Controlled mass media, no Facebook, repressed opinions, the factory of the world. A silk market that is far from smooth. The underworld living in the flesh. Over 10 million people that don't -or barely- speak any language but some of the many forms of Chinese.
When I am about to leave the hotel to take a taxi the concierge stops me and asks for my card that translates “please take me to:...” to Mandarin. He writes something else on top, in chinese, explaining me “So he understands”, but it already is in chinese! Yes, well, there are many forms of it. So better be safe. It's not easy getting a taxi at this time of the day in this weather on one of the most dense cities of the world. Taxi drivers elude what might be a tourist. After almost half an hour I get on the taxi only to move one kilometer in ten minutes. And I think it's funny. Seriously, you can stress. I don't. When I come to think about it, I find it hilarious: chinese in the radio, a taxi driver that only speaks chinese, and speaks A LOT. I reply in english, he doesn't understand, but he smiles and keeps talking to me, as if we understood each other and were actually having a conversation. So I go on with my imaginary interview, but in spanish. He still doesn't understand. Many chinese in the cars around me, they all smile and make peace sign with their hands when I smile back. Eventually, he drops me off at the place I requested for.
A bubble of international cuisines; French, Italian, Spanish, Thai, American, Chinese, you name it … to choose from. There even is a Chinatown, what does that mean? I had another impression of China, but my guess is this is product of the olympic remake for the Olympics. An impression that this is what China wants to, and has been showing the world for the last four thousand years: their power. Power of transformation, power of adaptation, power of survival, power in the end.
I walk back. I get lost so many times and end up circling around the hutons and discovering the real China through the narrow allies, the one I had always imagined. People riding bikes, kids in the streets proud of greeting one with a mischievous “hello”, ready to laugh and be shocked when one replies “Ni Hao”. The shops are lit yet empty and owners/workers playing domino in the streets, smoking and having beers. One of them always happy to go inside until the owner is done with the game. Sense of community. So much sense of community that in every other corner there are public toilets, walking around with some paper is a must. This is the China hidden behind the walls. The walls that seem to be the main feature of China. Walls that hide the hutons, jealusly keeping the traditions and chinese way of life away from the occidental masses. Walls of massive buildings that represent multinationals and the later aperture of this asian dragon, all along the highways, like the villages alongs the rivers. Behind this line, China. Again, behind many walls.
I take metro in the morning, so crowded. I reach the long distance bus station, so crowded. But not with workers, today is sunday and the controlled families take over. The ticket lady in the bus looks at me inquisitively. “Great Wall please” and I also show her a paper that says Great Wall in Chinese. These people are loud, their language can seem aggressive. I would have thought she wanted to argue with me wasn't it for the fact that I saw her toothless mouth behind a great smile. She shows me 12 in the ticket. I pay. She literally pulls my arm seating me in the first row. I was a bit shocked, later I thanked her in thought and action “Xie Xie” while bowing, for the great views she granted me. Chinese hospitality, you can't escape it. She looks at me and makes signs that outside is cold. I show her my coat. We smile, peace sign, peace reigns. The plains of the city, skyscrapers, mono blocks, street markets, are left behind whilst we drive into the Juyongguan Valley, mountains take shape, grow in size, landscape shocks the senses. I play with myself to spot the Great Wall, it's obvious she's already spotted me and is laughing back at me from the heights of her towers, wrapped in morning fog.
Something that took two thousand years (plus) to be built is hard to put in words. It's not just a wall. It's all it implies. It's a wall that moves to the rhythm of it's millions of visitors resembling the movement of the workers that only lived for it, the troops it many times had defending it, . Surprisingly, or not so, most the visitors are -proud- chinese. Just like non chinese visitors they stand in it, walk it , look at it from far, from close, from in to out and out to in, and we all have the same looks. I bet feelings differ - big time! There are stories, myths, history and tradition passed throughout generations, uncorrupted from the outside world. There's greatness obtained thousands of years ago through the dynasties and empires, kept as a republic even today. There is a feeling of peace so hardly worked and fought for, still ruling strongly. Or at least this is what immoderately remodeled China shows the rest of the world.
