We arrive in the Chinese capital, Beijing, on a hot, humid mid morning in August. As we wait outside the Beijing Capital International Airport for transport to our hotel, I can’t help marvelling at the civility with which our hosts are treating us.
At first, I am not sure what to make of this politeness during my 10-day visit to the country to attend the Asian Africa Youth Festival and the China Africa Youth Festival, both of which are aimed at promoting the spirit of solidarity and co-operation by celebrating the richness of African and Asian culture through a variety of activities.
As we leave the airport, schoolchildren’s excited screams and greetings, “Ni Hao?” (How are you?), rend the air every so often as they welcome African guests.
Our guide, Ms Xu Shuwen, tells us the Chinese are always ready to make visitors feel comfortable, adding that it is a way of enhancing global integration, especially with Africans, whom they call “friends”.
“Interacting with people of different cultures has helped us shape our attitudes as people who are open to the world,” Ms Xu explains.
The writer with a group of students. Many Chinese seeing an African for the first time ask to take photos with them PHOTO| COURTESY
This welcome stands in stark contrast to the indifference or bare acknowledgment a Black can expect in many Western countries.
As I admire the beauty of Beijing City, which boasts some of the most modern architecture in the world, from the comfort of the air-conditioned modern bus, I realise that foreigners are figures of great curiosity.
Motorists driving top-of-the-range vehicles and passengers in buses take a brief break from their cell phones to wave to us — a group of journalists — on our way to the The 21st Century Hotel, where we will be staying for the next five days.
We arrive at the hotel tired and hungry, and are directed to our rooms, after which we are treated to a sumptuous meal.
There is such a wide variety of food that I am spoilt for choice. However, I am uneasy about the meal, having heard that the Chinese eat dogs, cats, frogs, snails and snakes.
My apprehension is heightened when a delegate from Nigeria who joins me at the hotel’s Mingyuan Restaurant casually remarks that the Chinese will eat anything on four legs that is not a table or chair.
But to my great relief, there are no traces of canines or reptiles in the feast laid out before us, but a variety of starchy foods accompanied by vegetables, fish, soup, meat and fresh juice.
I note that Chinese cuisine is deeply rooted in their history. They love Beijing roasted duck as well as Chinese green and black tea spiced with herbs and taken without milk.
I find using chopsticks a real challenge, so after struggling with them for a while, I give up and use the more familiar fork and knife, which, I am made to understand, are considered weapons in China and so are not used for eating.
The writer poses next to a dragon statue. PHOTO| COURTESY
“Please let me know if you need anything,” one of the English-speaking waitress who keeps checking on us tells us.
At nightfall, a colourful display of lights illuminates the city, marking the beginning of its vibrant night life.
“Is there is never a dull moment in Beijing?” wonders Mr Lee Xin En, a journalist from Singapore.
Stepping out into this huge city, the first thing that strikes me is the orderliness, which stands in stark contrast to the chaos in Nairobi and other urban areas in Kenya because of bad infrastructure and planning.
Obeying traffic lights and rules is standard practice here, and closed-circuit television cameras are mounted at various points to monitor errant drivers and motorcyclists.
And while public transport is a major headache for Nairobians with unruly matataus, transport here it is highly organised, with underground trains the means of choice.
Besides, since public transport is comparatively cheap, it is also easier to get around, although there are traffic jams during lunch hour.
Meanwhile, taxi fares are determined by a meter.
Although there have been attempts to organise Nairobi’s transport system, fares are still dictated by gangs at bus termini. In China, fares are standardised.
Our guide in the bus as we head to the opening ceremony of the Asian-Africa Festival at the Great Hall of the People — where the China National People’s Congress holds it meetings — tells us that crime levels have reduced drastically due to the close surveillance.
On arrival at the Great Hall of the People close to Tiananmen Square, which is at the centre of Beijing, we find it teeming with tourists. It is one of China’s most popular attractions.
In it is in Tiananmen Tower, located at the centre of the northern end, that the Monument to the People’s Heroes stands. On the southern side lies the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall; his embalmed body still lies in the centre of the Hall.
There was a strict dress code: all the delegates are to wear official attire during the opening ceremony, which is opened by the country’s vice-president, Mr Li Yuanchao.
The VP says close cooperation with Africa will play a crucial role in the continent’s economic integration, adding that the youth can play a crucial role in promoting common development.
“Asia and Africa share similar objectives and goals in seeking national development. Therefore, we have to promote innovation and entrepreneurship as well as increase people-to-people exchange to strengthen cooperation between the two continents,” Mr Yuanchao says then goes on to advise the youth to strive to be “makers”.
One of the places with a rich history is Forbidden City, at whose entrance there is a giant portrait of Mao Zedong, and which offers one of the most thrilling experiences for a foreigner visiting China.
