Life and Travel in China

I have the impression that TikTok has become such a propaganda mouthpiece for the Chinese government. Many "useful..." people do not know China well and praise this country to the skies, compare China to the USA or Europe and spit on Western culture, how everything is ruined by migrants, drug addicts and people are afraid to leave home. Yes, China is safe, there are many advantages, but my experience in the Middle Kingdom (22 years now) shows that there is also a lot of injustice and absurdity there, I have already seen various situations and heard various stories. China on TikTok has become a utopia, an ideal country. Are you sure there is one? In my opinion - no. Foreigners are a bit exaggerated with admiration, and we also have profiles that seem to be working on behalf of the authorities. They publish various videos about new technologies, about wonderful solutions in China, about how the country is perfect and they don't even need the police there ;-). People, think a little, be objective, analyze the facts and don't believe in only one point of view.

Some say there are no more homeless or beggars in China, or they are in special centers. Don't be naive! Of course they are. Maybe just not in all districts, not at every turn, but they are there. A moment ago, the situation from the subway in Guangzhou: suddenly a man about 35 years old fell. He was conscious but looked very bad. It was hard for him to catch his breath. At first people moved away, but after a while two men helped him up and into a sitting position. He showed that he was thirsty, people gave him juice and water. Then he said something slurred. Maybe a little drunk, maybe some stimulants or just weak. Someone gave him some sweet rolls. After a while, another man took out RMB 15 in cash. I watched it a little further and after a while I noticed that this poor guy didn't even have shoes, only worn out flip-flops and old clothes. Fortunately, someone reported the whole situation and was approached by metro staff at the next station. So it is not the case that in the Middle Kingdom everyone lives in abundance and is overjoyed. Many people have different problems.

Chinese women are really infantile. Even women who are already 30-40 years old buy various types of plush dolls, teddy bears, frogs and labubu. Most often they hang it next to bags and luggage. There are also various tassels, pendants, and phone key rings. All in all, it has its own charm, but it is rather rare in Poland.

I noticed that cameras are back in fashion, which makes me happy. Some time ago I saw a large Canon showroom in Shanghai and a lot of customers there. Recently I also met some celebrities and they were besieged by a crowd of young girls, most of them had small, clever mirrorless cameras. History has come full circle and (at least in the Middle Kingdom) people have realized that the phone is not for taking photos. Of course, there are various smartphones here and the quality of these photos is getting better, but none of them will have the detailed settings that cameras have. None of them will have a decent lens or a large optical zoom, because there is no room for it in phones. Maybe it will change in Europe too, but cameras are definitely becoming popular in China. Mainly because mirrorless cameras are small and light, and they guarantee much better photos than mid-range or higher-class phones.

I recently met a Chinese man from Inner Mongolia (a province of China) who is Han Chinese (not Mongolian) and he told me that he doesn't like Russians. This surprised me a bit, because both nations are very friendly; especially now. He was even worried about Poland and asked me what the situation was with the shelters. Of course it doesn't look good. Theoretically, there will be no war now, although in 1939 some people certainly thought there would be no war. You never know...