Discovering the real China

My journalism profession has accorded me great opportunity to travel in various countries across the world. Naturally, I have been very keen on picking up a souvenir or two, to remind me of the visits to foreign lands.

My curiosity was drawn to the fact that no matter what country I found myself in, the items I was purchasing as mementos were all made in China. From Chicago, USA to Tokyo Japan, from Cape Town, South Africa to Kingston Jamaica.

China then, appeared to me to be like the world's factory. However, there was still a lingering stereotype of that country also being the source of substandard or fake merchandise.

Truth be told, my world about China, was initially informed by skewed and often time negative depiction of this country, by western media outlets, which have traditionally been the source of foreign news in Kenya.

So, when I finally got a chance to visit China in 2006, it was quite an eye-opening experience. Prior to departing from Nairobi, I did some research and background checks on China, with a view to getting familiar with what appeared to be a daunting journalistic task, based on what I had heard been made to believe.

The guidelines I got from the Internet were indeed scary, ranging from ‘tough restrictions' about filming in Beijing, to warnings about the number of Bibles one is allowed to bring into China, which would be detected during stringent, military-like checks at the airport.

All these fears proved to be unfounded, on my arrival in China. There is no single time I felt threatened. I was able to freely film without any hindrance from security agents. Indeed, my short stay in Beijing was quite enjoyable. And, the number of English speakers was beyond my expectations.

The outstanding place of interest I visited was definitely the Great Wall of China, at Badaling. It was amazing to see such a multitude of people, seemingly from all nationalities, enjoying their outing, in not so pleasant weather.

From the grey skies throughout the day and hardly having once sighted the sun, I returned to Kenya with tales of how pollution was so bad in China, that it was impossible to see a clear blue sky, on any given day, or stars at night. Again, a misconception that totally disregards changing weather patterns, as the various seasons go by.

It also was extremely ironic to discover that nearly all the major western brands and manufacturers had a huge presence in Beijing. The way African governments were being frowned upon and openly discouraged from doing business with China, one would have expected the West to have possibly banned their own companies from trading inside China.

And as for the issue of counterfeit or sub-standard goods, widely reported, (in the western press), to be mainly manufactured in China, I also confirmed there was no basis of such an unfair generalization. As a matter of fact, I still put on the clothes I bought during that visit: 8 years later!

And as fate would have it, I eventually started working for an affiliate of China's state television years later, in a very exciting global broadcasting platform, CCTV Africa.

Such was my luck that I got to visit China again in 2013, in a work-related training-cum-cultural experience programme. And this time around, my stay in Beijing was much, much longer.

I was remarkably made to discard my false belief about the relationship between grey skies, and pollution levels in Beijing. For during that glorious month of April, the skies really opened up to reveal a beautiful oriental sun.

I also got the chance to really experience Chinese culture and its people at very close proximity. One of the key observations I made is that the Chinese have incredibly found a way of fusing millennia-old traditions and the full complement of modernity.

The people are friendly and very welcoming to international visitors. You hardly get a sense of being belittled. And neither does an African, especially, get accosted by open or camouflaged racial prejudices, so common in many western capitals.

It was amazing to observe how domestic tourism was such an integral part of the local economy. Droves upon droves of people could be seen flocking to attractions like the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Summer Palace and even the Beijing Olympic Park.

And to get the people moving, the Chinese authorities have put in place an efficient and affordable mass transportation system. It is indeed my hope that the infrastructural development in Kenya and other countries by the Chinese, will help transform the African continent into a better place to live.