“Only a great nation could have made such a great monument”
When I am about to leave the hotel to take a taxi the concierge stops me and asks for my card that translates “please take me to:...” to Mandarin. He writes something else on top, in chinese, explaining me “So he understands”, but it already is in chinese! Yes, well, there are many forms of it. So better be safe. It's not easy getting a taxi at this time of the day in this weather on one of the most dense cities of the world. Taxi drivers elude what might be a tourist. After almost half an hour I get on the taxi only to move one kilometer in ten minutes. And I think it's funny. Seriously, you can stress. I don't. When I come to think about it, I find it hilarious: chinese in the radio, a taxi driver that only speaks chinese, and speaks A LOT. I reply in english, he doesn't understand, but he smiles and keeps talking to me, as if we understood each other and were actually having a conversation. So I go on with my imaginary interview, but in spanish. He still doesn't understand. Many chinese in the cars around me, they all smile and make peace sign with their hands when I smile back. Eventually, he drops me off at the place I requested for.
A bubble of international cuisines; French, Italian, Spanish, Thai, American, Chinese, you name it … to choose from. There even is a Chinatown, what does that mean? I had another impression of China, but my guess is this is product of the olympic remake for the Olympics. An impression that this is what China wants to, and has been showing the world for the last four thousand years: their power. Power of transformation, power of adaptation, power of survival, power in the end.
I walk back. I get lost so many times and end up circling around the hutons and discovering the real China through the narrow allies, the one I had always imagined. People riding bikes, kids in the streets proud of greeting one with a mischievous “hello”, ready to laugh and be shocked when one replies “Ni Hao”. The shops are lit yet empty and owners/workers playing domino in the streets, smoking and having beers. One of them always happy to go inside until the owner is done with the game. Sense of community. So much sense of community that in every other corner there are public toilets, walking around with some paper is a must. This is the China hidden behind the walls. The walls that seem to be the main feature of China. Walls that hide the hutons, jealusly keeping the traditions and chinese way of life away from the occidental masses. Walls of massive buildings that represent multinationals and the later aperture of this asian dragon, all along the highways, like the villages alongs the rivers. Behind this line, China. Again, behind many walls.
I take metro in the morning, so crowded. I reach the long distance bus station, so crowded. But not with workers, today is sunday and the controlled families take over. The ticket lady in the bus looks at me inquisitively. “Great Wall please” and I also show her a paper that says Great Wall in Chinese. These people are loud, their language can seem aggressive. I would have thought she wanted to argue with me wasn't it for the fact that I saw her toothless mouth behind a great smile. She shows me 12 in the ticket. I pay. She literally pulls my arm seating me in the first row. I was a bit shocked, later I thanked her in thought and action “Xie Xie” while bowing, for the great views she granted me. Chinese hospitality, you can't escape it. She looks at me and makes signs that outside is cold. I show her my coat. We smile, peace sign, peace reigns. The plains of the city, skyscrapers, mono blocks, street markets, are left behind whilst we drive into the Juyongguan Valley, mountains take shape, grow in size, landscape shocks the senses. I play with myself to spot the Great Wall, it's obvious she's already spotted me and is laughing back at me from the heights of her towers, wrapped in morning fog.
Something that took two thousand years (plus) to be built is hard to put in words. It's not just a wall. It's all it implies. It's a wall that moves to the rhythm of it's millions of visitors resembling the movement of the workers that only lived for it, the troops it many times had defending it, . Surprisingly, or not so, most the visitors are -proud- chinese. Just like non chinese visitors they stand in it, walk it , look at it from far, from close, from in to out and out to in, and we all have the same looks. I bet feelings differ - big time! There are stories, myths, history and tradition passed throughout generations, uncorrupted from the outside world. There's greatness obtained thousands of years ago through the dynasties and empires, kept as a republic even today. There is a feeling of peace so hardly worked and fought for, still ruling strongly. Or at least this is what immoderately remodeled China shows the rest of the world.
“Only a great nation could have made such a great monument”
