Culture Shock - A Westerner Located in China
I didn't know quite what you should expect nevertheless it certainly exceeded any expectations I may have gotten. Thirty in the past Shenzhen was only shanghai concert hall a tiny fishing village over the river from Hong Kong though with a concept of developing a model city to rival Hong Kong, the then leader Deng Xiaoping lay out his vision for this particular super-city. In my view Shenzhen is surely an amazing modern city with futurist tall buildings, properly designed warm and friendly apartment blocks, wide tree lined avenues, lush vegetation, relaxing parks as well as a vibrant economy to contest with any western city. Wow! I figured - this can be communist China! It wasn't however until 2007 after i came to reside in Zunyi, a 'small' city in Guizhou province did I come to uncover the real China.
The reality is you never truly know a country up until you live there and then for me, it absolutely was an actual culture shock! Make no mistake regarding it, life inside the west is very not the same as life in China.Population: China has a huge population - 1.3 billion people, a figure which is difficult to comprehend, as we all know. Zunyi is regarded as a tiny city in China but includes a population greater than England's second biggest city - Birmingham. The inhabitants are more crammed in than English cities, and because everyone lives in apartment blocks.
Merely the mountain right in the midst of the Zunyi results in a refuge through the busyness and noise in the city but a majority of cities here don't have mountains in the midst of them. The greater cities like Shanghai, Chongqing and Beijing manage to places of endless habitation but fortunately the metropolis planners have seriously considered this and you will always find either beautiful parks or historic sites to avoid too. It can be difficult to be totally alone, because of the size of the population it is difficult to get away from people in China; even the countryside where agriculture is labour intensive. With that in mind, I actually have been lucky enough to be utilized to a few stunning countryside out of the city where all you are able hear will be the birdsong and merely occasionally meet another individual.