Life and Travel in China

Yesterday in the center of Shenzhen we entered a typical Chinese disco, apart from me there was no foreigner there. We are sitting and suddenly I hear a Polish lyric, some mixed disco hit "... love... the night is over...". Polish dance again! I don't understand it... even in Poland I never hear these artists, no radio station plays it, and the Chinese probably download it from the Internet and their DJ plays Polish music. It's an amazing feeling, I laughed because the whole room was having fun with it, but only I understood the words. I wonder if the Chinese pay ZAiKS to play these songs?! Ha ha!

The Starbucks coffee chain opens its points in every city in China, in Shenzhen there are areas where Starbucks is at every intersection. They created a fashion for drinking coffee, sitting with friends and using the Internet (as if there were no Internet in offices and homes). The average Chinese does not drink coffee, never makes it at home, and if someone visits someone, usually no one even offers coffee, only water or tea. I don't understand what makes this cafe so successful in the Middle East?! The nouveau riche Chinese simply show off by drinking coffee there, they feel as if they were actors from the TV series "Friends". I've been there a few times too, once I got crushed ice with a bit of juice (it has a special name) for 25 RMB, another time I got coffee in a scratched and shabby mug. It's strange that this brand was promoted here. Average cafes have no chance on the Chinese market because no one likes coffee (they also don't eat sandwiches and cakes much), Starbucks is about something else?!

Regarding the demonstrations in Tibet... China is far from a perfect country, but a lot has changed here. I treat China as my second homeland, I have many Chinese friends. In the future, I will miss the middle country when I return to Poland. Boycotting the Olympics will harm ordinary people more than it will change anything in China. The Chinese are a very peaceful and peaceful nation. The authorities treat them harshly and ruthlessly, because with this number of people it is impossible to do otherwise. People who have never lived here for a long time will never understand it. And those who have the most to say are those who have never been to China or have been to the Canton Fair twice and think they already know everything about this country. The boycott will harm ordinary people, shopkeepers, hoteliers and restaurateurs, and it will not impress the authorities much. Poland's opinion is of little interest to them anymore. You need to be able to separate the decisions and aggressions of the government from the actions of ordinary citizens. Ordinary Chinese do not feel any hatred towards people from Tibet, it is the government that suppresses demonstrations, not the whole of China. You can't blame the entire country and judge China based on recent events. The country in the middle is changing for the better, step by step. 50 years ago millions of people were starving here, today they have a better chance of a decent life and even some success. You just need to be able to distinguish between the affairs of ordinary people and communist politics. In China I met many simple, kind, helpful and sincere people, should I pass them off as Tibet?

Regarding the boycott of Chinese T-shirts and other products due to the situation in Tibet. Ironically, such T-shirts are cheaper in India and Pakistan, because cotton is cheap there, but not in China - this is another stereotype. So the best we can do is boycott polyester T-shirts. And if we want to boycott things manufactured in China, please also remember about i-Pods, Playstation consoles and Nokia phones, because these and many other "branded" products are produced in China, near Shenzhen. I will gladly provide the address to those who do not believe. Of course, I mean original products, not fakes.

Today my wife was listing what inventions come from China. When she said paper, I replied - maybe if it weren't for paper, laptops would have appeared in the world earlier. Now we write on laptops, such a stupid joke.