No matter how much one has read about China and its developments, one can never imagine the impact it has on a new visitor. Never before in history has a nation so prepared to receive millions. If they are just trying to impress the world, then they have succeeded eminently. Beijing may be just one of the cities Indian politicians can start learning from about how to develop infrastructure.
For the forthcoming Commonwealth Games, Indians have not even started construction. Swanky airports and sports infrastructure with design inputs from the leading architects of the world are parts of the landscape which will change the mindset of a visitor. When I last visited China as a pilot over 25 years ago, India and China were almost on the same path of development with similar problems of poverty, malnutrition and population growth. China advanced under controlled political establishment and India continued to be a practicing democracy.
However, one cannot imagine how fast China has been able to develop. It is mind boggling. Major cities like Beijing and Shanghai are no way less than a modern city in any developed country, but with even better transportation, highways and state of the art infrastructure.
Even the garbage bins have been designed in the shape of Chinese dragons and characters. All roads and highways even in central China were lined with trees and bushes manicured like they have just come out of the salon. Thousands of trees have been planted in the newly developed townships. There are of course many problems still remaining for China. More than 70 percent of the population doesn't share this new phenomenon of economic growth.
The real people, who are actually working for this world competition function under appalling conditions. They don't have basic healthcare and proper nutrition. Most of them live in the tight city clusters sandwiched between progress and poverty. An average worker in a factory works at least 18 hours a day, living in the premises provided by the owner.
The reason given is they don't need to commute to work. Freedom of movement is limited to the younger generation. One of the students we met Fu (name changed) told us that what we were seeing was limited to big cities and tourist destinations only. Many of the rural youth try to migrate to bigger cities for better jobs.
The youth, by and large are frustrated because of scarcity of jobs and lack of teaching staff in learning centers, especially for foreign languages. However, he also mentioned that things are improving every day. The main problem is that people who are able to reach better living standards are getting rich fast, thereby creating larger gap than ever before.
Even though the Government has been able to extend leases to farmers tiling their land, health expenses and livelihood has become unbearable. Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao have recently made inroads into tackling this problem but it is getting worse and time is running out on China on this major issue. With China opening up, its people are getting exposed to what the world is like outside China.
One of the women we met in Xian was shocked to learn from us the freedom we have in US and India. We don't realize our freedom unless we visit such places. China's main challenge now is how they will circumvent the communist system to let the new found hybrid capitalist system thrive.
They have put into practice economic development that no other country can imagine. China also must not live in false glory of its past by claiming territories that do not belong to it. It should concentrate on its domestic issues. If it does so, nothing will stop China from becoming the world leader of 21st century.
With this in view, one should not be surprised to see Dalai Lama returning to Tibet and Tibetans living in harmony alongside the people of China. Hiuen Tsang would have preferred this instead of just building roads to Everest or the longest railroad to Tibet. Like in Buddhism they say, "Of not what you were but what matters is what you do now."
(Capt Krishan Sharma, Managing Director & Joint Editor of India Post, has recently returned from a trip to China)
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