Thursday, October 23, 2008

What is China?

I thought one aspect of my exchange semester here would be to understand a little bit of China. How wrong I was.
Now that ca. half of my time has past, I am trying to draw first conclusions - but I can't. There is no China. It is confusing.
The traffic is weird, the accentuation is, the attitude of the people in general is. Although you get very much used to it, I wouldn't say I understand it.
Communism - no way, Capitalism, also not. Freedom of whatever - more or less - less. But there is not the need for it - the people are so happy... and then there is.
China is the country of inconsistency. Chinese people can live with that - I think it's hard. There is no China!
But: Everybody can have it's own one. For some it might be hell for others it might be heaven. "It is not the voice that commands the story: it is the ear." said Marco Polo. (Who probably knew that best.)
Don't believe anything about China! Just believe everything about China! Two statements, with which i would agree 100%. I can already imagine people at home asking me: "How was it? How is China like?" And then there is the dilemma. I can't tell them anything.

I am fine with inconsistency - so am I.
... for me China is sometimes a little piece of sunshine in our backyard...

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wie poetisch... ;)

Lars said...

...don't worry. I will continue with some stupid stuff ;-)

Anonymous said...

Ich seh' schon... ;)
Coole Bilder vom Karaoke-Abend!

Lars said...

GROße GROßE SINGSTAR PARTY! Genau dein Ding! ;-)

Anonymous said...

Och, ich hätte mich mit Jim und Jack beschäftigt, dann geht das schon... ;)