The Chinese rural-urban conundrum

I have hinted at the differences inherent to the clash of rural and urban mentalities in China in the previous posts a bit already, and therefore decided to take an entire entry to get to the bottom of it, because it is quite fascinating to see just how much the life and mindset of the people differ when traveling from the city center over the outskirts all the way to the countryside.

Let's go step by step then, starting in the very center of urbanity, the core of the city. What we see here is akin to what can be seen in Europe or America, except for the velocity in which it takes place; people are rushing from subway stations through Starbucks to their offices, the traffic is barely moving but honking heavily, everyone is just sort of minding their own business and trying to get from A to B with as little conversation as possible, the people look stressed, angry, and annoyed, and there is close to no communal feeling, it's essentially like any modern-day metropolis you could imagine. But then, in the midst of all this hectic and commotion, there are beautiful gardens and green areas in which a whiff of the traditional Chinese calm is still in the air, and besides the speakers that are installed all over and either mimic nature's noises or play bad music, these places are one of the final bastions of tranquility in the ever-increasing stress that China's approach to the Western way of life is bringing on.
The people living in the city center however have for the most part completely lost sight of the relaxation that life can bring; they're usually stressed out, with a behavior bordering on the arrogant, and have this highly individualized, egomaniac Western approach to all things in life. Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for individual fulfillment and freedom, but that should not come at the cost of a communal feeling, that should not come at the cost of decency, it shouldn't come at the cost of generosity and togetherness.

The next step takes us to the outskirts and the countryside, which I am grouping together for convenience. The air is still vibrant with life and the hustling of those trying to get by on day to day basis, but it has a smell of community in it that largely differs from anything you can see in the Big City life. The people are more prone to helping each other out, and I have seen countless examples of shop owners going out of their way to help their neighbors or even complete strangers whose car had broken down in their vicinity. I have been to farms in the middle of the night and got invited to sit down, eat, get drunk, and smoke cigarettes with the farmers living there. I just set up a tent in the middle of nowhere with a friend of mine, and instead of being woken by an angry face complaining about us setting up camp on their field - which we unknowingly did - like it would have happened in Europe, we were greeted by friendly and curious Chinese farmers. And of course the countless times that my electric scooter broke down and complete strangers helped me push it to a store where they would fix it for a small amount of money whilst asking me about my origins and how it happened that I came to China; the atmosphere was always extremely friendly and vibrating with joyous life, and the people there just were not concerned with everyday hectic all too much. Of course they're also busy and worried about making their daily income, but they don't go about it with this insane stress that city folk develop when tackling their daily tasks.

The conundrum here is the reason behind this shift in mentality. I believe that it can be at least partially traced back to the growing Western influence on Chinese metropolises; the economy in China is booming and it is therefore opening itself more and more to the West, which in itself is a good thing, except for the sad fact that our selfish, capitalist culture is being exported to China in the process. The people's mentality in the urban center is slowly drifting towards the excessive, egomaniac individualization that the Western civilization is suffering from. Which is mostly the reason behind this at first rather puzzling difference in way of life between the urban and rural population.
I do not want to say that the trade between China and the West is all negative or anything, but it definitely brings on an ugly shift in mentality in the affected urban centers.

Mark

"Do they actually eat dogs?" (Clearing up the cliches)

"Oh my gosh, you lived in China?? Are the people all really so little?? How many dogs have you eaten?? Isn't it a pain in the ass to be bigger than everyone else there?? Does 'ching, chang, chong' mean anything real?? Have you met Jackie Chan???"

This is the kind of torture I am usually submitted to when I hint at my time in Shanghai, and whilst some of the questions above are inventions of mine, most unfortunately are not. There are a lot of cliches surrounding the far East, and today I want to take a minute to clear some up and confirm some others.

Firstly, Chinese people are not midgets. That is something a lot of people, especially Germans, need to get drilled through their skull with a jack-hammer! It is true that the Chinese average height is below its European or American counterpart, but if you're between 165 and 175, you won't feel like stuck in Gulliver's travels when walking around China, and although there are some regions where you'll feel a bit too large, there are others where you will be among the smallest, meaning that the famous idea of finding your American pal in a crowd of small Chinese people barely reaching your chest is not based in reality, sorry.
Secondly, Chinese people are no vicious animal torturing sadists only looking to kill and eat your beloved pet. Yes, there are some atrocious things happening to animals in China, but it's not like we're treating our future beef steaks and chicken wings with a whole lot of love either. And the fact that so many people deem the Chinese as heartless for eating dogs just shows how culturally unopened and stubborn the West really is: just because we're used to having dogs as pets, doesn't make it so all around the world. Don't you think a Hindu person would consider us cruel beasts for mistreating cows the way we do? It's all a fully cultural thing; some cultures eat cows, others pigs, others both, and others dogs. And that the West cannot accept that, and that people like PETA are actually fighting against it is just a sick sign of the moral control we feel we should have over the world. But the thing that bugs me the most about it is the notion that everywhere in China you see and are immediately offered dog meat, because that is simply not true. In rural areas, yes, you will see some dog meat, but in urban centers like Shanghai it is getting increasingly rare, and you'd really have to search if you want try it. I actually did try it once, unpurposefully; I asked for fei chang hao de rou at a steet food stand and the guy proceeded to give me an intense, somewhat chicken flavored flesh that turned out to be dog when I inquired. But that was a good six years ago, and things have changed a bit, so you'd really have to ask if you want to find some gou rou. Dog meat isn't eaten everywhere, and the Chinese are no vicious killers for eating it from time to time. Selah.
Thirdly, and this is once again especially for the Germans, one Chinese character does not equal one sentence, for Christ's sake. I don't know who started this rumor, but this is an actual thing in Germany; a lot of people I have met were a hundred percent sure that this is the way it is, which it is quite obviously not! One character usually stands for one word. Not one letter, not one sentence, but a single word! I know that that's probably not something to get all upset about and that it doesn't really qualify as a cliche per se, but it's been somewhat of a nuisance for me for a few years, and I wanted to clear it up once and for all.

