Unavoidable Impressions - July 7

This is my seventh visit to China. No matter how many times or how widely I travel in this country, I cannot escape from its immensity, especially in demographic terms. The sheer press of people and the sheer scope of development never cease to amaze. Driving into the city of Harbin, 30-, 40- and more-storied towers rise by the dozen, if not by the hundred. Cranes are everywhere. Whole new cities, it seems, bloom overnight. I cannot begin to understand the social dynamics of such a rapid change in society. Today, one acquaintance here in Harbin told me that this city has changed more in the past five years than in the past fifty years of his life. This same dynamic plays out in every Chinese city I visit. This country is moving quickly. The challenges of thinking about leadership development in such a context are legion. 

A new development on the edges of Harbin -- one of many -- stretching to the horizon

One of the most enjoyable things about China for me is the food (yes, I know, a surprise to all…). While I rarely meet Chinese food that I do not like, my favorite meals are those that feature local specialties in whatever province. Besides the sheer varieties, I love to see people get excited to share a local specialty, be it Liaoning shrimp and vegetable pies, Sichuan spicy fish, or Zhejiang winter melon soup. Sometimes the food is absolutely unique – unlike anything I’ve ever had before. But other times the special local food is remarkably similar to something I’ve had elsewhere. Even then, the excitement of sharing in such a meal remains. Chinese food as it has traditionally been known in the United States and Europe is, as far as I understand, largely the food of southern China – especially Hong Kong and Guangdong province, perhaps with a bit of Hunan and Sichuan thrown in from time to time. In my experience, the foods of northern China and northeastern China almost never get airing outside of specialized ethnic eateries. Several meals this week in the northeast have included no rice at all, featuring instead varieties of noodles, dumplings, and other wheat- and corn-based foods. Yesterday’s lunch near Shenyang was among the best meals of my life, featuring Chinese barbequed ribs, beef and potatoes served under a pancake, fish cooked with boiled eggs, freshly made warm soy milk, shredded tofu sheets in a spicy vinegar-soy sauce, and innumerable other dishes. The variety was overwhelming. The sheer complexity, diversity, and sophistication of Chinese cooking continues to amaze me, even as it means I can hardly bring myself to eat Chinese food in North America anymore.

 

 

beans with corn cakes in Shenyang

beef-under-a-pancake

I’m frequently asked questions about my favorite places to travel or the most interesting places I travel. While I always say that I have a bit of my heart in many, many places, it is without a doubt that China is routinely the place that I find the most amazing. The sheer dynamism of the place, its breakneck development, its unbelievable diversity, and its value for aesthetics all continue to strike me. It’s a privilege to know this great country, if only just a little bit.