by Helena Kočová
Editor of Domestic and Foreign News of Naše Pravda, Czech
China – for people from Central Europe, this country is as remote and exotic as Central Europe is exotic for the Chinese. Although the whole world uses many things from China, few of them know how this country works and what its real level is. Sixteen months ago, I knew only as much about China as the average European. Many people still see China as just the world’s assembly plant. Few people are really aware of its incredible development and maturity. Today, after almost five months in this amazing country, I dare say that China is in many ways at least ten years ahead of the so-called West. It is a country that deserves at least some respect. Indeed, it is becoming a model for much of the world, as well as a strong partner and protector.
At the same time, or precisely because China is the world’s largest economy (whether first or second is now a matter of looking at certain economic parameters), it is important to know it and to try to understand it. I am therefore very grateful for the opportunity to visit the country through the journalism program organized by the China International Press Communication Center (CIPCC) in cooperation with the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Czech Republic. This four-month program, which takes place twice a year, hosts more than 60 journalists from all over the world in each course. From Asia, Africa, Europe, or Central and South America. And for many of them, it is as incredible a journey of discovery as it has been for me.
The capital Beijing
During my internships, my home base has been China’s capital, Beijing, which is a center of political life, but also an important center of commerce, as well as a city rich in culture and history. Just arriving in Beijing on the first of March last year was unique. A European expects a big city, i.e. lots of tall buildings interspersed with busy streets. But Beijing surprised me in many ways. Yes, the architecture and the height of some of the buildings is breathtaking. But I was pleasantly surprised by the spaciousness, airiness and cleanliness of the streets. Wide, multi-lane main roads lined with greenery, parks and quiet smaller streets give this city a very pleasant face and it does not feel cramped at all like other big cities. Beijing soon became a second home for me. The comfort of moving around the city and the complete safety gave me plenty of opportunities to see and experience the bustling city life and the peaceful atmosphere of the parks or the picturesque streets of the hutongs.
Beijing has many fascinating facets, but the most important one is of course the political one. My very first working event in China was attending two sessions. This biggest political event of the year is interesting because of its broad scope and impact. At both the first session of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and the subsequent session of the National People’s Congress, dozens, maybe a hundred buses flooded Tiananmen Square, and I was surprised by the number of delegates but also by the composition of the buses. Interestingly, there were delegates not only from politics, but also from various professions, ethnicities proudly representing their affiliations in beautiful costumes, or places even outside China. However, if one realises that this meeting is deciding the course of a country of 1.4 billion people, the number of around 6 000 participants is logical. Compared with our country, where 281 politicians in the parliament and senate decide the running of a country of ten million people, the number of participants in two sessions is actually even more moderate.
Democracy in China
Although China is run by the Communist Party, I understand that the process by which it runs the country is very democratic. Even later, at many press conferences, I was able to verify that the space for comments, on the basis of which regulations and laws are modified, is indeed given to every delegated participant. And later on, much of what was proposed was actually implemented in a relatively short period of time. The feedback and control work just as well. The process is very quick and efficient in this huge country.
Although the world perceives China as undemocratic, the principle of governance is much more democratic than in many so-called democratic countries. I have come to understand that in China you do not change the party, but you can democratically change the people in it, who are chosen not on the basis of their acquaintances or their sharp elbows, but on the basis of the hard quality work they have done. In the West, you can change the party that will govern for the next four years in an election. But the problem is that many politicians, although from different parties, come from a certain group (the same nest) and end up having the same mindset, standards and goals. Once they are elected, many of them forget the promises made before the elections and work more for their own interests and the interests of various lobbyists. In addition, country development plans are often framed in only those four years, missing the long-term perspective and progressive implementation that works in China’s five-year and longer plans. In addition, development in Europe is dependent on a system where, to get an idea off the ground, you first need to find investors, navigate the bureaucratic shuffle and find educated people to implement it. This is why development in Europe is stagnant or very slow next to China. There is lobbying in China too. But it is reversed. Here, the Party lobbies big companies to push through new ideas for the sake of the country’s development. As a result, everything new is implemented relatively quickly, investments are made from many different sources, industrial and hi-tech centres cooperate with universities and, thanks to the support of talent, but also very rapid construction, China is able to launch new production based on its own know-how within a few months and years.
Advanced modern cities
Most of our other business trips have always been linked to large cities. The first one was beautiful Shanghai. But this vibrant city, always full of life, is not just a modern centre. In Shanghai, I found virtually a cross-section of China’s entire history during my walks, from ancient temples, to the classic hutong-like streets of Beijing, to colonial architecture and monumental modern construction. But above all, Shanghai is a city of commerce with a rich international life. At the conference China’s Modernisation and the World, I was able to see that China’s path of modernisation is indeed very inspiring for many countries. And this includes many economists, but also people from public life in the so-called Western countries. Wise people know that, given the size of the market in China, but also the local production capacity and, above all, modern innovation, this is indeed an important economic partner.
I was also convinced of the friendliness and desire for cooperation and the liking for foreign products in the city of Ningbo, which offers an amazing panorama of a modern city. The China and Central and Eastern European Countries Exhibition is held here, and the Czech Republic is regularly represented there. It is nice to see how popular Czech jewellery and glassware is among the Chinese people, what a name the Czech aerospace industry has, or Czech beer, snacks or the fairy-tale mole. Many companies from our country cooperate with China, trade and adapt their products to the local market, which admires Czech quality.
