Hi all, for my first official post in my new home I thought I would share some thoughts I have on my actual new home, China. This is a post I made earlier in the month for my one-time travel buddy Celine in an attempt to give an overview of this strange country that I now call home.
t’s hard to turn on the TV or open a paper without reading something about China. The questionable human rights record, the Beijing Olympics or Shanghai Expo, and of course the fastest economic growth in the history of civilization. There is so much information on this country floating out there its hard to tell what the truth is.
The fact is, I don’t know either. This is not a country with easy answers. It is modernizing rapidly but has perhaps the longest history in the world. It has some of the world’s largest cities, but still has a small town feel. It can feel crowded or incredibly empty. There really is only one way to describe China, the world’s largest contradiction. At moments the country makes you want to bang your head against the wall, but at sometimes it gives you a sense of calming and fulfillment that you can only truly get being far away from home. The real joy of China is finding your own ways to see the contradictions.
If you aren’t sure where to start to look, here are the nice places and experiences that should help grant a bit of clarity into what China is all about.
