First visit to Japans big neighbour

It was with big expectations I went to China to visit my colleagues in Tianjin and Beijing. China is in many ways having a hard time and it was interesting to get a first-hand experience with this so criticized country.

The first that struck the eye, was the differences in infrastructure and ‘driving-culture’; where Japan is maybe one of the safest and organised countries in the World to drive a car, China has a much more aggressive traffic.

However, after arriving well in TEDA (the development district outside the 14-million habitant mega-city Tianjin), I was met by luxurious cars and brand new buildings. And where have all the bicycles gone?

I spend the two days in China visiting my Chinese and Danish colleagues (expatriates) talking a lot about all the differences and similarities between Japan and China. It is fascinating how two neighbours can develop so radically different, but at the same time shows many identical cultural characteristics.
One example is the thing about saying “No”, which is almost non-existing in both countries. In Denmark it is very easy to say “No”, and if you get a “Yes” as a Dane, you would expect it to indicate an agreement, but here it most likely means “Yes, I hear and understand what you say”.

Beijing was a fantastic experience; literally I walked in wet cement! The Olympic city was bustling with thousands of cranes and construction sites to prepare the city for 2008.08.08 08:08.


We spent the late afternoon visiting the Tiananmen Square, the outer parts of the Forbidden City and at a traditional acrobatics show in the heart of Beijing. All in all a very good, however short trip that awoke the appetite for visiting this magnificent country again.