The Chinese Experience

PhotoJourn Students in China

Two Rhodes University PhotoJourn students went on exchange to Jinan University in 2010.

By Sophie Marcus

China was mind boggling. I truly was overwhelmed by wonder and at times bewilderment by the small part of this incredible country that I experienced. While I had seen glimpses of China in the media, I really had no idea what to expect.

We were greeted at the airport by Lou Fang and Qui Xiangmin, or Ruby and Sylvia as we know them. We weren’t hard to find, as we were soon to realise, we really stood out from the crowd. A little bit taller than most people and with a head of blonde hair, I had to get used to the stares everywhere we went and soon realized that the people of China really do not see many Westerners. Often we were asked where we came from and when they heard the answer “Nan Fei” (South Africa in Manderin Chinese), they quickly asked why we weren’t black. We often had to explain that not while all Chinese people look very similar, not all South African are black. This really made me appreciate the diversity of our South African culture.

Driving into the city from the airport we passed hundreds upon hundreds of apartment buildings, stretching upwards and outwards for as far as the eye could see. I was overwhelmed by a new realization of just how many people there were in this city, the population figure of 10.15 million people in this one city began to make more sense.

We were hosted on one of the Jinan University campuses and hosted by Ruby and Sylvia who had stayed with us in Grahamstown earlier in the year. The sheer size of the city amazed and disorientated me, I think without Ruby and Sylvia we would have taken hours to get anywhere, in fact we would have been completely lost without these girls. They were our guides, our translators, our bargainers in the markets and by the end of the trip, our much loved friends.

I was most struck by the contrasts I saw in Guangdong province. The city was fast paced and modern, Starbucks and sushi and designer clothing boutiques. Subways and five lanes road full of rushing busses, straw hats and cages of chickens flying past on bicycles, scooters, cars, taxies and traffic lights that count down the seconds you have left to cross the road. And on the same street, ladies selling fish and bags of still hopping frogs. And the city doesn’t sleep at night. Stylish youngsters wait until the fierce sun is gone to hit the shops, trying on the beautiful cheap clothes and shoes. And the promenade along the Pearl River comes alive with couples gazing into each others eyes or arguing, bicycles of all shapes and sizes, some with three seats, a whole family, dogs being walked, beer being drunk, an old man sitting alone on a bench with his pocket radio for company. People running, walking or practicing Tai Chi while multicoloured bulbs light up the buildings and reflect off the surface of the river.

And in contrast to this is the peaceful beautiful farmlands, bright green rice paddies interspersed with factories or rivers or castle-like houses. My camera never stopped clicking and it has been a battle to select photos to exhibit because I feel that there is so much more to show, and I know that there is so much more to see and hope to return to China to have my mind further boggled by a very different but wonderful culture.