Adventures in China

While I was in Luoyang, a number of first occurred for the city. Things are changing very rapidly. Very rapidly. For instance, fast food showed up in Luoyang while I was there. In December, there weren't any fast food restaurants. In February, there were 3. They were all based on Kentucky Fried Chicken and served deep fried chicken and fish with French fries and rectangular apple pie and they were very, very popular.

Tampons also showed up while I was there. When I first got to China, I could only find menstrual pads. By the time I left, I could by OB brand tampons.

When I first got to Luoyang, all the grocery store clerks had to ring up everything by hand, but by midwinter, all the larger grocery stores had scanners. Of course, everyone acted too cool to be really impressed by such technology.

Those sorts of changes seem rather superficial, but I think it sort of illustrates how quickly things are changing. There is this huge influx of technology and ideas coming into areas that didn't have it before. Perhaps most importantly, the internet is showing up. When I first started working, only one teacher I knew had internet access at home. By the time I left, I got 8 email addresses. That is an astounding rate of increase and I don't know what it will mean for China's future. I never saw the freedom of information that I am used to in the United States while I was there. I don't know how fast information will flow, now, but I think it is going to cause huge social changes, one way or another. The Chinese government seems to think that sort of information is a threat, considering how much they try to control internet cafes and what sorts of sites people can view.