I had the honour of visiting the beautiful and culturally very rich country of China in June this year. What I experienced and saw already on this very first trip to your magnificent country, left me already dreaming of a new trip, when I absolutely will arrive with more time to spend in your country. And so, when to my greatest joy and pleasant surprise, I was asked to share my inner thoughts with you about what I had learned and observed, I began to fulfil this task with great enthusiasm.

 

Beijing and the island of Hainan, the town of Sanya, left a mark in this visitor’s heart that simply will not fade away. Right in the centre of Beijing, surrounded by sky scrapers and modern technology, one can find the heart of the city, the Forbidden City. There is an air of mystical stories and secrecy around it, and I felt it was like a gate to the earlier culture of China. After Beijing, on the island of Hainan, there was Sanya-a paradise that I had not ever experienced. Warmth, good service and happy people surrounded by wonderful nature and peaceful sea.

 

Already the very first trip from the airport to the City of Beijing was an eye-opener to the rich transportation culture in China. The usage of signalling sounds is clearly an integral part of local ways and at first it may even confuse a traveller from Northern Europe. For a moment, looking through a car window, the heavy traffic seemed even a little strange, as the speeds of different vehicles varied a lot considering that also their number and variety were so big. Still, little by little the whole picture started to take its shape: the different modes of transportation ranged from old-fashioned to ultra-modern; from motor-vehicles and cyclists to pedestrians, and later in the countryside even animals. But somehow the flow of traffic was still very harmonious and surprisingly well-organized. This first encounter was very soon enhanced by the sound of rich Chinese language in the air and the sky scrapers reaching the sky.

Everyday life on Chinese roads, seen through European eyes

However, sometimes the flow of traffic seemed extremely slow, even hesitating and it may frustrate a less-knowledgeable traveller. I myself appreciated especially how the drivers were dedicated to getting the customers safely to their destination; there was never even a moment’s doubt in my mind about that. Sometimes the speed, in which the drivers reacted to the unexpected changings of lanes or driving speed by others took me even by surprise!

 

By following the traffic more closely it was easy to see that more important than the rules and regulations is how they are applied to the practice. For example, who goes first and who gives way are being agreed by taking eye-contact with one another. Or, how the speed limits do not help much, if suddenly there is an overly-loaded moped ahead or the road is full of holes. All of this and more is learnt by experience. The Chinese traffic is perhaps best described in my view by saying that it demands a high ability to react quickly without hesitation.

 

The traffic in China is right-handed, which leads to an assumption that the rules are very much the same as in other countries, where the traffic keeps on the right side. When there are two or more lanes going to the same direction, the farthest right side is for more peaceful driving, whereas the left lane is used for passing. To be quite honest, to me the overtaking seemed more like random movements than premeditated actions-the other vehicle(s) were passed where-and whenever it was possible.

 

More excitement to life is offered by the night-time traffic, since not all means of transportation were equipped by driving lights and the other vehicle could appear ahead of yours from more-or-less nowhere!There truly is plenty of demand for lightning-like reaction time and ability!This is why signalling sounds and repeatedly flashing lights are essential ways to survive in traffic once it’s dark.

 

And yet, it is very safe in Chinese traffic!One does not think in China that the break is the end of speed, because people have learned from the many safety campaigns that in fact, speed is the end of the driver. The speed limits are relatively low in China and most of the drivers follow by them.

 

It was pleasantly surprising for a European traveller to realize that the Chinese drivers do not seem to stress much even though travelling from place A to Z is so time-consuming. Most of them know already at the beginning of their journey that the risk of arriving late is high and have adapted to it. Queues and traffic jams are just a part of life in big cities but as the number of cars grow, also the problems with congestion increase. There is a number of ways, developed to ease these problems, but it seems that the traffic jams are here to stay and the people of China have learned to cope with them.

 

As a person, passionately dedicated to developing new solutions for transportation I was left thinking, how could we work in close cooperation together in order to find new ways to develop public transportation, as well as to reduce the traffic jams for example by the means of Intelligent Transportation. Besides intensifying our collaboration within transportation sector as a whole, there is also a big common challenge: how to improve the quality of air and at the same time reduce emissions from transportation I strongly believe that close cooperation, exchange of views and expertise would work for both of our benefit. Here in Europe we have been forced to wake up and open our eyes to the fact that more and more people are dying from transportation-related emissions than in actual traffic accidents. I am sure that we can all agree that every life saved is a vitally important achievement for us all, and therefore intensifying our cooperation would have truly far-reaching and positive results!

