Envious No More: An Overseas Returnee Praises China

Envious No More: An Overseas Returnee Praises China
Dec 08, 2016 By eChinacities.com

Editor’s Note: Overseas returnees in China often receive negative coverage in the Chinese press: they often have trouble finding work or assimilating back to Chinese life. However, this particular returnee has written an article about their appreciation for their home country and its rapid development over the past decade.

I traveled to the United States in 2008 to study, and returned home to China after graduating in September 2013. I have been back for more than three years. In these past eight years in China and abroad, I saw China’s rapid development and progress and I admire my country as an “overseas returnee.”

China’s Ambitious Super-Projects

In the United States I was jealous of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Empire State Building and the nation’s busy air routes. Now, I am not jealous anymore.

China has its own super-projects. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway was constructed over a decade ago. Half a century ago, China constructed a road to Tibet and changed the travel time from Sichuan to Tibet from a year to only six days!

China is planning even more super-projects. The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge will be the largest cross-sea bridge and underground channel in the world. In 10 years, the Beijing metro will have 31 lines and 560 stations, running more than 1,000 kilometers.

China’s high-speed railway system is another factor. When I was abroad, high-speed trains were a new concept. But in China, high-speed railways connect the entire country.

A Leader in Tech

When I first came to the United States, I was jealous that there was no universal wireless network in China. I saw that the United States had a fully developed wireless network and China’s seemed backwards in comparison. Now, I am no longer jealous.

In the early 2000s, there were probably 20 or 30 million Internet users in China. Now there are at least 700 million Internet users, and this is a conservative estimate. 700 million is equal to the population of the EU and the United States combined.

The number of Internet users in China only continues to grow, especially with the increasing popularity of smartphones.

China’s Internet speed is also rapidly increasing. I remember once being excited about having 200KB/s Internet. Now, having 2 MB/s is not surprising.

Large cities have amazing wireless network coverage. 4G is now popular in China, and I have heard of the possibility of 5G in China in the future.  

China’s Internet users are large in number and wide-ranging in interest. In less than 20 years, China’s Internet has been completely transformed. Now, China is one of the digital leaders of the world.

In the United States, everyone told me that no one used cash anymore, only credit cards. Now, I want to tell them that in China, we don’t even use credit cards, we just use our phones!

Now in China, you can complete almost any purchase using a smartphone. You can use your phone to pay for a taxi or even to pay for street food. Mobile payment has had a profound impact on Chinese consumers.

Japan and South Korea have also begun to use China’s Alipay as a means of payment. China has not just changed its own country, but is influences other surrounding nations.

We did not use military power to force other country to use the Dollar like the Americans. Instead, China promoted convenient technologies to other countries and allowed them to gradually join in.

No Food Envy

In foreign countries, I find the food to be monotonous. In a restaurant in China, you can usually choose from at least thirty or forty dishes. China has eight major cuisines, and each one has more variety than the main cuisine from a foreign country.

When foreigners travel to China, they are always amazed by Chinese food!

Source: DW News

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Keywords: Overseas Returnee Overseas Returnee China

1 Comments

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retiredinchina

food, technology and buildings, that's all you got, 2 of them you copied from the west, the food is a better variety by necessity when you have too many people to feed, that is not actually a good thing unless of course your a food inspector that makes sure no food in china is fake. they do a great job dont they.

Jan 27, 2017 20:44 Report Abuse