Some thoughts after more than seven years living in China
I’ve done two stints in China. Just recently I was living and working in Guangzhou. Twenty-five years ago I lived in Taiyuan, then after in Harbin and Baotou. Altogether I’ve spent over seven years here. The change in that time has been astonishing.
When I first arrived the cities were filthy. Black rivers, thick smog, gangs of half-naked children begging on the streets (in the snow in Harbin), almost no birds. People were just about getting by. That was the start of the great turnaround—China had just joined the WTO and was ready to embrace (or at least copy the living daylights out of) Western fashions and products. First as manufacturer and producer, later as developer in its own right. Now the country has enough of its own consumers to buy a good portion of the stuff it makes.
The people were decent enough back then. And you know what? They’re still pretty much decent today. I see the Chinese as a nation of farmers and country folk at heart—not the most sophisticated by Western standards, but generally amiable. Thanks to Xi and the modern CCP they’re being dragged into a world of AI, virtual ID checks, smartphone payment systems and infrastructure that is simply out of this world. Slowly they’re becoming more appreciative of nature, wildlife, behavioural norms (less spitting) and cleanliness.
Back in the day the only dogs I saw were the ones sold for meat in the supermarkets. Now cats and dogs as pets are very common. People will buy a turtle as a pet rather than eat it (though they still eat them). Beautiful bird songs are something I hear in almost every part of the city I walk through. Cities are lined with trees and flowers. There are large parks where people relax. The smog has largely gone, thanks in no small part to electric cars. You rarely see rubbish on the streets. It’s an amazing transformation, and the people have bought into it. There’s a genuine civic pride in their cities and country. Compare that to the dirt and grime that makes Dublin such an eyesore in 2026.
I also sense a new appreciation of the old culture—the ancient stories, traditional music, art and literature. That’s good to see, considering how hard the Cultural Revolution tried to wipe so much of it out. You even see the Cultural Revolution mentioned on the occasional plaque.
Communism messed the place up badly in every way. Perhaps AI and modern advances will “civilise” them further, if I can be so crude.
The bargain
What about the dangers of a technocratic, all-powerful CCP?
Asians tend toward the collective; individualism is rare, especially in China. There’s a kind of unwritten bargain. The Party provides beautiful, clean modernity—cities of extraordinary infrastructure, amenities of every kind, and streets that are among the safest I’ve ever walked. In return the people don’t expect too much: a decent job, enough money for good food, and a home. On the whole most of them can achieve that.
Call it communism with Chinese characteristics (and a healthy dose of fascism). Like Mussolini’s Italy, the bullet trains really do run on time. No need to rock the boat.
A few gripes
Of course I have some.
The internet is woeful—not just the need for a VPN, but the near-total absence of any back catalogue or historical depth. Search for “Irish writers”, for example, and you might get two thin articles plus some fluff about writing as a hobby. The Middle Kingdom has little real interest in the outside world. Fair enough, I suppose.
Then there’s the toilets. They still haven’t figured out decent plumbing. Chinese public toilets (never mind private ones) remain diabolical—something that sits oddly against all the other progress. Maybe that’ll take another twenty-five years.
And the eating habits are off the scale. If it moves, it’s potentially food. You never quite know what you’re ordering, and it can be dangerous—I got a dose of food poisoning I still haven’t fully recovered from.
Given the traditional Chinese medicine belief that eating certain animal parts confers power or virility (tiger penis and the rest), its really amazing to see the muck that goes into some mouths—fish heads, eyeballs, claws, rat meat—to understand the range of their eating process.
But having said all that I do love my Chinese food – especially sweet and sour……
Loneliness, empty streets and other wild “conspiratorial” claims
Loneliness? Maybe. But I’d argue it’s the same in a lot of big cities and among a lot of young people everywhere. Locals rarely strike up conversation with me—partly fear of losing face over imperfect English. Yet on buses, trains, in shops and parks they chat freely among themselves and with strangers. It’s nothing like the silent trains of Sweden or the appointment-needed-to-talk-to-your-neighbour Switzerland where I once lived. They’re never going to be the most outgoing bunch, but they’re friendly enough to outsiders.
As for the “200 million missing” claim I have started to see online—I scoffed when I originally heard it. Guangzhou is teeming; I gave up on the metro because the crowds are too much. Then I took a trip to Qingyuan, a “small” city of four million. I was shocked. Almost no one on the streets. No atmosphere. Traffic lights with only four cars waiting. Easy to cross the road. It made me wonder what a lot of the smaller cities and countryside towns are actually like.
Bike confiscations? I’ve never seen it and I’m not aware of any widespread campaign. There are still a billion bikes and mopeds on the streets here.
Debtor prisons? Yes, those exist, and they’re places you definitely don’t want to end up.
Organ transplants are big business, so the stories about Falun Gong practitioners and people in Xinjiang or the prison system inevitably make you wonder.
Exporting human flesh around the world? Possible in theory, I suppose, but I doubt it. Does China even export much meat?
A different idea of “freedom”
There’s an awful lot of guff spoken about China in the Western sphere. I feel the Chinese deserve a break. Their recent history hasn’t been the most glorious. Let them strive for something better.
Freedom? Safe streets, plenty of food, strong family ties, modern cities (they’ll build a children’s hospital in a week), and at least if you’re caught in serious corruption you might get a bullet rather than a seat in parliament. In Ireland we tend to elect those people as public representatives.
I use my phone to pay for everything. I was skeptical before I came; now I’m happy with it. It’s handy. What is cash anyway—paper we’ve agreed has value? You can still find cash, and there are always ways around the rules, a bit like Ireland.
Individualism simply isn’t part of the culture here. We can’t really judge them by our notions of “freedom,” “democracy,” “justice” or “fairness.” They’re not Irish. They don’t have that particular fire in the belly. They’re just different—and that’s okay. I can live with it. And I know they certainly can. They wouldn’t give a fuck in all honesty. Raise a glass to the Middle Kingdom!