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IOL News
23-04-2025
- IOL News
Chinese modernisation: innovation with identity
A view of the Hong Kong city skyline at night. For South Africans, China's story offers lessons and inspiration. Like us, China is a nation with a complex history, striving to forge a future that honours its past. Its ability to lift millions out of poverty offers hope for our challenges, says the writer. As a South African living in Shanghai, I've found myself immersed in a transformation that feels both exhilarating and deeply rooted — a phenomenon I call China's modernisation with a heartbeat. China's modernisation, often described as 'modernisation with Chinese characteristics,' is a dynamic blend of cutting-edge progress and deep-rooted tradition. It's not the Western model of development I grew up reading about, nor is it a carbon copy of South Africa's post-apartheid rebuilding. It's something uniquely Chinese — a journey of advancement that doesn't erase identity but amplifies it. As a South African, this resonates deeply, as it echoes our aspirations to modernise while holding fast to who we are. When I arrived in Shanghai almost two years ago, I was dazzled by the city's skyline — a forest of glass and steel towers that make Sandton's business district look quaint. The Maglev train, whisking me from Pudong Airport to the city centre at 431 km/h, felt like stepping into a sci-fi novel. Yet, just a 20-minute walk from my apartment in Jing'an, I found Yu Garden, a 16th-century oasis of koi ponds and stone bridges, where elderly locals practice tai chi at dawn. This juxtaposition of hyper-modernity and tradition is the essence of Chinese modernisation. South Africans will understand this balancing act. In Johannesburg, we're proud of our gleaming malls and tech hubs, but we cherish Soweto's vibrant streets and the cultural weight of our history. Similarly, China's modernisation doesn't bulldoze its past. The government's emphasis on 'cultural confidence' ensures that heritage sites are preserved, and traditional festivals like the Spring Festival are celebrated with fervour. This year, I joined my Chinese friends for a Lunar New Year dinner in a Jiangsu village. Amid fireworks and dumplings, I saw how modernisation — evident in the village's high-speed internet and solar-powered streetlights — coexists with age-old customs. Chinese modernisation is about progress that amplifies the past, not erases it. This shines through in 'common prosperity,' a vision to uplift everyone, rural and urban, coastal and inland. I saw this during a trip to Guizhou, a province once known for its challenges. There, villages have been transformed by e-commerce. Farmers, who once struggled to sell their tea and rice, now livestream on platforms like Douyin, reaching buyers nationwide. One farmer, Auntie Li, beamed as she showed me her smartphone setup, sharing how her earnings funded her daughter's university education. The scale of this transformation — Guizhou's poverty rate fell from 26% in 2012 to under 2% by 2020 - shows a commitment to inclusive growth that inspires me, not as a comparison to South Africa, but as a testament to what's possible when innovation meets heart. Education reflects this unique modernisation too. At the university where I'm studying towards my Master's Degree, students are as fluent in AI trends as they are in Confucian philosophy. While students dream of designing sustainable cities, they can quote Mencius to explain their sense of duty. This isn't just academics; it's a deliberate effort to ground innovation in cultural wisdom. China's focus on STEM — producing over 4 million graduates annually — fuels its tech boom, yet the arts ensure students think beyond code. It's a balance that sparks ideas for how any nation, including mine, can nurture talent while staying true to its roots. Urban planning showcases China's vision vividly. Cities like Shenzhen, once a fishing village, now pulse with 5G networks and electric buses gliding through green corridors. I took a high-speed train to Hangzhou, a 45-minute ride, and wandered West Lake, a UNESCO site where ancient pagodas sit alongside smart benches that charge your phone. These cities hum with life — street dancers, night markets, and tea houses thrive beside AI startups. It's a vibrant contrast to homogenised urban models elsewhere, and as a South African, I'm drawn to this energy. I have an appreciation of how progress can sing with character. China's modernisation also extends to creating opportunities for all its people. The government's focus on inclusive policies ensures that everyone, from city dwellers to rural residents, can access the benefits of progress. Initiatives like rural revitalisation and expanded social services are knitting communities closer together, fostering a sense of shared opportunity. It's a dynamic effort that inspires me to think about how nations can build systems that uplift everyone, each in their way. Living in this era of Chinese modernisation feels like witnessing a nation redefine progress with purpose and soul. It's not about being better than anywhere else, it's about being authentically itself. For South Africans, China's story offers lessons and inspiration. Like us, China is a nation with a complex history, striving to forge a future that honours its past. Its ability to lift millions out of poverty offers hope for our challenges. Yet, China's path isn't a template; it's a reminder that modernisation must reflect a nation's unique character. Just as China blends Confucian values with AI, South Africa can weave ubuntu into its development. Living here, I've learned that modernisation isn't about becoming 'Western' or erasing your roots. It's about building a future that feels true to who you are. In Shanghai's neon glow, I see a nation racing forward yet pausing to light incense at ancient temples. As a South African, I dream of a day when our cities pulse with progress yet still echo the rhythms of our heritage. China's journey shows it's possible. Thandiswa Losi is a freelance columnist
