China Calling
December 04, 2012
Is China calling you? Okay, I couldn't resist asking and taking advantage of this pagoda phone opportunity, ( at the Summer Palace), but it is an important question in today's world where many say it is the Asian Century.
My husband and I never thought we'd ever go to China, nor did I think I'd raise a trilingual who could speak, read and write Mandarin. We grew up during the cold war, so constantly bombarded with ominous
images of China on a subliminal level from TV news and media.
One doesn't really realize these prejudices that impact. I found I had the same kind of below-conscious level prejudices with countries in the Middle East and Morocco too. They made us a bit fearful and less interested in visiting these countries. Surprisingly, when we did go, we found ourselves enjoying these places and people perhaps more than others. Partly, I think because they broke up some of our crystalizations about what we thought was true.
One thing we learn over and over from our world travel is how good and kind people are everywhere. We have been very touched by the kindness, generosity and good-hearts of the Chinese people. As beautiful and amazing as so many of the sights are in China, the very best reason to go to China is for the people.
Is China calling you? Okay, I couldn't resist asking and taking advantage of this pagoda phone opportunity, ( at the Summer Palace), but it is an important question in today's world where many say it is the Asian Century.
My husband and I never thought we'd ever go to China, nor did I think I'd raise a trilingual who could speak, read and write Mandarin. We grew up during the cold war, so constantly bombarded with ominous
images of China on a subliminal level from TV news and media.
One doesn't really realize these prejudices that impact. I found I had the same kind of below-conscious level prejudices with countries in the Middle East and Morocco too. They made us a bit fearful and less interested in visiting these countries. Surprisingly, when we did go, we found ourselves enjoying these places and people perhaps more than others. Partly, I think because they broke up some of our crystalizations about what we thought was true.
One thing we learn over and over from our world travel is how good and kind people are everywhere. We have been very touched by the kindness, generosity and good-hearts of the Chinese people. As beautiful and amazing as so many of the sights are in China, the very best reason to go to China is for the people.
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Always learning! I love it-we have as many prejudices to overcome before travelling, prejudices I pretend I don't have if you know what I mean! The media and history texts in school have a lot to answer for.x
Posted by: Melanie | December 05, 2012 at 01:56 AM
So true, Melanie! I love how much we learn just by traveling!
Posted by: Jeanne @soultravelers3 | December 05, 2012 at 06:53 AM
China is a growth story, and, is a must visit whether you are an entrepreneur, a middle manager, a historian or a nomad. The outstanding manner in which they have balanced growth with their traditional fold around it is incredible and worth emulating.
Posted by: sharad @ Tiger Safari India | December 07, 2012 at 04:49 AM