I wandered out of the hotel in Zhangzhou and found myself behind a young, pretty girl in a tight white outfit. As we stopped at the zebra crossing and waiting for a pause in traffic, I quietly admired her from behind. I continued admiring her as we crossed the road, turned to our left, and walked to the end of the street, where she abruptly walked into a small nondescript entrance and up a flight of stairs at the back of the room. It appeared to be a lobby of some sort, and I backed away and looked at the sign by the door. I easily recognised the characters for "24 hrs", "living" and a character I felt fairly sure meant "dormitory" or "apartment". I glanced up the street and suddenly realised the entire street was lined with hairdressers and sex shops selling the lastest in sex toys, pornography and other such paraphanelia. Taking in the lobby in front of me in a new light, and recollecting the girl had walked out of my hotel at 5pm in the afternoon, I suddenly appreciated her in a new light.
I walked on and soon lost myself among the street vendors and bright neon lights of the city's shopping district. Zhangzhou, despite being far inland, seemed as bright, modern and bustling as Xiamen, if much smaller. I was surprised by the number of smart boutiques and lifestyle shops that lined the busy streets. Up above me from a balcony overlooking a street, loud music and the exhortations of an aerobics instructor were clearly heard from the street. The influences of several different cultures could also be seen in the variety of stores, catering to a populace flush with new money and hungering for different experiences and ideas. I saw Japanese-style shops selling cute little trinkets, home furnishings shops with equipment on display more modern than anything I remember seeing in the UK, 'Crate and Barrel' style stores with sleek yet functional home appliances and equipment, and clothing stores that offered the latest from both the fashion houses in Europe and the exciting new generation of Chinese designers, all for a people aspiring to a lifestyle that was unknown in China less than a generation ago.
China, in my mind, was always a land trapped in time, frozen first by the decision of the Ming Dynasty to turn her back on the world, and then by the Communists who attempted to construct a post-modern utopia. Thus China's cities seemed to me to be monolithic soviet-style communal blocks, and China's countryside to be 18th century houses wreathed in mist amidst terraced hillsides growing rice and wheat, furrowed by bullocks driven by boys sitting crossed legged and playing Chinese flutes. Even when I visited Beijing and Shanghai in the 90s, the two cities were still a mixture of the very old and very new, and in any case could be easily dismissed as exceptions, the political capital and the business capital of China. No more. Money is flowing about everywhere in China, and the noveau rich were out in force. It's only a matter of time before it reaches the innermost regions of China.
I don't mourn for the loss of any cultural heritage or feel nostalgic for a past I never really knew. What we perceive as our traditional culture and past is the product of centuries of slow evolution, with traditions discarded and adapted as time went by. Ultimately, people are very pragmatic, and do what it takes to survive. Tradition and culture are our own adaptations to the world around us that give it meaning and allow us to survive- a short hand that keeps us doing the things we need to do, and gives our own lives richness and meaning. Each and every one of these traditions we cling to, started out for a reason. Social advancement, health, cosmological significance- it all has a reason, and we must understand and respect and remember our past, but it should never hold us back from fulfilling our lives here in the present. So when I see China advancing at its current massive rate of progress, trying everything like a child let loose in a toy shop, I don't fear a loss of distinctiveness or heritage. I'm excited about the possibilities and the exciting future that the people of China are going to have. It's the beauty of tomorrow: anything is possible.
Posted by pj at October 23, 2004 02:14 PM