Monique Knapen recently visited Beijing and the Qing Cheng shrine with her daughter for a work-culture trip. She marveled at the great contradictions between the acceptance of digital applications and the penchant for history and culture; she noted some of her findings for ChinaNU+.
Close to Beijing’s somewhat decrepit, famous shopping street Wang Fu Jing, I stayed in a hotel I found online. In the pictures it looked grand and luxurious, but in reality a compact box tucked away down a narrow alley. The lobby was nothing more than a glorified reception desk, storage area for suitcases and lounge area with a cramped couch. Not luxury, but efficient and practical, well priced and fully equipped.
This picture fits the consumer society that is China. There are products and services for every target group that are more sophisticated than we have in the Netherlands. This hotel also had a restaurant and, of course, in-room delivery was one of the possibilities. This was done by a real robot that operates the elevator itself, looks for the room and sends a message to the client when he is at the door. It can also dodge people who disturb it on its journey. Wonderful and such a beautiful expression of the insatiable hunger for innovation and acceptance of new technology.
Everything is going digital in China. According to my friend, everyone participates, including the elderly. It’s not that hard, she says, and without it, it’s just not possible. On the way to Tiananmen Square, there are many checkpoints, but also buying tickets for the Forbidden City, catching a train or bicycle is done via an app: everything is noted and checked digitally. Even my daughter of 24 was bawling her eyes out.
Chinese readily accept technological innovations. Meanwhile, a lot of attention is paid to China’s long history and Chinese culture. You can see this on television, for example, but also at the tourist attractions, which are often historical in nature. For me, it was new to see young women dressing up in costumes from the Han dynasty ‘Hanfu’; imperial clothing, complete with shoes and wigs, right down to artistic makeup. Everywhere you see small studios where you can be transformed into the splendor of these bygone times. Apparently a trend! And what a clash of tradition and innovation. After all, everything is recorded and settled with the smartphone.
Later, at Mount Qing Cheng in Szechuan, on our visit to eleven ancient Daoist temples, I saw many young and old Chinese enjoying the beautiful scenery, the perfectly organized facilities (transportation by vans, a cable car for the less athletic tourist, restrooms, pavilions for resting), but again, no entry without ID and checkout with your phone for every single attraction of the shrine.
Accommodation at this tourist attraction is very efficiently organized in a secluded village, where several hotels are located together. We happened to witness a photo shoot with a real photo model decked out in “Hanfu. Did we also want to pose by the pool? We were lying there anyway. Nice for the photos. We didn’t have to give digital permission for that. To thank us, we received a delicious high tea, complete with macarons and a fruit platter that always includes small tomatoes. A typical Chinese combination that made my daughter look up.
Also unchanged is the cordiality and spontaneity in China. Seeing my clumsiness at the subway, for example when no signal comes through to operate the app, strangers paid for us twice. Everywhere we went people talked to us, wanted to take pictures with us and made us feel very welcome.
All public facilities are spotless. Some desk clerks look like robots as they give information in staccato. As of old, people work hard. Cab drivers are willing to wait, to pick you up the next day, to take you to good restaurants, and to do so without whining or chagrin. At least, so it seems. My time in China was short and who knows, maybe I am seeing it wrong, but despite the ubiquitous scrutiny of cameras, 30 at a busy intersection is normal, I continue to feel like coming home to Beijing.
