When I first returned to Houston , I had little time to reminisce about my trip, as I was both extremely sick and trying to catch up on the days missed in all of my classes.
I am now much more interested in China’s pollution problem, and the steps it’s taking to improve the air quality. I spoke so several of my Chinese classmates, and one informed me that he did not plan on returning to China unless the pollution cleaned up. It’s probable that the country is losing both residents and visitors because of this problem, but from what I saw in the Shanghai Urban Planning museum, the government has realized this and is starting to encourage cleaner air practices. I would like to learn more about what these practices are, and how they vary from city to city.
If I return to China, there are many other locations I would like to visit. I would like to see the atmosphere at a lilong in Shanghai, and compare it with the atmosphere of a nearby high-rise. I would like to speak to more people who had been living in China all their lives rather than just recent migrants, for a bit more comparison. I would want to visit more schools and universities, as I never found enough time to do that when I was there. Finally, I would wander around the city by myself a little bit more. I am starting to realize that I missed some of the Chinese experience because I was always following other people around instead of exploring myself. I learned a great deal on the morning when I walked around Nanjing street alone, quietly observing buildings and people.
I think that the greatest benefit of the trip to me is that now China has imprinted itself on my mind as, not a mysterious place, nor an oppressive one, but just a place. The people are active and noisy, just like in the US. The plants are still green, and the sky (once the clouds clear away) is still blue. The censored internet, instead of shrouding China in mystery, now strikes me as an inconvenience. The government has its pros and cons, things it does effectively and things is doesn’t.
One final fun fact: when I was at the bookstore, I found a copy of George Orwell’s 1984! That’s the last book I would expect to find in China. The censorship does not seem to be as bad as I expected it to be.