Just returned from China

Hello everyone,

I have just returned from a holiday in China which was extremely enjoyable and educational.

Firstly, to all with a social conscience who may have been sending money to the starving millions in China...... STOP IT RIGHT NOW!

The China I saw is a wonderfully prosperous country, with seemingly endless resources. The people seem to be happy and content and enjoy a comfortable way of life.

Visits to department stores in places like Shanghai and Beijing absolutely blew me away - as well as dazzled me with glitter and glitz. Every consumerable item from perfumes to designer clothing is there in bucketloads. Price though is very steep when average salaries/wages are taken into account, but this does not seem to deter the buyers.

Very few places though accepted credit cards readily. Some places not at all, and some only with a bit of pressure. Cash is King.

The people in the streets all had the latest phones, and other hi tech gear, dressed in up to date fashion, and the roads were crowded with Audis and BMWs - all glossy and shiny - not a bombed out car in sight. Public buses had DVD players, and the trains were an absolute pleasure to ride in.

I don't know really what I was expecting; perhaps the stereotypical images that flooded our media following the 70s and 80s have not been updated.

Most notable was the lack of any sort of grafitti anywhere, or even a minute scrap of rubbish. All roads, highways, toll stations, even the higheset peaks around the Great Wall are scrupulously clean. In fact, I have a great picture of a cleaner hanging over the side of the Great Wall, suspended over a ravine, calmly picking up little scraps of rubbish that may have been dropped by a tourist. There were no louts etc., who tend to frequent our street corners. Walking around even at night in the beautifully landscaped and spacious wide streets and parks was extremely safe.

For those of us in the Salehoo community who are thinking about purchasing from China, I can now state that I feel confident in their honesty. Of course in any community there are those who are not quite honest, but I did not find any in my travels.

The Chinese are extremely astute business people. Do not be condescending or patronising and assume that the Western way of life is superior. I can tell you right now, you may need to rethink your assumptions.

I had been hoping to find a few contacts while I was there, but the goods found on Websites such as dhgate etc., were not to be found except at places like the markets, Even then, prices are better on the websites than directly from the markets, especially if you can negotiate free shipping. Overall too, the quality of goods was better than I expected, even from the markets.

This was generally a great experience and one which I can thoroughly recommend.

Hi Yaamba,

Glad to hear that you enjoyed your trip, and thank you for sharing it with us. :) I was equally impressed when I saw China and was about to have the same ideal sentiments as yours, but on our last day I took the ride (motorcyle with passenger seat) from Forbidden City to our hotel, and the fare which was initially declared at Yuan 50 became USD50 at the time for us to get off. :) Of course I did not give it in USD and we parted ways not so nicely. Bottom line is, although the misdeed of one does not represent the whole, we still need to practice due diligence in choosing persons/businesses to deal with, wherever we may be. And you're right, China is glossy and shiny very much different from the stereotypical images that we usually know. :)

Have a nice day! :)

thank you for your great insight from your visit to china yaamba. I import from china and have nothing but praise for they way they do business. You have brought a smile to my face today. Yes there are a few dodgy ones that may try and pull the wool over your head..but thats no different from anywhere around the world. Find a reliable supplier and stick with them. They in turn will look after you.

Thanks for sharing your experience of the trip yammba, should be quite interesting for other members to read.

: )

Glad you enjoyed your trip to China, yaamba!

The scenes we see on TV are from the inner lying provinces where development is not as much as in Beijing, Shanghai or Shenzhen.

China is very much everything you described it especially since you and most of us who have visited China went to the bigger more prosperous cities. You forgot to point out the lights! Reading your insights now makes me miss living there - shopping was one of the highlights and the food too especially if you have a Chinese friend to help you around the city.

If you ever go back there for business, you might consider going to Shenzhen for the cheapest electronics and Guangzhou for garments :)

Cheers!

I deal with Chinese people on a daily basis. The district in Melbourne where I live has about 95% of businesses owned by Chinese Australians. I find them honest, hardworking and courteous. However, although I have never been to China, I feel the original poster is giving the false impression that China is now almost a Utopia. It's not! Their human rights violations are appalling. Not hard to find out what I refer to by doing a little research online.

Hello Userexists,

Thanks for you post... its great to know that people really do read things posted.

I have no doubt that you are right in what you say. However, if you note my entry, I said

"The China I saw is a wonderfully prosperous country, with seemingly endless resources. The people seem to be happy and content and enjoy a comfortable way of life. " ...... The China I saw.......

I am not so naive as to suggest that behind the scenes there are quite possibly many less savoury actions that are well hidden. I can only comment on what I personally saw and also what my family members who have lived in China now for two years have again personally seen.

The fact that many Chinese we spoke to were not aware of the situation regarding the Tiananmen Square massacre with the students, nor had they seen any pics etc. of this is evidence of suppression of facts. With YouTube and Facebook only available on the "black market", this too has obvious connotations.

Also too was the blatant censorship that existed on the cable tv with such news programs as CNN and BBC news. Whenever a news story came on about China, the TV went blank. At first I thought we had a circuit problem, however, it soon became clear exactly what was happening and this occurred again and again. When I questioned our Chinese friends, they were genuinely puzzled and did not quite believe me that this was happening. They however, would not be watching CNN or BBC as a general rule.

No, China is not a Uotopia, but neither is it the place that existed in my memory and understanding of 40 and 50 years ago or even during the student riots of the late 1980s. Things take a long time to change, and although this might be a simplistic, rose tainted view, I do believe that in many situations, progress is being made.

I did not intend this to be a political debate as this is not the forum nor the place for these types of discussions. However, I did think a reply was warranted.

Thank you for your comment and for taking the time to make it.