where they all went. I never missed flies before but now I did LOL. Guess scientists have noticed this all around the world, its not just China. I am told that organic food is not a thing yet there. Did not ask, don’t know. If the choice is ‘no food famine’, or ‘food with a little poison in it’, which would you choose? With regards to recent improvements that have changed the demographics of the country from really poor to not so poor, one feller said, “We have the hardware now, but the software has not caught up yet”. He was talking about the modern infrastructure of high-speed rails, sewage and running water, the high-rise construction, the ownership of cell phones, appliances, and cars, and so on. The part he felt missing was the inner culture or interior training or spirit practice of a civilized human society that is still lagging behind.


Couple of farmers rented a plot of land on the outskirts of town under a 20 year lease from the government. Keep in mind that you cannot own private land, it all belongs to the party, the government. They built a traditional house with a courtyard, plus some pigs and chickens, crops. On the rest of the land they manage a tree plantation with grasses under the canopies, all to be dug up and sold to developers and such for street trees or park plantings. Good looking deciduous hardwood trees in neat rows. Topped and selectively pruned. Maples, golden rain tree, celtis, catalpas, euonymus, poplars. It is part of the reforestation program. If you cut the canopy you can be fined because remember it is not yours to do with as you please. But in recent years theres been a slow push to replace the space occupied by trees with the planting of millet. Guess they met their quota or something like that for green or carbon? The government does the aerial spraying for bugs, and the farmers do the same at the ground level. The trees are watered by well water about once a month. They say a lot of the water comes from the south. Here on the managed woodlands, I did see bees on the catalpa, flies near the squat toilet and chickens, and lady bugs on the poplars, it made me happy to see old friends. I was curious where all the meat we eat was coming from, that being cows, sheep, pigs and chickens. Farmer says on the outskirts of town there is good grasslands for livestock. When I asked about feed, he mentioned that they used to get a lot of imports from overseas, corn and soy. But in recent years the government has started to retreat more and more inward for food security. So, the amount of imported feed has dropped, and more is produced domestically.


Power generation
Maybe twenty years back they passed a law saying you could not have a power plant that was within like 150 or 175 kilometers of the city center, so that was good. Cut down on the smog and pollution. There are still smokestacks from coal fired plants, but they are running cleaner. You’ll see apartment developments built right next to chimney stacks. As we flew south on the flight it was neat to notice the change from the dry north to the wet and green south. Also great to see the numerous small farms in cultivation and hamlets that dot the landscape. On bunches of farm ponds, there were large floating solar arrays of panels and that was cool, think that was Taiwan though and not China; not sure; the mind starts to get foggy after a day in the cramped cabin staring out the window panes. Well, that is about all for this travelogue then. Tzai jian that means good bye or literally ‘again see’. And the character for see looks like a big rectangular eyeball with a couple of downward eye lashes.