Bewildering Stories discusses...

Learning from Chinese Cities

with Douglas Young and Huina Zheng

[Douglas Young] Though this libertarian conservative would never endorse China’s communist political system, major Chinese cities look much healthier than their American counterparts. No matter how much credit the Chinese government deserves, the fact remains that, in many respects, China’s metropolises are creating far more pleasant living conditions than ours.

I have been blessed to tour China four times since 2008, extensively exploring a dozen major and minor cities. In October, I visited Guangzhou, Nanjing, and Beijing again, each of which is larger than New York City. Yet, despite walking and taking taxis all over these enormous urban centers, I never saw a single homeless person. What a contrast to the large number of homeless in every major U.S. city today, and often even in medium-sized ones.

Aside from a few cigarette butts, I saw no litter in these three Chinese cities, either — none. I cannot say that about even small American towns. Nor did I see a single speck of Chinese graffiti. Indeed, Beijing’s subway was spotless. Is there any big U.S. city not scarred by graffiti?

Never did I fear crime, walking anywhere late into the night in some of the most densely-populated places on the planet, as did so many single women and mothers pushing strollers. Can any of us say this about even medium-sized U.S. cities?

I did not notice a large police presence in these huge cities either. Indeed, I see far more police in my small hometown of Gainesville, Georgia, and, unlike here, few Chinese police even have guns.

In such safe environments, perhaps I should not have been surprised by how many young Chinese families were about, and it was especially heartening to see so many fathers engaged with their little ones. Alas, I do not see remotely as many young, intact families in U.S cities.

Environmentally, the Chinese have come a very long way. In 2008, many Beijingers wore masks due to pollution. But few do so today as there is an enormous number of electric cars, as well as electric buses. There are not nearly as many gas stations as here, but there are lots of bike lanes, and free public bikes abound. Chinese stores use paper bags, and this year I finally saw a blue sky over Beijing.

Ever-faster, electric bullet trains now link all of China’s major cities. In 2008 the train from Shanghai to Suzhou went 150 mph. This year’s Nanjing-to-Beijing train went 217 mph. China has 29,000 miles of high-speed rail. The U.S. has 50.

Whereas American institutions mandate “diversity” and constantly extol new ways to separate us along lines of race, sex, sexual orientation, and ever more divisive categories, Chinese government posters push “unity,” “harmony,” “kindness,” “cleanliness,” “honesty,” “hard work,” “patriotism,” “sacrifice,” and “nurturing the young.” Whose propaganda is healthier?

Sure, the Chinese “news” media only push one political agenda, but how is that different from CBS, NBC, ABC, PBS, Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, NPR, talk radio, or even today’s “news” sections of major U.S. newspapers and magazines? They all only report what furthers their particular political narrative, though Chinese reporters are way more polite.

Like here, Chinese have a healthy skepticism about the propaganda they receive. For instance, despite their government’s unrelenting bad press about America, the Chinese people love Americans. Strangers on the street ask where I am from, raise their thumb when told “America,” and ask to be photographed with me. One Chinese called the U.S. “fantastic.”

In fact, countless encounters with folks from the Great Wall to Hong Kong have revealed the Chinese to be a remarkably warm and decent people who mean us absolutely no harm.

Yet U.S. elites regularly berate and demand we punish “China.” But is blaming — and harming — the Chinese people for the Beijing regime’s sins any more fair than castigating ourselves for our own government’s policies? What do most Americans think of every other U.S. president?

Could it be that our ruling class covets a foreign bogeyman to blame for its own failures, to get votes without having to improve our lives, to slap tariffs on Chinese goods to help powerful U.S. industries, and to jack up the military budget even more? Next time you hear a “defense” industry flack warn that China now has two whole aircraft carriers, remind yourself that we have eleven.

Sure, the Chinese are not nearly as affluent as we are, though they are doing better than ever. They have way too many huge, ugly apartment complexes, they still have too much smog, they are not politically free, and they lack solid private property rights.

But you do not have to be remotely communist to recognize that China’s big cities have much to recommend. Indeed, while Americans flee from ours, theirs keep growing. Instead of promoting conflict, how about we learn what they have done right, as they have learned so well from our economic and technological successes?

[Huina Zheng] Thank you so much for forwarding Douglas Young’s article to me. It’s a very sweet piece. I completely agree with Douglas’s impressions from his four trips to China, which resonate with my own experiences living and traveling here.

Since the Chinese government introduced the new 144-hour transit visa exemption policy in July, I’ve seen numerous posts on domestic social media from foreign travelers documenting their experiences through travel videos about China. Like many Chinese readers, I was surprised to realize that things we take for granted are seen as remarkable advantages by foreign visitors.

When we travel to major cities, we feel safer due to economic development, convenience, and security. Smaller towns and rural areas are also very safe. In large cities, the abundance of resources, job opportunities, quality education, and more transparent government services contribute to this.

Additionally, the presence of many surveillance cameras — which makes us feel safe and discourages crime by recording actions — adds to this sense of security. However, I’ve read articles suggesting that Americans view this as government overreach. Despite the high pressure of urban life, we still tend to favor studying and living in these cities.

Douglas mentions an interesting point: “Despite their government’s unrelenting bad press about America, the Chinese people love Americans,” and “countless encounters with folks from the Great Wall to Hong Kong have revealed the Chinese to be a remarkably warm and decent people who mean us absolutely no harm.” I have read similar reflections from Americans who lived in China and noted the same. This makes me wonder if many Americans mistakenly believe the Chinese harbor animosity toward them, and I question how such misunderstandings arise.

Growing up, I frequently read about advanced ideas from the U.S. and other Western countries, particularly regarding education, democracy, welfare, and freedom. These articles and books often compared these values to our own issues, such as rote and exam-oriented education, prompting us to reflect and strive for improvement. Many of our educational books are authored by Western writers, and we believe the U.S. and Western countries have many areas worth learning from. We also hope that China will continue to develop and reach similar standards in the future.

What’s more, our culture is warm and welcoming. We regard visitors as honored guests and always offer them the best we have. Naturally, we extend this hospitality and friendliness to foreign travelers as well.

Douglas Young’s article has given me a deeper understanding of the importance and value of cultural exchange. It not only enhances our understanding of foreign visitors but also prompts us to reflect on our own culture and development. I hope there will be more exchanges like this in the future, fostering harmony between cultures. Thank you again for sharing this article; it has given me much inspiration and food for thought.

[Don Webb] Thank you, Huina; I’m happy to echo your appreciation of Douglas’s essay and am also fascinated by what you tell us.

Since Bewildering Stories has a world-wide audience, we don’t have any themed or special issues aside from the Quarterly and Annual Reviews. However, certain themes do tend to collect in submissions toward the end of October and December.

To our readers, I emphasize that both Douglas and Huina take a refreshing viewpoint based on practical common sense: what can people learn from each other, even if they live on opposite sides of the planet? They both provide thoughtful applications of a Bewildering Stories motto: "People are identified by who and what they are; they are characterized by what they do.”

That motto is the basis of an important guideline: cf. Review Readers’ Checklist #3 Stereotypes. And that guideline is based on Galatians 3:38, which summarizes the principle of radical equality, regardless of nationality, social class or gender. Never mind who or what anyone is or where they’re from; what can we learn from each other that will benefit everyone?

Responses welcome!