Trade is very important for China. It has made it a great power throughout history and today it is building on this legacy, for example through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), known in Europe as the New Silk Road. As we saw in Hebei province, one of the backbones of trade is trains. For freight trade, they connect China to distant Europe by rail through Asia. Symbolically, it was to this province that we too took our first high-speed train. I was surprised at how comfortable and fast this transport is and in vast China it plays an indispensable role in connecting cities and people quickly and efficiently.
Of course, the BRI itself is not just a project for Asia and Europe. China, through its expanding business activities, is bringing its technology and infrastructure construction to many developing countries, for example in Africa, and is helping poor countries to develop rapidly. When I have spoken to journalists from Africa in particular, they are very grateful for this activity. China is inspiring them so strongly through the idea of win-win to develop themselves in a way that is tailored and always convenient for that particular country, bringing not only trade opportunities, improving ports, roads and railways, but bringing education and lots of job opportunities,which is a tremendous change from the earlier colonial activities of the West.
Innovation in the tropics
Moreover, as I was able to see on my first trip outside Beijing, China knows how to make good use of the advantages given by each province’s unique location. Our first trip took us to Hainan Island, which was a dream come true right from the start, even for me as a travel and nature lover. This tropical paradise, with its beaches lined with coconut palms and tropical rainforest, was the first time I had ever visited, but alongside tourist attractions such as Xidao Island and the unexpected surfing village of Tianxing, it is also a thriving centre thanks to free trade. But the island also has, like most other major cities, a hi-tech centre. Yazhou Bay on Hainan Island is focused on agribusiness and improving plant quality and resilience, or marine life and research, taking full advantage of the island’s geological location. We later visited more similar centres. What intrigued me about them is that they are practically cities within a city, with all the social amenities, offering housing, leisure space and medical care to the employees. They are equipped with cutting-edge technology and laboratories, linked to the best universities. This nurturing and cultivating of talents in practice means precisely working very efficiently on research and development and putting it into practice quickly.
Nature conservation
Nature conservation and the transition to green energy is also a strong theme in China. The construction of power plants, especially green ones, often hydro or solar, is also important to China, and these are often built in BRI countries. Another surprising moment was the discovery of how clean the air in major cities is, thanks to the strong presence of electric cars, in the production of which China plays a leading role. The automotive industry is thus also important for China in exports, and rightly Chinese cars are becoming a desirable commodity in many countries for their affordable price combined with quality.
Clean energy brings with it a cleaner environment. The greenest city we visited was Chengdu, the city of pandas. The capital of Sichuan province with its pleasant urban life is interspersed with parks and urban greenery perhaps the most. And also the iconic pandas in hundreds of different depictions. But the live ones are the best. This is also why much of the province is protected as natural or national parks, despite the fact that modernisation and urbanisation is permeating China by leaps and bounds.
It is the incredibly rapid construction of cities, which seem to have been cut out of science fiction stories in terms of their size and height, that makes one wonder whether China is losing part of its history through such rapid modernisation. But every pressure creates a counter-pressure, and just as this country is trying to preserve and protect its natural wealth, it is also trying to preserve and protect its history and culture. I saw this, for example, when I visited the village of Lizhuang on the banks of the Yangtze River. This ancient place with its stone roads and wooden houses, which is still fully inhabited, offers an authentic view of a welcoming historical part of China. Even more interesting was the evening walk where we met many young people in traditional ancient costumes. This fashion of wearing hanfu in Beijing, or ethnic costumes in many other cities among the young is not only very popular and photogenic, but also a unique way to preserve cultural heritage, love for one’s own history and build patriotism.
A fascinating history
After all, China has an ancient and very rich history. Its power is most realised when you come face to face with the soldiers of the Terracotta Army in Xian, which is more than two thousand years old! Even then, China was already a great powerful and advanced empire. Yet it has never had conquering tendencies beyond its present borders. It has always expanded only through trade. That is why many of the cities along the historic Silk Road and beyond, although they appear to be modern cities, have historical roots and hearts thousands of years old.
As well as history, I was captivated by Chinese culture. Chinese theatre, opera, the ritual of drinking tea, and the music and customs of some of the ethnic groups we were able to experience left a deep impression on me. However, the most powerful experience of the whole first four months was connected with the most iconic building in China – the Great Wall. I spent a night with five colleagues on the Great Wall in a tent overlooking the beautiful valley at Huanghuacheng. Here the wall rises from the water of the lake and lines the surrounding hills like a ribbon in several directions. In the setting sun, then, with its watchtowers, it looks like a mythical golden dragon protecting its land. As one stands on the human wall, bathed in the first rays of the sun, one realises its incredible monumentality and the human strength and power of the nation that built it. A nation that, although it was very strong and advanced in history, and is very strong and advanced today, has always protected its people and wanted to live in peace. A nation that today seeks to tear down the imaginary walls that were built earlier and to open itself fully to the world through respect, friendship, mutually beneficial trade and aid. A nation that is the only one coming into turbulent times with the idea of a Global Community of a shared future.
This year I visited China for the second time to cover two sessions and had the opportunity to delve deeper into the politics and natural beauty, history and industrial maturity of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. And although I have seen and experienced much in China, it is still just the tip of the iceberg of what China truly has to offer. This country never ceases to fascinate me and has conquered a firm place in my heart. And it is an honour to be able to pass on everything about this country through my work and to bring to the people of Europe a real picture of a country that is in many ways a front-runner and deserves not only the interest, but above all the respect of others.
*The views and opinions expressed in the articles are solely those of the individual authors and do not reflect the position of the Secretariat of the Belt and Road Journalist Network.