Love at First Sight

Reflections on a visit to China

They say that first impressions are lasting. This is certainly true in the case of my visit to China in the Spring of 2005. My first experience of being swept off my feet was in Macau, on arrival. I was tired after travelling from India by night; I was anxious, being in a new place without friends or language. I was supposed to have been met, but there had been a brerakdown in communication so i was in a sense stranded.

But from my reassuring discussion with the tourist centre guide in Macau Marine Terminal that day, till I passed through the same terminal some five weeks later, my love affair with China and her people, was sealed forever.

Because I am concerned here with an overall experience, it is difficult to put it into words. There is the temptation to say - as I have done often to those who ask me, "And tell us, what is China like?" - "Come and experience it for yourselves."
But let me see if I can capture something of the experience for those who may never have the good fortune to visit China themselves.

Of all the races of the world, the Chinese are beyond question, among the most courteous. They have made an art out of refinement, gentleness, tradition, ritual. It shows in their dress, their music, their dance, their ettiquette. One detects it in the gentle hint of a bow, the subtle raising of an eyebrow, the faintest glimmer of a smile.

Over and over I found myself aching to know the language because if the meaning was in any way related to the gestures, then it must surely have been beautiful. Towards tghe end of my time in China, I had begun to trot out some of the Mandairn phrases I had picked up. I recall people in other parts of the world disolving into laughter when I tried to speak their language - but not so in China. My friends encouraged me and made me feel I was almost a native speaker.

One of my striking memories is the perfection - in both dress and manner - of Chinese officialdom, especially the uniformed variety. They seem to pride themselves on standing statue-like for hours, till passers by are not sure if they are real persons or merely statues. In trains and offices and restaurants, I noticed again and again the immaculate state of the uniform.

All I can say at this stage is that a lot of my reading on the Internet before going to China never measured up to my experience when I actually went there. Without exaggeration, I have to say that I have not a single negative memory to carry with me through life. So much so, that I am already excited to the point of sleeplessness, at the thought of my return visit in May 2006.

Dear People of China, thank you for being you; thank you for all you have been to me. There is a magic in your land and culture that pulls me like a magnet, and I must return and walk among you once more.