China and Xinjiang: Observations from a land of ancient mystique [PICS]

The further away and more foreign a land, the greater a gap the imagination has to fill with fantasy and folly.

Coupled with news reports from adversarial territories, a picture is easily painted of a county hostile to the concepts of freedom that Westerners hold so dear.

As vast and diverse as the People’s Republic of China is, several months may not be enough to unlock its secrets, let alone a few days.

However, in the week spent navigating public spaces and attempting to overcome the largest of language barriers, one can confidently state what China is not.

China is not a communist dictatorship hostile to the West, but a diverse nation attempting to straddle the demands of the modern world, while reconciling with a violent past.

China striking a fine balance

On the surface, China appears to be a nation that has struck a fine equilibrium between control, consumerism and patriotism.

Leaning too hard into either, denying a population one, or starving them of another, leads to a societal imbalance.

Too much control leads to oppression, while just the right amount instils discipline and collective conscientiousness that builds respect and consideration for society as a whole.

**WATCH: Residents of Urumqi dance in the Nanhu Green Square. **

Consumerism, if left unchecked, gives way to the hyper-capitalist culture that places brands and consumption before people.

Take it away, and you are left with barren shelves and central planning failures synonymous with communist nightmares of the past.

Consumerist choice-driven economies are without doubt a cornerstone of all modern societies, with free-market choice available throughout the shops, cafés, restaurants and markets in all Chinese cities.

Patriotism, too, is good when it is filtered through everyday life as a subliminal national self-esteem, and not just on a handful of Saturdays during a sporting event.

Rejection of the West or national pride?

Much is said about China’s Great Firewall and its refusal to use Western social media, but the digital barricade is more an inward-facing mirror than a cage.

China wants to see a reflection of itself in its media and technology, with that sentiment evident in everything from prescribed pre-school books to state television.

A government-supplied pre-school book titled ‘Stubborn Little Red Army’. Picture: Jarryd Westerdale

Despite well over 100 channels, Chinese TV consists mainly of historical epics, military romance and dramas that promote the traits deemed to be admirable in its people – with a few game shows and pantomimes sprinkled in.

China’s centrally planned nature, guided by the sprawling administrative behemoth that is the Communist Party of China, may forever remain an enemy of Manifest Destiny and its associated liberty.

However, the political divisions of the United States, Europe’s coalition paralysis and the soul-crushing waste of public funds in South Africa seem absent.

On the contrary, the Chinese seem apolitical, freed from the burden of party politics and the fervent societal stress-test of cyclical election campaigning.

Some may call that naïve, or even lacking political agency, but perhaps ignorance is bliss when your government supplies housing, provides free education, keeps the streets safe and public transport flows.

A rich diversity of peoples

At face value, the omnipresent cameras and armed police support the accusations of a police and surveillance state, yet few South Africans would argue with more police on our cities’ streets.

If one believes an abundance of surveillance to be dystopian, consider your suburban neighbourhood blockwatch’s desire for licence plate recognition cameras and CCTV for private security needs.

In Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang province, police are visible in multiple guises and accompanied by regular metal detector checkpoints in busy markets.

Understanding the history of violence in the area will give one a grasp of how the locals are willing to sacrifice a little privacy for being able to walk their streets in peace.

Dr Edith Phaswana at the Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar with permanently stationed guards in the background. Picture: Jarryd Westerdale

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Urumqi is not a major city by any stretch, but the infrastructure, order and cleanliness are embarrassingly superior to South Africa’s largest cities.

This is a credit to the area’s people, not necessarily their government, who find understanding and cooperation in their truly diverse origins and shared experiences.

Walking through the Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar, the genetic legacy of the nations that traversed the Silk Road hundreds of years ago is etched into the faces of stall owners and shoppers alike.

In the Nanhu Green Square, groups gather every evening for free organised group parties that promote an appreciation of the diverse music and dance in Xinjiang.

The warmth shown to foreigners is that of a people appreciative of what they have and willing to share it.

A Chinese proverb repeated in Urumqi last week states that “reading ten thousand books is not as good as travelling ten thousand miles”, and everybody is urged to see and judge China for themselves.

A giant archway at the entrance of the Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar. Picture: Jarryd Westerdale

*The Citizen’s trip to China was sponsored by the XInjiang Foreign Affairs Office and the Chinese Embassy.