A short winter break in Beijing

Almost one year has gone by since I moved to London, and here I am, back in Beijing on a short business trip. It was a sunny and a bit chilly morning when the plane touched down at the airport. The plane was unusually empty in the premium economy cabin, but I still didn’t get much sleep – my back hurt after sitting in the same position for too long. The young guy sitting next to me is Chinese, who has spent eight years in UK, and got his masters degree last year and now waiting to get his immigration visa. I asked him if he will be looking for a job, he shrugged and said he might take the PHD degree if the university offers him. I thought to myself, another rich kid from a well off family who doesn’t have to be worried about tuition and living expenses.

I can’t help to compare the generations of Chinese students going overseas for study, which is a vivid reflection of how China has developed from a poor nation to an emerging economic power and how the globalization has brought the world closer than ever. In the late 70s and 80s, most Chinese students studying overseas had to do work ten hours a day to pay their tuition and living expense and they lived in cramped apartments . From mid 90s, some relatively affluent Chinese joined this wave, but with more savings in the bank so they don’t have to work while studying and can even afford to buy cars and live in nice apartments. I went to USA in the late 90s, with five years saving and a scholarship, I managed to live a fairly comfortable life while studying. It was during the first two months looking for a job in Chicago after graduation that I had experienced some real hardship. Now the new generations in China (at least the ones who have benefited from the economic reforms) have enjoyed enormous opportunities that my parents, even me could never think of.

I looked out of the window while waiting to get off the plane, blue sky (by Beijing standard anyway) and the city was covered in a thin layer of smog. This is how a good day looks like, I said to myself. Compared with UK’s green land with lots of tree and well kept gardens and parks, my hometown Beijing looked like a beauty covered with dust.

Getting to the hotel is a relatively smooth ride, we passed by numerous construction sites along the airport express way, and trees with bare branches hanging in the air. The sun shines through the car window, right in my eyes, I could not see very well but feel the warmth flowing through my body. Despite lack of sleep, I was in good mood. The cab driver was not too happy when he heard I was only going to the hotel quite close to the airport, but he didn’t complain too much. I left him with some tips when I got off the car, I believe empathy could only be shared with people who are not complainers.

The following nights were spent with whirl of friends dining out, it was nice to catch up with them. The food was wonderful, I might have put on a few pounds by eating a bit too much every night. But it is authentic Chinese food, something the Chinese restaurants in London can’t compare. On one evening, I was out with two friends in a restaurant near workers stadium. One of the guys has recently become a general manager for a small but quite profitable western company based in Beijing. At age of thirty two, he apparently takes price in his achievements, but what he said surprised me. He said, “it seems that the more money I make, the more unhappy I become, he feels tired and stressed everyday and doesn’t have much time for anything.” “Do you still go out a lot?” I asked him. We used to go clubbing a lot with other friends on the weekend. “Not very often , only once or twice a month. On the weekend, I just want to catch up some sleep.” He said.
That is quite a change of life style, I thought. He used to be the clubbing king, and always out and about. Then I mentioned the pollution problem in China which has been widely covered in the UK media recently. “You know, a lot of people in Europe and around the world think China is an environmental disaster, with new coal firing power plants opening everyday, offsetting a lot of efforts that have been put into tackling global warming and environmental issues by western countries.” I said with a rather worrying voice. He sat back, looking at me, struck by my words clearly, but didn’t say much. I guess he is simply too busy with his work and travel. We switched topics to his family. His wife will move to Beijing quite soon and they plan to focus on baby making as part of 2007 new year resolution. I wished them good luck. It is not easy to fit the babies into the picture when you are fully engaged at work. Somehow I can see the picture of overworked middle class in China trying to reach the higher position in the social ladder. The hunger and drive are certainly here, I thought. But is this all good for the mental health, I am not quite sure. I guess it is true when someone said money can’t give you happiness, but you can’t be happy without money. And we Chinese are probably just as pragmatic as anyone else, if not more. But how do you define the quality of life? For me, being able to breath clean air, walking around in a park and knowing the generations after us could still enjoy the beauty of unpolluted nature, makes me happy.

I was working in the new office on the following day, which is in a newly developed telecom park, with big multinational companies moving in and expanding their offices at stunning speed. Everyone looks quite busy in the office, and I guess that is in line with company’s goal of gearing up for growth in 2007. I walked around the building in the afternoon, took a deep breath and smelled a bit coal in the air – I am not quite sure if I am just being too sensitive or it is purely mental. However, one thing for sure, the environmental issues will take its tolls, and that is going to be an expensive price to pay.