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China has changed!
Jul 13, 2006 00:56
  • GRIZ326
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I preface this saying I enjoyed my trip to Shenyang and Beijing immensely, but it was not the China I saw 30 years ago.....

China has changed. It it not the place I visited 3 decades ago. All that I loved about the old China is lost...at least in these two cities.

This is not necessarily a bad thing...but you when you visit a city such as Beijing or Shenyang it is visiting a city...just as any city in Europe or the United States. ...okay...that's not quite accurate, but reasonably fair....

If you want to see old China, you must go far from the major cities...I believe. Old China no longer exists in the big cities.

Were it not for my romantic interest in China, I would have been tremendously disappointed. ...but that said...I wanted my romantic interest to see the places she has always wanted to see.

When I return to China in about 8 months, we will go to the places I dream of seeing. These are more remote, smaller communities.

To put this in perspective...

My grandmother immigrated to the United States from County Mayo, Ireland in 1919. She told me tales of Ireland. When I visited the family farm on the River Moy in 1992, old Ireland was gone. This was sad for me, but has been great good fortune for the people of Ireland. I hope it is so for the people of China.
Jul 13, 2006 01:17
#1  
  • PEA28COCK
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Everything is changing, and there is no exception to a country.
Human beings are nostalgic. We have been used to the old things, old styles and we thought that things should behave like that. But still we have to let ourselves catch up with the time and tide, right?
Jul 13, 2006 04:29
#2  
  • LEMONCACTUS
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So happy you enjoyed your trip...

China is changing every day I think... but it is still possible to find the "old" China, you just have to look a bit harder.

Change is always difficult. Pea28cock you're right perhaps, essentially human beings are nostalgic, although not all change is good. I guess China must try to strike a balance between the old and the new, between future growth and conservation of the past. Not easy!
Jul 13, 2006 04:36
#3  
  • PINETREE
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An ole Chinese saying "If the old ones don't go, new ones won't come" !! We always lament the passing of the old esp if it is not our own - we wanna enjoy them at others' expense !!
That's the way of ife.
Jul 13, 2006 20:36
#4  
  • CALIFORNIA
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China changed everyday,especially Beijing!!!
Jul 13, 2006 20:54
#5  
  • BELLELI
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World is changing, so China is changing too. Everything is changing.

I like changes!
Aug 18, 2006 20:14
#6  
  • FRANKDONG
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I agree with you china changed already, but i think its not bad news for china, only changing means development for old china,i belive china will become strong and wealth country
Aug 19, 2006 02:15
#7  
  • TEKNOMED
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Yes China has changed. Like you, I first visited China in the early 80s. The people now can affort a lot of things which they can only dreamed about before. Cities are more developed, more cars are on the road and the people are properous.

What I would like to see changed is the mannerism of the people. They should learn to say please and thank you, do not clear their throat and spit in public, queue up instead of pushing their through and don't think that with money they can do anything.
Aug 19, 2006 14:45
#8  
  • GERALDINE
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I only visited China for the first time in 2004 but you could see the wheels of change turning and I am glad that I ahve seen some of what survives of a very ancient culture. It would be a shame if it became totally western looking as we have plenty of these cities around the world. I did emjoy the mix of the old and the new and I loved the charm of the country people' it would be a shame to lose the essence that is China. Other cities around Europe have managed to maintain the old worldy feel in with the new. China I hope will maintain the beauty of it's past and the essence of it's culture while stepping in to the modern world- here's hoping anyway.
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