the black China hand

This weekend, both the New York Times and the Washington Post had articles (see below) describing the rise of the new (and old) faces of China as presented by Beijing and Shanghai in this year of the Olympics. I found these articles interesting because having lived in both Beijing and Shanghai, I don’t think that they represent China at all. Rather, I think they represent a Western platonic conception of China … the China that the West wishes China to be … the China that the West can deal with the easiest (unlike most places in China, it’s very easy (and getting easier) to live in Beijing or Shanghai without any knowledge of China or Chinese [see here]). I think that most Chinese would agree just as most Americans would agree that New York or Los Angeles are only slices of the American whole and not the whole thing. To me real China, or more real China, is found in the towns and cities beyond and in between Beijing and Shanghai: the Dalians, Xi’ans, Changshas and Zhengzhous of China. These are the places that I’ve spent and spend most of my time in China. These are the places that most Chinese live in China. There are few or no Starbucks in these spots, just good old-fashioned China in it’s true and gritty splendor. These are the places I always suggest that every traveller to China should make a point to see. Unfortunately, these are the places that the Chinese government does not emphasize and Western media rarely reports on.

In Changing Face of Beijing, a Look at the New China

Shanghai, a Star in Eclipse