China–Grenada parallels

by Suelin Low Chew Tung

My first month in China involved cultural activities, district visits, coverage of the Two Sessions, China’s most important government meetings and other press briefings.

China International Press Communication Centre (CIPCC) are hosting over 60 journalists from Asia Pacific, Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, and the Caribbean, and the designated directors and office staff are going above and beyond to make us comfortable at our residential compound, and during our many activities.

We quickly got down to business: the opening ceremony at the Two Sessions at the Great Hall of the People, various press conferences, including those of the Foreign Minister and Prime Minister, the opening ceremony of the democracy forum, and the historic signing reestablishing relations between China and Honduras.

Beijing municipality has 16 districts, as well as the capital city. We did a lot of walking when we visited Pinggu, Haidian and Shijingshan Districts, and on those days, comfortable shoes were necessary. In the Grenada context, these visits would be equivalent to visiting cultural points in villages surrounding the parish of Saint George.

In China, there is a dedicated focus on technology to support several sectors and generally make the lives of their 1.4 billion citizens better. As we discovered, despite their high-tech approach, there is a national pride in merging the ancient and the modern.

Pinggu District

I was impressed by the food production and processing centre of Zixingyuan (Beijing) Food Technology — automatic systems and smart technology to maintain health and safety, while producing various pastries and popular bread items in the thousands per hour.

On Nanying Doctor Farm, greenhouses and soilless cultivation and physical pest and weed control methods were responsible for the excellent quality of hand-harvested strawberries we enjoyed.

The third highlight was poultry production by Beijing WOD Chen-Long Biotechnology, a 3-in-1 poultry high-tech enterprise covering breeding, processing, and the digital economy. This company committed to increasing farmers’ income and leading the healthy development of the poultry industry, created a range of native poultry from breeds within China, to negate importation from other countries.

Shijingshan District

At Historical and Cultural Preservation Area, we walked along a thousand-year-old road in the shape of a dragon, now called Moshikou Avenue. Camel sculptures dot the street, referencing the days when camel caravans were the workhorses of trade, connecting Beijing city to the outside world. Toward the end of the tour, in the courtyard of the hilltop Fahai Temple surrounded by 1,000-year-old cypress trees, I felt my chi replenished, similar to how I feel in the quiet solitude of Grenada’s Grand Etang National Park. An ancient village once used as a model for other villages and a gateway to the world is now a protected area and tourism destination.

Haidian District

Boasts multiple libraries, museums, cultural and art institutions, and scientific and educational resources. In short, it is a place of culture, learning and scientific innovation. Of the places we visited, I was very taken by the medical equipment at Naton Group: PPE masks, surgical theatre beds, mobility equipment, surgical blue screws for bone repair, and various surgical materials made from recyclable polymers.

Juyongguan District

We walked a portion of the Great Wall. We learned that the Juyongguan Pass was not only a literal passage through the mountains but a city for merchants to do business, pay taxes, etc., before being vetted to continue on to the capital, Beijing City. I was thrilled to walk 4,000 metres of Juyongguan Great Wall and conquer my fear of heights. Paraphrasing Chairman Mao: if you can conquer the Great Wall, everything else is gravy. Hiking all the fortifications from Fort George to Richmond Hill in one swoop would almost be like walking part of the Great Wall.

Outside of the district visits, the highlights of my first month were meeting my Caribbean and other counterparts; seeing old and new working together, especially in Shijingshan District, where high-tech industries exist within and among the original steel factory infrastructure. We have seen a lot of innovative technology with domestic and commercial applications for transport, film, agricultural and medical use.

Cultural activities included Chinese painting, calligraphy, and Tai-chi with Yang Songquan, an 11th-generation inheritor of Chen-style Taijiquan. Watching Wandering Earth II at China Film International Cinema is, in my opinion, a film which visualises the Chinese Dream of global cooperation to ensure global survival.

On the days we went out, though we wore masks to stay safe — Covid-19, seasonal colds and flu, after all, still exist in the world — the air quality has generally been good in Beijing. There were a few days of 500 AQI (Air Quality Index) and an advisory to stay indoors because sand was blowing in from the Gobi Desert, with particulates from forest fires adding to the mix. But almost every day, the windows in my flat are open, and once the rear kitchen window is opened, the indoor temperature drops enough for socks and a pullover. Given that in Grenada, my windows are open for most of any given day, including when we get bouts of Saharan dust from which we cannot escape, I treated the Gobi dust as what it was — a natural nuisance, requiring me to damp mop more often.

So far, during my walkabouts in our residential area in Chaoyang District and observing people from the bus as we passed through villages on the way to our destinations, I have found the Chinese people to be industrious, polite, and hospitable. Like most families in Grenada and elsewhere, I would imagine that they just want to live their lives peacefully, care for their families and put food on the table, and progress in life. They are also practical people, using small vehicles that are energy and cost-efficient, for road maintenance, construction, deliveries (of almost anything that can be ordered online), and the post, etc.

Apart from the metro and the public bus, bicycles are everywhere. In the capital, rows of yellow, green and blue bicycles are parked along the road, not abandoned, but in convenient parking spots where they can be leased on demand from 3 companies to get from place to place under people power. The small 3 and 4-wheeled vehicles are electric-powered and so silent, sneaking up on you if you are not paying attention and straying away from the curb into the lanes created just for them and cyclists. I did not expect the general road traffic to be as quiet as it is, save for the occasional horn blast.

Takeaways

Can we apply similar soilless processes in Grenada, using less chemicals and zero pesticides to support the integrity of our foods? Can we create a range of native poultry from common yard fowl breeds to reduce importation? Are there villages where we can engage and promote their history and historical significance, and offer that and cultural activities to domestic and international visitors? Lessons in Patois/Creole, or an introduction to Grenadianisms, stick fighting, or movies on Grenada? Are there private companies, e.g. food production and processing centres, that can open to unconventional tours? Is it possible to have more bicycles and smaller vehicles on our roads? Temple visits are popular in China. Could we do something similar with our houses of worship?

Each day, I draw parallels between China and Grenada to uncover what we can learn from a 3,000-year-old culture.

Suelin is visiting Beijing, hosted by China International Press Communication Centre (CIPCC), to report on China with a Grenadian view.