BEIJING

I have been wanting to write this post since I first arrived in Beijing, so that I could get my true first thoughts down on paper before they had changed too much.

Seven years ago, I travelled through China with a family friend and her family. We were in China for 3 weeks, and were shepherded through all the major tourist attractions that China has to offer, including many in Beijing. In saying this, I didn’t get to appreciate many non-touristy parts of Chinese life, and went away feeling like most 15 year olds would after a trip to China. Seven years later, when conversations of China come up, all that this conjures up in my mind, is memories of dense populations, a lack of proper hygiene, and the air pollution that fills the sky at any time of day.

Therefore when a good friend suggested that I come visit, I must admit that I have been somewhat hesitant to come back. However her persistence in the matter has paid off, and I arrived in Beijing approximately 24 hours ago and plan to stay for approximately 4 days before heading back home to Delft.

Passing by as a stopover on my way home, I have spent the last two weeks in Japan. Now Japan is a decidedly civilised community and if I were to put them on a scale of international etiquette and manners, they would be scoring somewhere in the high 9s, close to a 10. On entering a restaurant you will be undoubtedly be greeted with the typical Irasshaimase! (Welcome!), and bow when you leave. People of every social class wear a suit to work, from businessmen, to chefs, to builders. Their ability to hold their poise when in a sticky situation is incredible, and I take my hat off to the Japanese for their genuine hospitality skills into their country.

Leaving Japan, and entering China was a large culture shock for my body, as I left a place that follows rules as part of their daily life; politeness can go so far as to apologise before even bumping into someone, to a country where rules just don’t exist.

Arriving in Beijing was hard. I will admit it. The nature of China’s corruption can be seen everywhere, where people do as they please on a daily basis. My first experiences began in the airport, where we were lead from one booth to another as we had lost our bags at the airport. From here, we had to enter the baggage carrousels through the exit (which isn’t even possible in Australia), and collect our bags from an alternative meeting point.

I don’t want to complain about China, far from it, and it may just be the cultural shock I was experiencing at the time, however the cultural differences were difficult to deal with at first. The loud nature of the Chinese compared to that of the Japanese was admittedly challenging at first.

I was on the verge of tears upon meeting my friend, and I will ashamedly admit that the first words I muttered to her were ‘I hate Beijing’. The chaos and disorganised nature of the city, coupled with the air pollution were the biggest welcoming mat, however after 24 hours, I am starting to think that Beijing is growing on me.

I have only met ridiculously ambitious and interesting people in this city, full of stories, and who love to chat. I feel like they are constantly on the move, thinking, living.

Coming from Chinese heritage, I am always embarrassed to admit that I don’t actually speak Chinese, and my Chinese cooking skills are far from perfect. However, on arriving here, I am met by dozens of expats who are fluent in the Mandarin language, and who can (I am scared to ask) probably cook much better than me. I realise how little I know about my heritage, and how much the Chinese culture has to offer.

Not only culturally, but as a country currently developing faster than any other, there is always so much room to develop business ideas and create side projects, with resources available at the touch of your fingerprints. Not here even one day, I feel as though there is an entrepreneurial spirit within the city that is really drawing me in.

I ask myself where I want to be in the future, and I am hesitant to type this down, but I would love to come and live in Beijing, study Mandarin, and find a job here after I graduate.