The other day a guy came into our shop at a not very busy time. After ordering his meals, he saw my badge and asked “Are you Chinese?”, I answered “Yes!”. Since it wasn’t that busy at that time, we had a little chat.
He is working in a power supplier company and worked in Hong Kong and China many years ago. Every time when you start a chat with somebody who had been to your country, or you have been to theirs’, the conversation become more interesting and normally it starts with those places both of you know. So he told me where he had visited in China. Without any surprises, he had been to more places than me do, like my other friends who had visited China. But when I told me I haven’t been to Beijing and Shanghai, he was totally surprised and said “you are Chinese and you have never been to Beijing?” This is not the first time, well, actually I “surprised” people a lot of times by telling them this fact.
I just want to say that it’s completely NORMAL that not many Chinese have been to the capital, as well as the fast developing international city Shanghai. First of all, China is a big country. I can travel from London to Edinburgh in about 7 hours by train, but it might take days to travel from city like Guangzhou in south China to Beijing, not to mention to cities that further than Beijing. From my city (Shantou) to Guangzhou, it takes me 6 hours by coach. This is considered as very closed in China, whereas here in England, 6 hours by coach is a crossing-country distance. I am not very good at geography, but this is the example I often used when explaining why I have been to Beijing.
Secondly, this is a bit personal, but I left China when I was about 18. Most of my time was in school before 18. Of course I had school holidays, but I didn’t go travel a lot. Maybe it’s because my family weren’t very keen about travelling. I suppose if I went to university in China, I would have been travelling a lot in holidays, like most Chinese university students would do.
These are reasons that I haven’t been to Beijing. However, when I have time in future, Beijing is the city that I want to go most. It’s not like Shanghai where just another international city like Tokyo or New York, there is something special about this historical and fast developing city. It’s like a crash or combination of tradition and modernisation, this is what attracts me. Well, it doesn’t sound that persuaded talking and comparing places I haven’t been to, but I will in future, for sure!
At the end, just share a photo of Guizhou. My friend Katrina sent me, she just came back from there.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Richard,Miss you a little bit.^-^ So Welcome to Beijing though the city is not that exciting as you might expect.
I have began my new job orientation this Monday which is too boring for so-called young professionals.
BTW,my final decision is the State Administration of Foreign Exchange(Guojia Waihui Guanliju) where no interest in those financial stuffs have been cultivated.
Katrina?
The CANDY i knew before?
There are some problems with anti-spam plugin so I didn’t see you guys’ comments in the last two days, sorry about that!
To Eric:
Hi, got your message now. Thanks for letting me, well, you are going to be my host when I visit Beijing in future :)
Good luck with your job.
To Mocha:
Yes. Her new name I guess.