 

Modern modes of travelling

 

It is evident that the fastest and most convenient way to get from one place to another in a country of long distances like China is by flying. Domestic flights are made in big and modern airplanes, and the level of aviation security is at an international top.

 

A good alternative for flying is travelling by train. I must admit, as member of the European Parliament and especially in my role as member in its Committee on Transport and Tourism, as well as the former Minister of Transport of Finland, the ultra-modern network of state-of-the-art high-speed trains is growing at an enviably high speed. To me, this is a proof of undeniable commitment, hard work and positive curiousness of Chinese people toward the new and sometimes unknown; and this is also something I wish to learn more of and take back home to Europe. Nevertheless, these trains, reaching even 350 km/h speed, have reduced the travelling time between cities by several hours, thus posing a genuine challenge to domestic flights.

 

In the cities the best way to get round is using the efficient public transport, and especially the subway, unless one gets easily frustrated by the never ending flow of crowd. Taxi-rates are relatively low, but travelling by taxi can be at times very slow, as the cab gets easily stuck in the traffic jams. An especially popular among the locals and surprisingly good alternative for public and private transport are bicycles-easily accessible for hire against a small fee almost everywhere.

Mystical and historical-exotic and magnificent China

Enigmatic China captivates the traveller by its history that reaches to ancient times; culture that has in many ways been the beginning for our own, and with pure eastern exoticism. It is among the most popular travelling destinations in Asia, getting more familiar to growing number of Finns, too. Extending deeply into the interior of the Asian continent, the diversity of China is best experienced during a stress-free, easy-going trip without any tight schedules, however, it is possible to see and experience a lot even on a shorter visit. The possibilities are nearly infinite.

 

The People’s Republic of China, the world’s most populous nation

 

The vast number of people in China is most concretely described as an endless bustle of people and commotion that spread everywhere - and makes an inexperienced traveller go out of breath. Like traffic, the everyday life may at first seem like an inexplicable chaos, but after the initial shock many travellers will remember experiencing the Chinese way of life as the undisputable highlight of their visit. Therefore it would be useful to encourage the travellers visit also the more ordinary districts, where the local life shows at its most vivid and original. And a good advice for a tourist is not to get scared if one gets lost; the locals are very friendly and helpful, even if there is no shared language. I myself experienced this first-hand, when during my own personal tour in the City of Beijing I got a little lost; in no time at all I got help and a taxi was there to get me back on the map.

There’s more to Chinese food-culture than meeting the Western eye-and taste buds

 

The world renowned Chinese food-culture has spread throughout the world in particular from the southern or more precisely Cantonese kitchen. However, there is a lot more territorial differences in the Chinese food-culture than a foreigner necessarily even realizes, but no worries-there is plenty of exotic and delicious food-related eureka moments in store for a traveller no matter where in China one is.

 

Chinese diet consists of rich variety of meat and vegetables, prepared in many different ways. One doesn’t always know what it is on the plate, but it is definitely worthwhile to take on open and unprejudiced mind, as for those the food tastes heavenly without an exception. The food is generally served in restaurants in bowls and the traditional drink is green tea, but beer is these days just as popular.

 

Accommodation for every need and wallet

 

There is wide repertoire of different accommodation to choose from in China: from simple, traditional guesthouses to high-class luxury hotels that fulfil every international standard. The extremely fast developments of Chinese economy together with many international events that are held in China have spectacularly modernized the variety for accommodation. A similarly wide scale applies to prices: there is something for all at every possible rate. In simple guesthouses the rates are relatively low, whereas in luxury hotels the prices follow fully by the western levels. For those, appreciating more competitive prices I would advise: Seek and thou shalt find, as the saying goes, and usually with a very satisfactory price-quality ratio.

 

One might want to pay attention also to the fact that building new and renovating the old on an exhilarating rate is a trend in China. As the construction projects progress, also the hotel capacity renews and changes rapidly. This is something worth taking on account, when reading or writing travel guides and brochures.

 

A European traveller always needs to apply for a visa both for travelling from to China-and vice versa. This is a shared challenge for all of us who are in any way, by work or other, developing the cooperation and relations-a friendship-between Europe and China. How could we make the visa policies function and service the travellers much better? After my first-but definitely not last-visit to China I am more than ever convinced that we are in need of a flexible and above all functional-intelligent, I might add-system for travel visas, which would serve the goals and needs of all parties fairly and with an affordable price.