Candy, our guide on the third day, speaks passionately about the place. “During the Ming Dynasty — it ruled from 1368 to 1644 — people were forbidden from accessing it [the city] without the emperor’s permission, earning it the name, The Forbidden City,” she explains to curious tourists.
Here, we become attractions of sorts. Some of the Chinese tourists who are seeing Africans for the first time ask if they can take photos with us. In fact, I lose count of the number of times we are asked to pose with groups of people proclaiming “Kinyaa hakuna matata”.
One feature that reminds me of Nairobi are the hawkers in this city, most of whom display their merchandise on the pavements and sell them mostly to tourists.
As we conclude our tour of the city at the southern gate, we come across beggars with outstretched hands, which is common in many urban areas in Kenya.
Then there is the Great Wall of China, reputed to be only human construction visible from the moon.
A photo of Shanghai, China. PHOTO| KEN KIMATHI
If bravery and perseverance were a sport in the Olympics, those who climb the wall would undoubtedly sweep the medals.
“Climbing the great wall brings along a feeling of accomplishment, pride and joy. It is a lifetime achievement,” says Tichaona Zindoga, a Zimbabwean journalist.
The wall is an impressive architectural structure of stone and cement built by the ancient Chinese to protect themselves against attacks by the Mongolians. The stones of varying sizes are arranged in an attractive pattern.
Candy explains that the long and high walls proved a deterrent to the Mongolian attackers, who often attacked the Chinese.
“But the extraordinary wall was very assuring for the local people because of the security it provided whenever there was an attack,” she explains.
One of the notable things in China is the absence of established religion. Ms Ying Wang, a literature student at the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, tells me they pray only when it’s very necessary.
“Buddhism is the religion of choice for many of us,”Ms Wang offers.
A visit to Beijing is incomplete without a tour of its famous Silk Market. It is Beijing’s Gikomba, except that it is clean and orderly. An assortment of designer shoes, clothes, household appliances, bags, phones and other items make your shopping experience exciting.
And just as happens in Kenya, you don’t have to pay the price quoted by the seller; you can bargain for a “fairer” price.
I also get the opportunity to sample the city’s night life on Sanlitun Bar Street, the most popular entertainment district in Beijing.
It is a street which few tourists can resist. It is here that China’s socialites meet and exchange notes.
As I get out of the taxi, I see about 10 men, all clearly drunk.
The taxi driver, Wei Yifan, explains to me through a translation app that the Chinese party throughout the week.
“The bars and nightclubs, especially in Sanlitun, record amazing profits. When we get time, we go to clubs, drink, and smoke our troubles away,” Wei says.
It is past 3.30am but there’s still a lot of activity in Sanlitun at the Vics, Mix, Swing 58, Red Moon and 60 Bar night clubs.
The next day we have quite a bit of fun learning the Chinese martial art, kung fu.
I don’t understand a word by the instructor, or Kung Fu Master, as he is popularly known at the Beijing Sports University. Together with other performers, he crouches like an animal lying in wait for its prey before leaping into the air in a well-executed move. It is just Amazing!
After a 30-minute session, I feel as if I can take on some of the well-known names in the art, including Jackie Chan and Jet Li.
After five days, we leave for Guangzhou City in Guandong Province for the China-Africa Festival. As you climb to the top of Canton Tower, one of the world’s tallest buildings, you experience mixed emotions. It is 600 metres tall, with 450 metres comprising the body and 150 metres its antenna.
Standing 433 metres above the ground on a glass casing evokes a mixture of fear and excitement, and is certainly not for those who fear heights.
“The fear is real. This is not a place for the fainthearted,” my colleague Wang remarks.
From here I get a bird’s eye view of Shenzhen City, China’s IT hub, which is home to companies that manufacture computers.
Unfortunately, our night cruise on the Pearl River is cancelled at the last minute following a typhoon caused by unusually heavy rains across the country.
In July, heavy downpours wreaked havoc in central and southern China, causing flooding in several major cities and leading to more than 200 deaths.
While the air in Nairobi is polluted by gases such as nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide emitted by vehicles and factories, the Beijing skyline is covered by a thick layer of smog.
Most of us were scared of what we were breathing but even as I prepared for my flight to China, I was aware of the extent of the problem.
The country experiences high levels of air pollution daily, putting the government under increasing pressure to improve the city’s air quality.
So serious is the problem that one delegate from Benin consistently complains about how difficult it is to distinguish between the background and the clouds when taking photos.
The government’s efforts to reduce emissions include the use of electric motorcycles and bicycles to protect the environment from both noise and air pollution. Noisy motorcycles are not common in China, although it has been exporting them to Africa in large numbers in recent years.
