Life and Travel in China

I know more and more people in China who have either already emigrated or are planning to emigrate in the near future. For many people, Covid restrictions were a deciding factor. The problem is that this is no longer the China of Mao's era. The average Chinese knows what life is like abroad. You will probably think that it is about democracy and freedom of speech, but it is more about other factors. First of all, a calmer lifestyle. My friend is planning to move to Canada for good. He sees that his children are tired from too many school activities. Believe me, children in Poland do not have even 30% of the classes available in the Middle Kingdom. Of course, this translates into real knowledge, but also into indoctrination, discipline and rather unhealthy patriotism and nationalism. Young Chinese are at school practically from morning until late in the evening, of course they have a lunch break, but they basically have no free time. During the week, family contacts are limited to a minimum. The Chinese have become richer and want to make more use of this money and life. Some people are thinking about emigrating to Greece. My wife's friend has been living in Canada for many years, where she runs an office that helps with migration formalities. My good friend from Shenzhen, whom I have known for 19 years, has been living in Australia for several years. She found a husband there and started a family there. Some emigrate closer to e.g. Malaysia, Singapore, while others emigrate far to Europe or America. China's middle class often sees no future in its own country. It is becoming more and more difficult to start a family, their own apartment is beyond their financial reach, they have no motivation, they have no time to raise children. Many Chinese people work really hard, work is their whole life and there is no time left for anything else. Some people know that it is different in Europe, that people do not necessarily work from morning to evening, that they have time for their children, holidays and weekends. They don't have to constantly jostle, stand in queues and fight for every square meter for themselves.

Currently, China will introduce an official time limit and financial limit for online games. There will probably be limits on the number of virtual items, hero skills or the amounts that can be invested in add-ons for a given game. More and more people are addicted to multimedia, practically every citizen has a smartphone and is online all the time. When you get on the subway in any Chinese city, all you see are people with their heads bowed, focused on their phones or tablets. The vast majority watch some movies or series, others chat with friends on WeChat, and still others play games. Some people can perform several activities at once, as if they were created for the virtual world. As for games, this applies to both young and older Chinese. Many years ago I noticed that the Chinese are very prone to gambling. Previously, it was mainly innocent card games, but there were also some small financial bets. In my gallery you will also see middle-aged men who play Chinese chess for money. Currently, there are fewer of these games, and they have been replaced by online entertainment. There are plenty of RPG games where you develop your character, his skills, and weapons - these games often refer to Chinese history, e.g. the Three Kingdoms era. Many characters from fairy tales and books have been transferred to online games. Let me remind you here that gambling is formally banned in China, but online games have gotten out of control. But won't these restrictions now cause protests and revolutions in China ;-)? People used to fight for freedom, food and dignity, and now they will be angry not having access to their favorite game.

/"If you are not a criminal, what bothers you about surveillance?" - this is how a Chinese man once answered me when I asked him if he was not irritated by cameras on the streets, in offices, shops, and stations? Indeed, the Chinese do not perceive the constant invasion of their privacy as a threat. On the contrary, they praise safety and peace. We look at it all differently, what matters to us is freedom and privacy. In the Middle Kingdom, such constant surveillance may actually disturb criminals, thieves and possibly husbands who meet their lovers in various places and circumstances. While recently staying at a hotel in Guangzhou, I even wondered for a moment whether there was a camera above me in the bathroom. A bit paranoid, but there are actually a lot of these cameras. Some people probably remember the game Metal Gear Solid, here in China Snake would not have it easy. Looking at the ceiling of the railway station, I have the impression that one camera is being watched by four other cameras, so if someone wanted to get here anonymously, or rather move a few meters, they would have to deactivate five cameras at the same time. Probably impossible. There are a lot of videos on the Internet about pointing people, issuing tickets automatically, etc. Sure, it is like that in some places, but my Chinese friends and I were passing through a red light at the Guangzhou Dong railway station and no one got a ticket and no points were deducted from us. You can get used to these problems, but you can't get rid of them. However, constantly thinking about them, the feeling of constant observation and lack of privacy can lead some people to madness.

I don't know how true this story is, but in China anything is possible. Well, in Shanghai, the groom's parents wanted to give the apartment to their son. Only there the donation to the son is subject to tax. Quite a large amount (probably around 10%) and they decided to avoid it. How? In an interesting way. The bride and groom divorced, and the groom's parents also divorced. Later, the former father-in-law married his former daughter-in-law ;-). Of course, it was only about documents, both couples lived normally, as after their original wedding. After some time, the former father-in-law transferred the apartment to his former daughter-in-law (according to the documents, his current wife). When all this became final, the couples divorced again and after some time the groom's parents remarried and the young couple got married again. The family had to show a lot of trust, because what if the father decided to stay with his young daughter-in-law? I don't know if it's understandable, but it's definitely very funny. The law did not provide for such a circus and such rotations in one family. As you can see, the Chinese are a resourceful nation, we have a lot in common here - Poles can also bypass many regulations and restrictions. Especially when it comes to taxes and money.

I must admit that Chinese cities are increasingly focused on tourism. There are more and more facilities for foreigners, information in English, applications, translations, etc. In addition, many attractions are being created for Chinese and foreign tourists: zoos, safaris, water parks, amusement parks, theme parks, museums, restored temples, etc. Everything is built on a grand scale, often with an interesting idea, something distinctive. The prices of such attractions vary, in principle comparable to our entry tickets or sometimes even more expensive. Modern technology, 3D presentations, special cinemas, colorful lighting (even in caves), sound and animations play a major role. Buildings, skyscrapers, temples and their lighting and arrangement are an attraction in themselves. Here I recommend a walk around HuaCheng Square in the center of Guangzhou (TianHe District). An open square, a pleasant view of the Pearl River in the evening, and all surrounded by magnificent skyscrapers. In the western part there is also a lot of greenery, special footbridges and a pond stocked with fish. In the provinces, in the mountains, there are also more attractions in the form of glass bridges, special footbridges, mountain railways, etc. Unfortunately, the more popular the place, the longer the queues, especially on weekends and holidays.