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Yahoo
Stroll along The Bund riverside promenade on flying trip to Shanghai
Hardly anyone misses this popular selfie spot on The Bund waterfront along the Huangpu River in Shanghai with its amazing backdrop. Shanghai's equivalent of the Manhattan skyline and the 623-metre Shanghai Tower, one of the world's tallest buildings, dominate this cluster of skyscrapers that almost touch the skyline. After dark, the skyscrapers come to life and colourful lights sparkle on the facades. It is an ideal spot to experience the most spectacular features of China's metropolis of millions as freighters and tour boats bustle past on the river. Snapshot tourists are likely to stay only briefly, although Shanghai is well worth a stopover. But a tour of this cosmopolitan city is way better than just wandering around the airport on arrival or killing time in a lounge until your connecting flight. Stopovers are common at an airline's home airport, whether in Dubai, Singapore, Madrid or Bangkok. Underestimated experience Stopovers are an often-underestimated travel experience but you need to plan them well. Pack enough for perhaps two overnight stays and book tours of the main attractions online in advance. Consider buying a sightseeing bus ticket and a city pass or guided tour. Do not worry about your onward flight. Some airlines offer stopover programmes to give passengers a chance to explore a city. If you wish to prolong your stopover by a few days, some airlines do not charge extra for the ticket while others advertise discounted accommodation. The idea is to see as much as possible in a short time. Visitors can see Shanghai's main attractions in an admittedly fully-packed day, says guide Pu Yihua. To get to The Bund as quickly as possible, take the metro from Pudong Airport to the city centre and get off at People's Square or East Nanjing Road station. From there, you only have a short walk to the famous promenade with its spectacular views of the skyline. Pu Yihua, 46, gives tourists a brief, personal insight into the history of her hometown. "When I was small, we didn't have a fridge or a TV at home. High-rise buildings only appeared in the 1990s. Before that, there were only farmhouses and rice fields," she says. Green urban jungle Shanghai shot up to become China's top industrial centre. But not everything is plastered in concrete. Trees and flowers dot the urban jungle near the main People's Square. And the elegant, once private, 16th-century Yu Garden in the historic centre of the Huangpu district is a prime example of Chinese garden architecture. "The philosophy behind it foresaw living in an idyllic, harmonious oasis," says Pu. A new vista appears around every corner - a pond, the Dragon Wall, natural sculptures made of perforated limestone, walkways, ancient giant trees such as a ginkgo and a magnolia. Yet, historical buildings are the exception in Shanghai. One is the Jade Buddha Temple, built in 1882 in the Jing'an district. Similar to other Asian cities, gifts of incense dangle from bonsai trees and lion sculptures on inscribed lucky ribbons. Visitors to the Hall of Heavenly Guardians must cross extremely high thresholds. "They keep evil spirits away because spirits have no knees," Pu says. The refurbished old town has a Disneyesque feel but its fancy facades and rooftops have a certain charm, especially after dark when the lights are on. This area was once an ordinary residential buildings before the state turned it into a tourist spot and shopping centre with boutiques, restaurants, teahouses, cafes and souvenir shops. The sprawling skyscrapers and Shanghai Tower in the Lujiazui financial district dominate the area. The lift shoots up 546 metres to the glazed viewing floor in just under a minute. Unfortunately, the view is sometimes obscured by haze. One intriguing destination is the Shanghai Propaganda Poster Art Centre, tucked away in a skyscraper in the Changning district. The exhibits include modern documents about contemporary communist beliefs and are, of course, devoid of any critical opinions. "The posters used to hang in schools, universities, factories and offices," says director Yang Peiming, who compiled the unusual collection in the state-funded museum. Many historical posters have been destroyed, he says. Instead, the walls are covered in posters of a heroic-looking Mao Zedong, who founded the People's Republic of China and whose totalitarian rule is linked to millions of deaths in famine, executions and prison labour. Along Luzhi's canals Depending on the length of your stopover, you might get a chance to visit one of well over 10 water villages like Luzhi near the city. Tour boats bob along its network of canals and under bridges such as the Bridge of Happiness, the Bridge of Eternal Peace and the Bridge of Fragrant Flowers. A little further along in Luzhi, the smell of tofu hangs in the air at a food stall. Shanghai has no shortage of tasty delicacies. Try crispy sweet and sour pork served in a bowl of ice cubes - it is surprisingly delicious.
