Name: Andrzej
Occupation: a correspondent
What has surprised you most during your stay in China?
China surprises you all the time, as soon as you peek your nose out of your room (although sometimes, there is even no need to do that). Someone has written that after one day in China, you can write an article about it, after a month, you can write a book, and after a year, there is nothing you can write. I agree with that. If I was to state now what surprised me most in this country, it would be untrue in 24 hours, because I am sure something will amaze me even more tomorrow. One day I think I can understand something from it, but on the next day I feel disappointed that actually I do not understand anything. At the same time, I start believing that instead I have managed to understand something else, but this ends with another reflection – like a vicious circle. The longer I have been here, the more aware I am that I understand very little of what is going on here. This is why it is easier to write about China when you have never been here. And this is why the picture of China as presented in the media is totally different from the reality, distorted.
The best summary of this country that I have heard so far is: “China is a land of contrasts”.
How is China different from Poland?
Totally. It is so completely and overwhelmingly different, that Poles (or other Europeans) who arrive here for the first time should give themselves a few days to shake off the culture shock. I saw such cases, as I hosted some friends and family members here. They all (and I mean every single one of them) experienced such shock. For the first week or so, you are not able to think clearly, and even simple activities turn out to be troublesome, not to mention deeper analysis of the surrounding reality or just some valuable observation.
I think that the ideologists of the European Union, who attempt to inculcate the ideas of the EU community into young Europeans and teach them about the similarities between the European nations, should send students to Erasmus exchanges to China instead of other European countries. Once you arrive somewhere, it is the simplest and most natural thing to contemplate the differences between the country you visit and your motherland. Here, due to the huge contrast between the Chinese and European cultures, one really gets the impression that the French or the Spanish are like brothers to him.
Once you get used to these differences a bit and achieve the state in which you expect surprises on every step of your way, your mind opens up and you start to notice similarities, because in fact they are there, too. I always say that Poles are more similar to the Chinese than the English are, for instance, and that we should make use of these common points, for example in business. Let me give you an example here: English people cannot bargain, because they just do not do it in their culture, so they will overpay for everything in China. Poles can haggle, because this is sometimes necessary in Poland (less and less frequently, but still), so they buy cheaper, and the Chinese understand them because they do the same.
How are Poles perceived by the local community?
Most of the Chinese people I meet do not really know where Poland is, some of them have never heard of it. For many Chinese, abroad equals the USA, and it is the USA as seen by the cameras of Hollywood, so not really true to life. All foreigners are considered Americans. Let me give you a few examples here. The other day, I was on the phone to order some dumplings from a nearby booth. I eat their food often, and they know my address, so I just asked, “You know where I live, right?” The lady on the other end of the line answered, “Yeah, you are this American guy.” Once, I helped my Polish friend to make an order from the shop near his home. The friend did not know a word in Chinese, so I asked the seller to write down his address and just remember where to deliver the food when Łukasz calls. She said: “Ok, I will write that he is American.” “He is not American, he is Polish”, I said, and she replied, “Never mind, I will write that he is American anyway.”
Other Chinese people – and I believe this is the majority – recall three names when they hear the name of our country: Fryderyk Chopin, Maria Skłodowska-Curie and Nicolaus Copernicus. Especially Chopin is popular in China, but this does not mean that everybody who has heard about him knows anything about our country.
However, there are surprises here, as well. I once took a taxi and the driver asked me where I come from. When I replied, he said, “You, Poles had quite a trouble with those Teutonic Knights, huh?” I was left open-mouthed, really. It is just another piece of evidence for China being a land of contrasts.
Do you like local food? What are your favourite dishes?
I definitely like the food here. China is a huge country and each province has its own cuisine, every single locality, even the tiniest one, has its local specialty. For instance, Cantonese food is very delicate and it is mostly based on seafood, whereas the Sichuan cuisine is incredibly spicy – most of the Chinese dishes which gained popularity around the world come from this province, for instant sour-sweet pork and a hot pot (in Chinese: huo guo). My favourite Chinese dish is gongbao jiding (which may be translated as “the chicken of the palace guards” – it is fried with peanuts and Sichuanpepper). I also like the cuisine of Chinese Muslims and Uyghurs, which is more like Turkish food.
There are some days, when you are so fed up with Chinese cuisine that you dream about a day without rice, coriander and chopsticks. Then, Uyghurs save you, with their barbecue, mutton kebab with cumin, delicious eggplants with garlic and round bread.
What are the three places in China that are worth visiting, in your opinion?
In my opinion, you should not visit China in a tourist sense. In general, I am against tourism as such, because under the cover of really watching a place, in fact it gives an innocent man some illusion, for which he pays and in which he believes, because after all “he has been there and seen it”. I am particularly ill-disposed towards tours organised by travel agencies or other institutions. Unfortunately, it is impossible to get to know a foreign country in such a short time. If we talk about interesting places in China, we need to remember that this country is larger than Europe, so it is difficult to pick three such spots. If I were to make a quick recommendation, I would tell you about the city of Guilin in the Guangxi province (south of China), because of its beautiful landscapes. There are mountains, or rocks, in all kinds of shapes, like clouds. It is like a dream land. Every Chinese person knows that “Guilin’s scenery is best among all under heaven,” as one poet described it. Instead of asking for descriptions, just browse the Internet for images. Even when you type “China” to the image browser, most of the pictures will show the distinctive Guilin mountains.
As far as Canton, Guangzhou, is concerned, you will not find impressive old buildings, monuments or natural creations there. It is a modern city of industry and trade, so I would recommend the huge fairs, IT, electronic, textile etc., where you can really see the spirit of Canton, its life.
Why did you come to this country?
Many factors contributed to this. First of all, my girlfriend is a sinologist, so it was obvious that our lives will somehow be related to China. Secondly, when I stayed in China before (for a year, three years ago), I realised how distorted the picture of this country is in the media. Then I learnt – and it really surprised me – that there are not many representatives of the Polish media here. I have graduated from journalism and always wanted to be a correspondent, so I simply sent my offer to the Polish Press Agency. After a few months of probation, it turned out that I really like this job, and the Agency is satisfied with my performance, so I have come and stayed here
Photo © Janusz Krzysztof Rutkowski