China, 2008

Sometimes, my life seems surreal, and perhaps no more so than now, having visited China, which has for so long drifted like a cloud across the sky of my dreams. It was a little more than 20 years ago that I first peered through the windows of Theosophy and Unitarianism and gazed into the still pond of Buddhism and was captivated by the flowing river of Taoism.

Outside of a work context, China was equally captivating. Its ancient sites are a fascinating glimpse into a long history and incredibly rich culture. I managed to visit the Jade Buddha temple in Shanghai, the gardens and water village of Zhujiajiao, and the Summer Palace, Heavenly Temple, Forbidden City, Great Wall and Ming Tombs in Beijing. Even the somewhat tacky tourist-oriented silk, pearl and jade factories and tea houses proved interesting. I was also fortunate to be hosted in Beijing by someone I met at the CEIBS conference, so through her friends I got an impression of life in modern China beyond the tourist traps. Now, I find myself reflecting on what makes China remarkable.

The first remarkable thing, I would say, is how unremarkable life in the cities is. Westernisation and capitalism have already turned China into a country that displays more similarities than differences when compared to other modern economies. The major difference, of course, is the political system, which is best described as a one-party state, rather than communism or socialism. However, seeing first-hand how well the system seems to work for its 1.3 billion population, including allowing civil freedoms that are almost on a par with the West, it is difficult to remain smugly superior or evangelical about democracy. If anything, China’s ability to act decisively and to rapidly implement policies at scale in the face of massive social and environment problems is a virtue rather than a vice.