China’s great leap forward leaves South Africans feeling hopeless

It should have been a sense of calm which descended on me as the wheels of the Emirates plane hit the tarmac at OR Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park.

But I was filled with an odd sense of disappointment or unease because my mind was already playing the comparison game with Shanghai, the bustling Chinese metropolis which is the third biggest in the world in terms of population.

The Shanghai urban area has just under 40 million people, more than half of the total population of South Africa…but it wasn’t the numbers which were top of my mind.

Gautrain vs Chinese bullet train

I was thinking about what our country was in comparison. As if to confirm that unease, a colleague gave me the “welcome back” news that the country was now under stage 6 load shedding.

Even the jewel in our transport crown, the Gautrain, felt like a let-down and showed how China had made many “Great Leaps Forward”, as their famous Communist Party chair Mao Zedong once put it.

Where the Gautrain felt slightly unstable at its top speed of 160km/h, I thought a bit of nostalgia about the bullet train that propelled us through the Chinese countryside at a stable, controlled and mind-blowing 304km/h.

Frustrations and challenges

The trip, arranged by Chinese automaker Chery – which is making waves in our local market – was one which I could only describe as incredible…and it helped eliminate many of the stereotypes and perceptions, I had previously about the giant nation.

Confirming my attendance and finally realising the ultimate dream for any motoring journalist to head overseas was but the start of an incredibly frustrating process to obtain a visa.

Provided with a website to apply for documents, which have to be finished online and then printed, was a tedious affair that involved puzzling questions such as your academic qualifications, “Have you fought in any wars or been part of charities” and, for obvious and ironic reasons, “have you ever had any infectious diseases?”

Making matters even worse, the visa handling office in Sandton City is anything but quiet. Packed beyond capacity with queues rivalling those of a home affairs office.

Visa approval, health checks, and customs requirements

On top of this, revising our application forms to meet the visa requirements happened more than once, which subsequently required a new booking date.

As it transpired, akin to a Hollywood script, less than three days before leaving, all the journos on the trip had legitimate visas in passports.

ALSO READ: ‘FlySafair if I catch you’- funniest reactions to the airline’s R9 tickets sale

What’s more, we found to our relief that no proof of vaccinations or 48-hour PCR tests were required to enter China.

We did, however, require an electronic health check test that consisted of a series of questions on a smartphone app that, once finished, got condensed into a QR code required by Chinese authorities when going through customs.

Restrictions on social media, and impressions of Chinese efficiency

As we waited in Dubai for our Emirates connection to Shanghai, the thoughts of China became real; Was Covid still a threat? Was their mass media censorship still applicable?

Would at least one of us be deported for an incorrect visa entry? There was a North Korea-style of fear.

Touchdown in the dark and moving into a fully lit Shanghai airport was, at best, surreal for reasons ranging from how long it took to get the visas to the incredible excitement that awaited us outside the gates.

But before we could think about the latter, there was the small issue of getting through customs.

As our flight had been at night, congestion and standing in queues for hours wasn’t going to be much of an issue; however, for someone whose only previous experience of international travel had been to other Southern African Development Community countries, the feeling was nerve-wracking.

What’s more, there was the notion of where we were going. Ever since we got our visas, all of us knew that access to our beloved social media was to be restricted and probably monitored, something which is the norm in China and which some in our group circumvented by means of a VPN (Virtual Private Network) that was to give them access to the internet in spite of the restrictions. Immediately visible at the airport, though, was the pride the Chinese take in their job.

Besides the customs area being clean, the personnel do their job with military precision and with a distinct sense of pride and importance you won’t find going through the check-in at OR Tambo International Airport.

A surprising experience

As our hotel for the stay in Shanghai was to be in the heart of the city’s CBD, any thoughts of it being similar to home, or lined with shops selling the stereotypical cages filled with dogs and cats ready for dinner, proved about as far away from the truth as possible.

Besides trying to curb, and failing incredibly at doing it, my inner nerd at identifying the cars the Chinese drive, and witnessing Shanghai at night was something words couldn’t describe.

The size of the buildings of China’s financial hub is staggering; they are massive and impressively lit from bottom to top with signage and animations.

ALSO READ: Frequent flyers are feeling the strain of travelling

The roads are devoid of any potholes and as clean as the floors of any five-star hotel, and everyone adhered to the timer that counts down how many seconds remain before you can cross or have to wait at the pedestrian crossing.

As our bus drove into Shanghai via a tunnel while we gorged ourself on some late evening snacks – a can of Mandarin-inscribed Pepsi, crisps and a loaf of absolutely delicious sweet bread – we witnessed an incredible sight never to be seen in South Africa; a truck fitted with a front-mounted cleaning device busy removing grime or dust from the tunnel’s walls!

Once at our hotel, the room was equally amazing. Clean, modern and with a stunning view of downtown Shanghai, which made any inherent thoughts of China’s primitive methods of existence disappear instantly.

But, staring at the illuminated scene before me also conjured up anger.

A tale of modernity and third-world reminders

South Africa could have had and should have all this had it not been for those in power thinking only of themselves and being more focused on self-enrichment and looting than getting rid of the “third world” connotation China once had.

On the other hand, we discovered that even in a bustling tech-saturated city like Shanghai, you still get some third-world reminders.

Heading to the Shanghai Auto Show – the biggest in the world and which celebrated its 20th anniversary this year – dressed in suits, despite the 30°C heat (Chinese are sticklers for business dress codes), the air conditioning on our electric bus died without warning.

With still a significant distance to go, our progress got slower and slower until our bus came to a stop at the side of the highway with no power.

A South African mishap in China’s drive for new energy vehicles

While the reason didn’t become immediately apparent, the subsequent discovery soon left us chuckling and smarting for a very South African reason.

Glancing at the bus number plate, the reason for the breakdown became clear.

Besides being one the biggest drivers of new energy vehicles (NEVs), consisting of plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles that accounts for 40% of all new car sales, China employs a dual number plate system where conventional petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles feature blue number plates and NEVs partial green-andwhite plates.

Despite later being told that around 3 000 EV chargers are scattered across Shanghai, seemingly none had attracted the attention of the bus provider, who had failed to institute a full charge before commencing the transit to the convention centre.

Much to the annoyance of our hosts, the “breakdown” lasted for over an hour, and while car-spotting became the chosen activity as we waited, a replacement bus eventually arrived.

This time, one with a blue number plate and a diesel engine in the back. But our spirits were still high as we eventually arrived at the colossus which is the Shanghai Convention Centre.

Exploring the vibrant and safe streets of Shanghai at night

Mind-blowing, intimidating and exciting all at the same time, the bus breakdown soon faded as we entered the exhibition hall.

In brief, it was incredible, and while we sadly didn’t get to experience all of the events due to the prolonged highway “load shedding”, the mark of glitz, glam, importance and realisation of a childhood dream was made and made for life.

While the next day would see us getting up early for the trek to Wuhu, we couldn’t leave without a post-dinner walk through Shanghai that, frankly, had us all speechless.

As our hotel was within walking distance of the restaurant we dined at, the work for our severely bruised feet wasn’t over yet.

In fact, we subsequently decided to prolong the pain by going on a scenic walk around of the city that left us mesmerised.

At no point did we feel unsafe, and as the area was packed with people taking in the lights, sounds and surroundings.

Not once did we fear being mugged or robbed despite it being 10pm. As you can imagine, that was all slightly different from our daily lives here in the crime capital of the world.

NOW READ: Travel tips: 5 ways to stretch your rand in the world’s most expensive cities