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An interesting recipe:

Start with a country of the same size as Canada.

Add 1.3 billion people - imagine Canada with 100 million people in each province and territory,

Assign occupations to the people, from herding yaks to running massive businesses,

Sift out all real democratic freedoms such as elections and freedom of the press,

Fold in all the tangible spoils of capitalism and consumerism - flashy cars, mobile phones, Starbucks, etc,

Remove any outspoken opponents of the government policies and,

Pour into a giant mould, fashioned by the political elite.

Watch carefully.

While above is simmering…

Prepare alternate reality for visitors to the 2008 Olympic summer games.

Centuries of isolation from most of the world have allowed China to develop in ways that, until recently, were a mystery. Throughout history China saw itself as the world’s premier political entity, calling itself, “The Celestial Empire”. There seemed no reason for the country to trade and explore beyond its borders. They felt they were first in size, population, cultural achievement, and intellectual property. Today much of that sentiment remains.

Never having experienced a democratic government, the Chinese are accustomed to central control. Today that comes from the communist government, headed by the newly appointed Mr. Hu Jintao.

The government seems to be determined on proving that China is a modern, developed nation – ready to cooperate, at least economically, with the rest of the world. Scenes of rapid modernisation are evident throughout the country – yak herders chatting on mobile phones, SUVs sharing the road with horses and tractors, ADSL being advertised in remote towns where people still live in mud-brick homes. Cities like Shanghai and Hong Kong gleam and glisten – making Toronto and Vancouver look like hick-towns.

In many of the places we visited, development seemed to be pursued at any cost. Health, social and environmental concerns largely appeared to be overlooked; human and animals rights were only respected when it was convenient.

A current project that has gained international attention is the Three Gorges Dam. The two-kilometer wide dam, that will produce the power of 18 nuclear power plants, is being built and will come on-line over the next 5 years. The cost has been estimated at over $100 billion dollars. One and a half million people have been relocated. Eight thousand archeological sites will be flooded. Outspoken opponents of the dam within China have been jailed; externally the World Bank has refused to finance the project. The resulting lake will flood countless toxic sites as well as acting as a septic tank for the untreated waste from 40 towns and 400 factories.

In 1975 a large dam collapsed in China, instantly killing 230,000 people who lived downstream. The incident was kept a secret – it was revealed internationally in the 1990’s. (That’s the beauty (or curse) of a non-democratic government.) If the Three Gorges Dam failed, 4 million people would die within an hour.

The Lhasa express, a train running into the heart of Tibet, may also prove to be an interesting engineering case-study. Against the advice of international consultants, the government is building this 1118 km rail line to “transform the culturally backward areas” of their country. Half the line runs on permafrost, and 80% of it runs above 4000m (13,000’). Sixty medical clinics are being built along the way to treat passengers’ altitude sickness, and employees will work in carefully timed shifts to fight off oxygen deprivation. The sleeper train line should be completed in time for the Olympics.

In our travels we saw many unique sights that supported what we had heard; some intrigued us, some frightened us, and others made us laugh.

In Yunnan’s Tiger Leaping Gorge, entire mountainsides have been blasted to build a road for tour busses to whisk people up and down the gorge – unfortunately, constant cleaning is required to keep the road clear of huge boulders and debris falling from the vertical face towering over it. In Canada, such a road would never have been built.

Newspapers beamed bold headlines like, “SARS Completely Under Control” and “SARS Not a Problem in China”. Again, the beauty of a controlled press.

In airports (all government run), passengers who are proud owners of mobile phones (all mobile companies are government run), get a special rapid check-in counter, faster security screening and exclusive staffed lounges to wait for their flights. Ahhh…communism. We’re all equal; some of us are just more equal than others.

The ultimate question remains…will China democratize? In my opinion, not anytime soon – there isn’t enough pressure to. In the country, people are able to live increasingly western lifestyles, complete with all the luxuries they desire. Externally, China is increasingly open to trade and happy to participate in the global economy. There simply isn’t a compelling reason to introduce democracy.

Perhaps the most powerful person in the world is not George W. Bush with his primetime-ready, military muscle, or Bill Gates with his stacks of money (and inferior software). Perhaps it is little-known Mr. Hu Jintao who quietly slid into power as the president of China about a month ago. Who else can claim they have absolute power over 20% of the world’s population?

China’s style of government, economic growth, and unique evolution in the 21st century will influence all of our lives.

To get you started…

Hello is, “Ni Hao”
Thank you is, “Shie-shie”