Here’s my summary of what an abridged
Cliffs Notes version of Chinese History might look like. Though there were Neolithic cultures as early
as 10,000 BCE, the Shang Dynasty dated from 1,600 BCE is considered to be the beginning
of civilization in China. From that
point on, China has been the poster child for reinvention. One dynasty would create a Nation that was
shiny, brilliant and full of new inventions and advances in society only to
have the next dynasty tear it down and attempt to wipe out all traces of what had
come before it. This was repeated over
and over, the most recent example being the Cultural Revolution. Temples were destroyed, social classes were
abolished, and people were sent to the country to experience Thought Reform
through Labor. But times have changed
and so has the general mentality. The
country that had wiped its slate clean and brought its people to their knees
has slowly but surely beckoned them to stand up again and once more encourages
them to “Think big.”
One of the defining traits of China is
the drive to build things on a large scale, no matter what the cost. Take the Great Wall, for example. It is the largest manmade structure in the
world, and the construction spanned several dynasties and required millions of
people to build and rebuild it. It has
also been nicknamed the largest graveyard in the world because when workers
would die from exhaustion they would be buried within or somewhere next to the
wall.
China has plenty of other really big
things to boast about. The Forbidden
City is the largest palace complex in the world, and the Grand Canal is the
oldest and longest man made waterway in the world. The Leshan Giant Buddha is the largest carved stone Buddha in
the world and it is by far the tallest pre-modern statue in the world. China has the fastest train in the world
(302mph), the highest public observation deck at the Shanghai World Financial
Center (it’s 474.2 m, the Burj Khalifa’s is 442 m), and the longest bridge that
spans 26 miles across Jiaozhou Bay to connect Qingdao to
Huangdao island. And of course, we are
all well aware of the the largest concrete
structure in the world: The Three Gorges Dam.
And thus, when I reflect on my experiences in China, the idea of ‘big’
tends to come to mind. Perhaps the most
condensed version of this was my river cruise down the Yangtze. It started in the city of Chongqing where
buildings were lit up at night and covered in the largest video advertising I’d
ever seen. I also saw the biggest, most
elaborate recreation of an ancient city perched on the hill above the river. Because this was going to be a three day
cruise, I opted to spend some big money and travel in style and comfort. And so I set off down the longest river in China
on a boat that was shaped quite literally as the largest dragon I had ever
seen. It was money well spent. I relaxed, took in the sights and still
consider it one of the best memories of my time here in China. The views of the gorges and tributary rivers
are not nearly as stunning as they once were, according to the Chinese people who
have seen it both ways. But I have to
admit, approaching the dam at midnight was certainly awe inspiring. It took four hours to get through the locks,
and during the tour the next morning they mentioned that they are currently
building an elevator to lift boats over the damn.
It’s fairly mind boggling to think about all the things China has built in
the last few decades, but so often when I’m traveling and seeing these
unnatural wonders I can’t seem to get Jeff Goldblum’s voice out of my
head. Over and over I hear his character
Malcolm from the movie Jurassic Park
saying, “Yeah, but your scientists were so
preoccupied with whether they could that they didn't stop to think if they
should.” China has certainly proved that
they can build some incredible things, but only time will tell which of these
things should or should not have been done.