So, now on to some preconceived notions about China that I can at least partially confirm.
First, there is the wide-spread belief that the Chinese smack when they eat and slurp when they drink, which is completely true, and although it also slightly receding in the urban center of Shanghai it is definitely something to wrap your mind around when contemplating traveling to China. The traditional Chinese mindset actually understands smacking your lips whilst eating as a sign of the food being tasty, and it would actually be considered rude to eat quietly.
I can further confirm the belief that the Chinese traffic is, or at the very least seems, very chaotic. The Darwinist rule of the stronger prospering can, at least in the more suburban areas, be applied to the traffic there; if you have the bigger car, you have the right of way. That is admittedly a somewhat hyperbolic description, but you get the picture. Which does not mean that driving is by any means very dangerous in Shanghai, seeing as there are so insanely many cars that traffic usually stays at a very safe speed, and on the highways things are a bit more ordered. But still, the cliche about traffic being a nightmare is true.
Finally, the generosity and kindness of the Chinese is also not entirely exaggerated; there are wonderful people in Shanghai that will give you shelter, food, and all help they can offer should you need it. When traveling around with a tent a friend of mine and I met so many friendly characters and never encountered any problems whatsoever, even when sleeping somewhere outside in rural areas, which would not be as common in Europe I daresay. Of course that spirit is once again lessened in manifestation in the urban center, and there are of course downright rude and mean people in Shanghai too, but nevertheless there is an omnipresent feeling of being welcome.

I hope I have presented you with some interesting facts here, and that I have given you some insight into the mindset and value prevalent in Chinese society, and that I could maybe even clear some cliches up you might have had yourselves. And if not, I hope it was at least an interesting read.

Mark

So, what's Shanghai like?

This is of course the biggest question on the mind of those readers that have not personally traveled to Shanghai yet, and it may also be of interest to hear about a different perspective for those that have already experienced the city themselves.

Shanghai is truly the most multifaceted place I have had the pleasure to see in my lifetime; old meets new, change meets stagnation, east meets west, poor meets rich, excess meets abstinence, and chaos meets order. Shanghai is a truly bipolar place, a place of constant alteration coupled with a fast-lane way of life that is unique in essence and manifestation. The feeling you get when walking through the maze of streets in the hazy morning hours after a long night of bai jiu and street food looking for a taxi to finally get home and rest cannot be touched by anything you could possibly imagine. Smoking a cigarette whilst driving a few dozen kilometers for less than ten euros in a modern metropolis is something only Shanghai can really offer I think.

But that's of course not remotely everything the city has to offer; there are beautiful public gardens, breath-taking skyscrapers, an amazing countryside, and the most wonderful, weird, and interesting people you can meet! It is a growing hub of international relations and at the same time a monument to its past. And I know that this all sounds like taken straight from a tourism brochure of some kind, but the vibrating atmosphere in this gargantuan city cannot be described without resorting to some purple prose.

But the fact of the matter is that if you only go to the sight-seeing spots and follow those typical tours, you won't get to know the actual Shanghai. You will see the aspects described above of course, but you will not be able to fully grasp the awesomeness of the city. To do that, you have to immerse yourself much more, and don't you dare thinking you need to speak Chinese to do so; if you know a few words and are open enough, you will be able to convey what you want to say using your hands and feet. The people will always try to understand you, and you will be able to communicate! It is of course generally recommended to have someone with you that speaks the language, but if you don't try a little yourself and always stick to your translator, you won't experience much. There is also a growing disparity in mindset when looking at rural and urban population that cannot be ignored: whilst on the outskirts of the city, the lifestyle seems very chaotic to outsiders and the people are open, generous, and happy, the lifestyle in the city center is converging to that of the west, which means a much more ordered, individualized mindset that sadly does not include the values usually exhibit in Chinese culture.

So, bearing in mind that there are beautiful and amazing things to see and do in the city itself, it still need be said that to really grasp the fabric of what Shanghai and its people is and are made of you need to go where the tourist tour ends, you need to go where the shiny tourist attractions are nowhere to be seen, and just experience the way of life there, try and communicate with the people, enjoy the essence of what Chinese values are. Selah.

Mark.