Understanding China up close (Part 3)
China is not a perfect society. They have made many mistakes. But they decided and allowed themselves to correct them, make amends and transition to systems that have only one goal. Not to wreak havoc on the world. Not to breast beat and gloat over their accomplishments. But with pride, to prove to the world that it is possible to give their own people today a life hundreds of times better than their parents had. I cannot downplay it, but I have to say it. The child to whom I gave a toy and a bar soap in 1989 is now driving a Porsche Cayenne. And with their government not having to fire a single shot or drop a single bomb anywhere else. No countries conquered, ravaged and/or enslaved. That alone is an astronomical feat. I may have missed out something in my observation but… I don’t think that even the most powerful and wealthiest of nations have gotten close to that.
There’s no other way for anyone to understand China other than to see for themselves what transformation means to their citizens, despite the barrage of Western propaganda.
In the last 35 years, I’ve gone back frequently to satisfy my curiosity as well as to reinforce all that I was told and have learned from childhood.
Is it for real? How do I reconcile what I see vs. what is said by Western media? How do I navigate this as a Filipino of Chinese origin? Isn’t this what I also want for 100 million Filipinos? I have to be selective and discerning as forces that seek to vilify and destroy China attack endlessly in various forms.
I have climbed the almost vertical Wu Yi Mountain in Fujian after a long bamboo raft ride down the meandering river from shore to the foot of the mountain. I have trekked for two days to enjoy twisted pine trees, low lying clouds and soaked in the awesome scenery in the Huang San mountains in Anhui province in winter! I saw endless stocks of ink slabs, brushes and awesome artwork on paper in dozens of specialty stores in the city center. Amazing! How the traditional houses in the entire province of Anhui display an elegant combination of white walls and black clay roofs!
I’ve done the rounds. Chengdu, Kunming, Lijiang, Ju Zhai Guo as our gateway to Lhasa, Tibet. Awesome! One must not miss the stone forest and wonderful flower market of Kunming, the well-preserved houses of Lijiang looking like graceful steps to heaven as they were centuries before. And of course, Chengdu! Home of the Pandas and the incredible artform – the act of changing faces in a split second!
Tibet is breathtaking and we had a wonderful visit experiencing Tibetan culture and the advancements in their living standards yet maintaining their old way of life. Amazing! the way progressive Chinese cities helped poorer Tibetan cities clean up and rise to what they are today!
I had to make a must stop in Nanjing in Jiangsu Province, home to 85 million people. I couldn’t resist the exquisite embroidery and brocade that would always warrant an extra suitcase or two to bring home.
In one visit to China, I insisted to visit Hangzhou, more famous as Jack Ma’s hometown but is indeed a most romantic city with wonderful architecture, gardens, and the lake!
I made sure to go see the thousands of Buddhas in Shandong province of 100 million people – that’s a province almost the same size as the Philippines. And the impressive Longmen grottoes in Luoyang, Henan Province where you can find tens of thousands of Buddhist stone statues.
I have brought friends and family to experience the Snow and Ice Festival in Harbin, Heilongjang Province three times! And the experiences were like no other. The magnificent ice structures and carvings are quite a sight to behold! And they grow in magnitude, size, and design each year. Not to mention other winter activities that made our 10 days stay inadequate but ultra memorable especially to the children!
Guiling is one of China’s best natural attractions. As we cruised through calm waters and fabulous rock formations, we felt a sense of tranquility and peace and took another cruise after a year or so.
It is easier for me to feel comfortable in Fujian Province and Xiamen City. The language and cuisine are more familiar, and people generally warmer perhaps because of the facility in communication. In my case, going back to visit far off relatives in the “Hiyu-di” makes me feel some degree of envy as to how they have such a quality of life they never imagined they could achieve.
I have visited Guangzhou many times, home to 126 million people – we crossed the Zhuhai bridge which runs almost around 60km over water! The foresight, planning, technology and conscious execution according to what is best for the province, the country, and the world is obvious! No wonder they are able to build the province of Guangdong to be the Factory of the World! The Canton Fair held twice a year is China’s largest and oldest Fair. It gives the visitor unlimited access to the latest products and materials made in China. The whole world eagerly awaits this bi-annual event!
Needless to say, Shanghai and Beijing are what I would consider the ultimate show case of China. The way these and all other cities and provinces of China have been designed and built are proof that they want no war, ever. And would like to maintain peace, prosperity and harmony not just for their people but for the world. A visit to these two flagship cities, to me, tells the whole story.
My simplistic understanding of China which I can say started in childhood as an essential part of my upbringing was further enhanced and reinforced by friendships in later life with local Filipino Chinese political supporters, and through dealings with entrepreneurs and officials in different levels in my visits to China, many of whom have become my good friends. So far, I have been lucky. So far I have not yet been scammed by a Chinese Filipino or Chinese from elsewhere. So, this has greatly formed a pretty accurate picture for me, of what China and the Chinese are all about.
