Stirring Point

This is “Part II” of an essay I published here last week. For context, here’s a link to that piece: China Then and Now: Part I

I’m confused. Where is the trash that littered the streets during my last visit? Why is no one hocking phlegm against the pavement? And what happened to the plumes of cigarette smoke billowing from the lungs of middle-aged men? Is this right? Did I board the wrong flight?

I know, I know. These are base items—surface-level at best. To speak with clarity on the changes of a nation, one must penetrate the skin, perforate the vasculature, and travel through the veins. I’m an outsider, a tourist. Digesting and analyzing the sociological shifts that have taken place over the last two decades would require years of research and the guidance of locals. I see changes on the skin: moles and discolorations morphing in shape and size. But I’m no dermatologist, so I can’t say why these changes occurred. I have no diagnosis to share.

But they have changed, and on the surface, ecological metastases appear to be shrinking. Personal expression, the freedom of the press, a right to politically dissent? Not so much. China is a surveillance state with cameras and facial recognition everywhere. Harsh penalties are a reality for those mounting political opposition. If these are your only points of interest, stop reading. You’ll need the words of an expert that can delicately dance through those minefields to guide you. But if you can sidestep the aforementioned issues, then let’s keep at it.

During my 2005 visit, China was still a developing nation. There were some rich, many poor, and a barebones middle class hovering somewhere in between. To visit China beyond its major cities was to step back in time by several decades. Agriculture was the heart of society and all available soil was used for cultivation. Teens held shovels, not cell phones. People rode heavy steel bikes weighed down with burlap sacks and baskets of fruit. They walked along the roadside pushing vegetable carts and shouldered sticks of lumber. It was rustic and agrarian with a terse, impatient air. Tasks were endless. Smiles were uncommon. It all felt so heavy.

I was young, deeply ignorant of the world, and struggled to assemble a template of logic that fit what I saw. People spat everywhere. Personal space was nonexistent. Privacy was a luxury. Most merchants saw foreigners as walking ATMs and would inflate prices 10 or 20 times over the actual cost. Bargaining was mandatory. Litter was common. Yet my job as a young traveler was not to search for comparisons against my home in the West, but rather to see new places for what they were and soak in their cultural waters. I tried my damnedest not to judge. But who was I kidding? 

Now, revisiting China after a 19-year hiatus, it’s clear to me that the country has undergone a radical shift in both look and feel. Bullet trains, rather than the iron roosters (as the author Paul Theroux coined the term for the old rail system here), glide effortlessly at 130 mph, reducing travel times from days to hours. City streets and country roads are spotless. No trash, no debris, no plastic bags or bottles. A burgeoning middle class, lifted by the strength of a growing economy (the second largest in the world), sent domestic travel soaring. Energy sourced through nuclear, wind, solar, and hydro has reduced the use of coal and fossil fuels. Electric cars are becoming the norm in city centers. The air in Xi’an, Chengdu, and Beijing is improving. These changes, while impressive, come by way of mandate, and mandates, as we know, are imperfect. People in outdated industries lost their jobs. Personal freedoms were pinched too. For many in the West, this is an absolute no-no. But green energy also creates jobs, and cleaner air, spotless streets, and less smoking have led to a healthier quality of life. Ecological progress has been made, and the benefits are clear.

On the world’s stage, caveats abound. China’s Belt and Road Initiative, conflict in the South China Sea, imminent threats to Taiwan (where I sit as I write this)—all are serious concerns. The backing of a Russian dictator, supporting dangerous Iranian zealots, and the oppression of Uyghurs and Tibetans are dangerous precedents. China views itself as the “America” of the east and practices a “might makes right” ethic, comparable in many ways to U.S. foreign policy. Coercion is often thinly veiled as influence. Yet their ecological progress should not be ignored. And while it may not be the most pressing issue of the day, it belongs on the podium of success for the world to see by scale.

While speaking with locals during my visit about the changes over the last 20 years, the following became clear:

1. There has been a large reduction in food waste. Culturally, ordering more food than a table was able to consume was a way of broadcasting wealth. This behavior led to considerable food waste. The initiative for change was instituted by Xi Jinping when he came to office in 2013. 
2. The government made a massive push toward air quality improvement. Most industrial cities or major population centers suffered under dense smog for decades. Now, the greening of China through renewable energy has created a palpable change. According to the Air Quality Life Index Report, the average Chinese citizen’s lifespan is now 2.2 years longer due to the country’s air quality improvements.
3. Wildlife repopulation has been consistently improving in national parks and wildlife reserves. While controversial, China has subsidized the relocation of farmers from integral wildlife habitat, allowing formerly cultivated land to rewild over time. This provides prime habitat for species like takin, red pandas, giant pandas, gorals, martins, and hundreds of birds. 
4. According to its National Fitness Plan initiatives, the country has built free and accessible exercise infrastructure available to everyone. Many cities now have running tracks that follow the perimeter of parks and riverfronts, lined by periodic sections of exercise equipment. People jog, speedwalk, and practice Tai Chi throughout the day.
5. Domestic tourism has exploded due to a growing middle class. Around 2012, China saw a significant rise in domestic tourism, bolstered by the continual growth of per capita income. The travel industry noticed a sharp increase of Chinese tourists internationally around this time as well. A traveling middle class is a healthy sign of a strong economy.

The greening efforts, infrastructure improvements, and conservation strides are worthy endeavors. The lurch toward healthier habits for many (reduction in smoking, consistent exercise) is likely the result of ongoing national education campaigns, along with the exposure to new ideas brought about by economic development.

My comparison above from “then” to “now” stands on slanted ground. I was 23 years old during my first visit. I’m 42 now. I visited the south of the country in 2005 and the central/western regions on this visit. I was a shoestring backpacker all those years ago; this time, I was an employee for a high-end nature travel company auditing the experience for quality as I went. The only true comparison would be to painstakingly retrace my steps through the south and doing so with a comparable budget. But my eyes are different now and the exercise would be silly. I read the world from a perspective my younger self would fail to understand.

China has changed, and much of it for the better. I’d love cleaner streets in Denver. I’d love a national health campaign for our country that actually works. But I also love the right to issue fervent political dissent without fear of government-backed retribution. We all wish for the right of self-determination. Some of us are born into it; some of us are forced to fight for it; some of us will never know its name on our lips. And we all deserve it, just as we all deserve cleaner air, healthier hearts, and a wild habitat we can one day show to our children. So we strive the best way we know how. Like water, we always seek our own level.