What Lies Beyond The Great Wall

By Koushik Das on September 22, 2024

One cannot find pictures of Mao Zedong, slogans on walls, English words and posters of any blockbuster movie anywhere in Beijing! There are only roads go around the capital city of China that has a number of multi-storey flyovers. Also, there are no beggars on the streets! China is now at the peak of development, as the Asian Giant knows how to open and close the market.

Although China is politically still a communist country, it has gradually turned into a capitalist nation in reality! The capitalists of all countries have united here by giving a thumbs up to the likes of Karl Marx. the progress China has made is a wonder, indeed! The country has become the world's largest exporter, as almost everything one purchases in the US is Made in China! It may be noted that 490 multinational companies invested in Nanjing (the capital of eastern province of Jiangsu that is roughly 300km up the Yangtze River from the city of Shanghai) in 2023.

Once, Nicanor Segundo Parra Sandoval (September 5, 1914 - January 23, 2018), considered one of the most influential Spanish-language Chilean poets of the 20th Century, visited China. In 1972, he penned a poem, titled 'United States: the country where liberty is a statue'. However, Parra did not joke about the Great Wall of China. Perhaps, he was aware that it might swing in the reverse.

A top Chinese bureaucrat recently informed an Indian visitor that no one could sell any agricultural land there. Even when the land is privately owned, its real owner is the State! This is why China can feed its 1.5 billion population! The US often claims that there is no democracy in China and no one can speak freely! However, the Indian tourist found that the Chinese people were abundantly using Facebook and other social media platforms!

Peking University is an outstanding educational institution. The Indian visitor recently wrote in a Kolkata-based Bengali-language daily that his passport was scanned while entering the university. He also mentioned that he did not have to show his passport while entering any other educational institution anywhere else. However, he received a warm welcome from students and teachers of the Peking University, who were eager to know about India.

The people of China seemingly lead a better life mostly, sans borrowing of traditions across the Atlantic. The Chinese society is not at all Eurocentric, in any way! It is hence China's glory has reached the sky without the help of English, French or Spanish literature. The Asian nation has never compared Li Bai (701 - 762) with Shakespeare to show how great the Chinese poet was! Li was one of the greatest and most important poets of the Tang Dynasty and in Chinese history as a whole. He and his friend Du Fu (712 - 770) were two of the most prominent figures in the flourishing of Chinese poetry under the Tang Dynasty, which is often called the Golden Age of Chinese Poetry. China has also produced thinkers, like Confucius, Laozi (or Lao Tzu), Lu Xun (born Zhou Zhangshou) and others.

Chinese culture is characterised by a number of values, traditions and practices, including collectivism, respect for elders, harmony, traditional values, etc. China continues to prioritising the collective over the individual, apart from emphasising the importance of family and personal relationships. It also values elders as a source of knowledge and wisdom, and their guidance is highly regarded. Chinese culture also values harmony over conflict, seeking to keep the chi (life force) flowing smoothly. The people of China are highly influenced by traditional values, such as benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom, honesty, loyalty and filial piety.