Based on my observation and experience, the Chinese trained at a very early age possess the following characteristics:
1. Word of Honor
2. Clear and strong concept of bigness and oneness
3. Sincere desire to help
4. Ahead in almost everything except death
5. Patience unlimited
6. Hard work and passion
7. Seriousness of purpose
8. Forward looking
9. Thinkers, planners, goal setters and doers. Notice, I did not say dreamers!
10. No prejudice or racism as the West knows it
11. Preference for being low key
12. People’s welfare comes first before seeking publicity
13. Work ethic and high standard of excellence
14. Value in understanding and knowing history that always serves as a guide to chart the course of their future
15. Decisiveness and action orientation
16. Generosity
17. Pragmatism
18. Strong sense of family, and respect for hierarchy
19. Preference for harmony over conflict
20. Mandarin language skills that teach listening, speaking, reading and writing
So much we can pick up and learn from indeed. There is a wealth of clear-cut advances we would lose nothing to emulate and execute in our own country. We just have to make a conscious effort.
Today, in the Philippines, it is unfortunate that at the top of our minds, we associate China or the Chinese with POGO and its ills: smoking, drinking, gambling, excessive spending and law breaking.
Why? This is the image that we see firsthand. The Filipinos see the Chinese as they come to our country as law breakers who pay hefty sums to wangle themselves out of it. As guests and investors in our country they must also do their share to make the Filipinos understand China as it is. They are all ambassadors of their country in ours, a foreign country with our own culture, traditions, accepted behavior and levels of tolerance.
I recall a few of many incidents I have personally observed and experienced. In my condominium building during the pandemic, a group of Chinese nationals entered the elevator on a lower floor as I was going down to the parking area. Covid was at its highest and we were all told to wear masks and keep distance. They were not wearing masks and were coughing profusely. I asked, “Why are you not wearing a mask and you are coughing! You can infect us and we could die!” to which he retorted, “It’s none of your business!” I replied “It is my business! And it is for the good of all.” I called the lobby guards and stood against the elevator doors so they couldn’t leave and the doors would not close. I told the guards about what happened. It was confirmed by the CCTV footage.
I wrote to the President of Rockwell and to the head of the administration office of our building. They were eventually evicted as tenants.
On another occasion, in a restaurant, a group of Chinese nationals were having dinner and were all smoking despite clear “no smoking” signs on the table and on the walls. I stood up to tell them that Philippine law prohibits smoking in all public places. They didn’t mind me until I asked management to ask them to leave.
These are clear examples of how behavior shapes public opinion about people. It is unfair that an entire 1.4 billion people are cast in the same lot as these violators. And that the Filipino Chinese could be and are seen in the same light.
It is also in the interest of mutual understanding, trust, and respect that the Chinese make an effort to show their best and not their worst while in another country. Not just in the Philippines.
This is also what we tell our Filipino nationals about watching their behavior and speech in foreign countries because it would leave an impression that would take years to undo with great effort and challenges.
Today, many Filipinos also distrust and have negative feelings even about the Chinese who have been in the country for decades. Some for a few generations. All because of recent developments that have hit the news concerning POGO’s scamsters and other criminal elements.
All these create gaps, shadows, and downright disdain for the Chinese. They would not even be here if we didn’t allow them in.
I hope to be an instrument in keeping the centuries of cordiality, friendship, cooperation and peace alive and strong. I hope my advocacy will lead to a more positive appreciation of such a civilization that has greatly contributed to the world over the millennia and has enriched an entire world as it pursued its own success and development.
I hope we could celebrate China’s contributions as it has given everyone access to a better life and affordable goods previously exclusive to the wealthy. I hope our understanding of China could transcend the “unacceptable” who have found their way into our country and were also aided and facilitated by our own countrymen in all levels of the Philippine government bureaucracy.
The last thing I would like to see in our country is the open and active Sinophobia that I pray would not lead to baseless and uncalled for behavior and violence against each other.
The anti-Chinese sentiment is felt across the spectrum in our society as shown in survey results. We should be careful and cautious that it does not create a chasm that will be difficult to repair.
I hope you understand where I am coming from. It is in our own national interest, survival and development that peace be maintained in our region and ASEAN, and that we become instruments of understanding by building bridges that connect and not walls that divide.
It takes two to tango. We would like our people to understand China as it should be understood. And the Chinese also have to do their share. The Filipino Chinese through various organization headed by the FFCCCI and Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industries, the APCU and others have shown the way. They have shown compassion during times of calamity and need.
They are first to arrive in areas when there is fire or flood. They provide school buildings where there is a lack. They assist and provide medical missions and scholarships. The list is long and significant and we thank them for the sympathy and compassion, as well as their willingness to help the unfortunate members of society, more often than not without being asked.
When I think of China today, I think of the food, the Great Wall, jade, silk, porcelain, beautiful stone, and exquisitely crafted handicrafts, EV’s, gadgets, highspeed trains, clean and fabulous cities, gardens, monuments and nature parks, awesome architecture, deep culture, theatre, martial arts, discipline, math, science, Chinese medicine and feng shui!
A country that has leap frogged from extreme poverty to wealth in a generation. Not losing track of what they had gone through in the past and remembering and learning from history vividly as they move forward and upward into the future, making sure they don’t repeat the same mistakes.
The only way to understand China is with an open mind. And their one clear undisputable track record is that in recent memory China has not contributed in any way to the fall of any leader, the destruction or devastation of any country. Instead, they have lifted more poor people in their own country and in the world out of poverty as it continued to progress. This is perhaps why at the back of my mind; I always refer to China not just as a nation but as a civilization!
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