CPC'soverallperformance,popularityandresponsivenesstoexternalanddomesticchangesimpressive:HaraldBuchmannHaraldSimeonBuchmann,IntellisiaSeniorResearchFellowThankstotherecentlyunveiledcensusdatafrom2020,I'velearnedthatI'moneoflessthanamillionforeignresidentswhohavespenttheCovidyearinsideChina.MyassumptionisthatalotmoreforeignersusuallyresideinChina,whentherearenotravelandvisarestrictions,butaddingmybeingforeigner,I'mnotjustafluentspeaker,butalsocanreadandwriteinChinese.ThereisdataindicatingthatmoreandmorepeopleintheWest,inAsia,andinAfricaarestartingtolearnChinese,butIstillconsidermyselfaverysmallminority.WhydidIstarttolearnChinese,andhowhaveIkeptgoingallthewaytomycurrentlevel?Thisismyself-introduction:MyfirstinterestinChinadatesbacktomyundergraduatetimearound2005:IrememberclearlythesmallparkinmyhometowninSwitzerland,whereasmallgroupofSwissmadeuseofthegoodweathertopracticeTaiJioutdoors.Ihadneverseenanythinglikeit,butinstantlyfeltthatthiswashealthy,beautiful,andjustwhatIneeded.I'vestartedpracticingsoonafter,includingsomeGongFulessons,butitdoesn'tendthere.Majoringineconomics,IhadacertainfeelingthatChinamightbeonagoodtrajectoryjustbylookingatsomenumbers,eventhoughverylittlewasreportedinlocalnewspapersaboutChinaatthetime.Still,itfeltlikesomethingworthexploringfurther,thoughIhadabsolutelynoidea,how.Anotheraspectofeconomics,besidesgivinglearnersafeelingfornumbers,isthefactthatit'sextremelyabstractanddry–especiallyintheearly2000'swhenbehavioraleconomicswasrareandthe"homoeconomicus"wasstillthepredominantmodelofneoclassictheory.Putitinlayman'sterms:itwasinsanelyboring,sterile,andveryfarfromhowoneinstinctivelyfeltthathumansworkinreality.So,IdecidedIwouldwanttolearnsomethingunrelatedtostatistics,somethingirrational,somethinginspiring.Ihavealwaysfeltcomfortablelearninglanguages,andasaSwisshadlearnedFrenchandEnglishinhighschool,besidesGermanandSwissGerman,plussomeSpanishclassesIhadtakenduringanexchangeyearinFlorida,USA.IfIwasgoingtolearnanotherlanguageitwouldhavetobeachallenge,anditwouldnotbeoneoftheIndo-Germaniclanguagefamily.GiventhatIwasapoliticallyactiveyouthinadiversenetworkofsocialists,anarchists,communistsandsyndicalists,Chinesehadyetanotherattraction:thelargestremainingsocialistcountry.That'showIstartedtolearnChineseandIhaveneverregrettedit.LuckilyIdecidedearlyon,Iwouldratherlearnslowlybutthoroughly,takingthetimetolearnChinesecharactersfromthestart.Ifyoutakeawayjustonethingfromthiscolumn,letitbethisadvice:IfyoulearnChinese,domaketheefforttolearnChinesewriting.It'stheonlywaytogetfar,togobeyonddailysmalltalk,tolearnaboutChineseculture,andit'ssimplybeautiful,inspiring,amazing,andsurprising,especiallythemomentwhenyougofromdecipheringsinglecomplicatedcharacters,intofeelingyoustarttoreadsentences,andsuddenlyit'slikethetextstartstalkingtoyou.FromlearningChinesetogoingtoChina,ittookmeaboutayear,andaftergraduationthemomentfinallycame,whenItookashipfromJapantoShanghai,twodaysonthesea,realizingIhadn'tevenbookedahotelinShanghai,havingpreparedreallynothingexcepttimeandapositivespirit.ImetaFrenchfemaleshipengineerandaDutchvolunteerwhohadhelpedreconstructashipliketheoneusedbyMagellanandjoinedonlegofitsjourneyaroundtheworld,whenitcametoEastAsia.TheytoldmehowinternetcoffeeisspelledinChinese,unbelievablythiswasbeforesmartphonesswerecommonandgoingonlinemeantgoingtosmoky,oftendarkanddirtyplaceswheremanyChinesewentforspendingwholenightsonvideogames.Ifoundahostel,IstayedafewdaysinShanghai,andwasblownawaybythesize,thespeed,thenoise,andthebeautyofthewidestreets,supermodernskyscrapers,blueskieswithwhiteclouds,andtheredflagwithyellowstarsinfrontofit.IreallyfellinlovewithChinaatthatmoment,althoughIstillknewalmostnothingaboutthiscountry.IthentookagreennighttraintothecityofKunmingintheSouthwesternprovinceYunnan,whichwasa45htrainride,andinamixofsavingmoneyandsearchingadventure,Ichosetobuyahardseatticket,ratherthanasleepercarriage.Duringthose45hthelightswereneverturnedoff,peoplecameandleft,manywereamazedandsurprisedatseeingaforeignerinthis4thclasswagon,orseeingaforeigneratall.MyoneyearofChineselessonsdidn'tbringmeveryfar,butitwasenoughforpeopletotrytocommunicatewithme.Deepestimpressionsarehowthewholecarriagewouldlookatme,howonegrouptaughtmeaversionofthecardgame"bridge"tokillafewhours,howonecansleepwiththeheadonthesmalltablewhilesittingwithglaringlightson,howtheyspatsunflowerseedskinsandcigarettebudsonthefloor(nowadayssmokingisprohibitedonalltrainsandstrictlyenforced,butitwasadifferentworldbackthen),howtheywouldcomewithabroomeverycoupleofhourstosweepthegarbageoutofthecarriage,howanose-fluteplayerenteredsomewhereclosetoKunmingandIdidn'tknowhowmuchmoneytogivehim,withthewholecarriagelookingatmewhileheplayedatuneespeciallyforme,andmanyotherthings.I'vetaken2-3morelong-termtrainridessince,butthisisdefinitelymymostunforgettabletrainrideexperience.HaraldBuchmannexperiencesthetraditionalwayofmakingtofuinaremotefarmingvillageinChina.(PhotoprovidedtoGuangmingOnline)Skippingforward,ItaughtEnglishinasmallcityinremoteNortheastChina,seeingfarmersstillusingdonkeydrawnplows,visitingafarmingvillageandtheirschoolaswell.I'velaterspentasemesterattheworldfamousTsinghuaUniversityin2012toimprovemyhighlevelChinese(HSK6),I'vestartedtoreadChinesepoliticsaswellasancientphilosophylikeConfucianisminoriginallanguage,andI'velearnedagreatlotaboutsocialismofthe21stcentury,rememberingclearlyhowthechangeoftheMainContradictionwasannouncedin2017,howIinstantlyknewthiswasamajorchange,andhowitdrovemetoinvestalotoftimereadingupmoreonthelatestpoliticaltheory.Besidespoliticsandinternationalrelations,I'mabigfanofChineseteaculture,visitingfarmingvillagesandteafarms,seeinghowthepoliciesaffectthecountrysideandthelivesofordinarypeople,howitconnectstotheBeltandRoad,andhowvariousChineseinterpretwhat'shappeningintheircountryandhowtheWestrespondstoit.Ioftengetaccusedofbeingapaidshill,troll,stoogeorotherinsults,paidbytheCPCtodopropaganda,towhichIhavethefollowingresponse:I'mareflected,conscious,criticallythinking,anddeeplyconvincedsupporteroftheCPCwithoutanypayment.Thatdoesn'tmeanIcondoneeverythingtheCPChaseverdone,oranyoneactinginthenameoftheCPCisperfect.Ihaven'tmetanysupporterofanypoliticalpartyintheworld,whonevercriticizedtheirfavoriteparty,nomatterhowdevout.ThereasonwhyIsupportthisparty,isbecauseitistheonepoliticalorganizationwhichhasduringmylifetimereducedhumanpovertyandsufferinglikenootherorganizationinthehistoryofmankind.Ithasaphilosophyofpeace,povertyreduction,environmentalimprovement,andeconomicdevelopment,whichIwouldsummarizeinonewordas:"sanity".Thereareconstraintsofthefeasible,peoplearestillpoorandmanyproblemsaren'tsolved.Butitisimpressivetoseetheoverallperformanceofthispoliticalinstitution,seeitspopularity,seeitsresponsivenesstoexternalchangesandtheoverallchangesofChina.Again,I'mnotareligiousfolloweroftheCPC,norisChinaparadiseonearth,butIhopetotellsomestoriesinthefuture,ofwhatI'mseeingontheground,ofwhatpeoplearoundmetellme,wheretheycomefrom,howtheirparentsgrewup,andcomparethosetostoriesfromIndia,Africa,theMiddleEastandSouthEastAsia.It'seasytotakeanuppermiddle-classfamilyinCaliforniaandsaytheirlivesarebetterthaninaChinesetier3city.I'veinterviewedalargenumberoftruckdriversandspentanightinatruck,I'vemetmanyfarmers,I'vespokenwithmanyuneducatedworkers,soIseeChinafarbeyondthewhitecollarforeign-trainedmiddlemanagersmostexpatsgettosee.MyjobalsoallowsmetotalktowhitecollarworkersinAfrica,theMiddleEast,andI'vespentonesemesterofmymastersinthePhilippines,anddidaprojectinIndia'sPunjabregion.SoIdohavesomelevelofcomparisonwhentalkingaboutChina.ThisiswhatIwillshare,becauseIfeelit'sthepartofChinawhichisn'tsharedenoughinEnglishspeakingmedia.Iwillfocusonhowthingsconnect:philosophy,culture,politics,tea,farmers,workers,thelifeofsimplepeopleandtheworldofinternationalrelations.Iamhappytorespondtocommentsandfeedbackduringthisjourney.(ContributedbyHaraldSimeonBuchmann,Swissentrepreneurandpoliticalanalyst,forGuangmingOnline)