Waves in China

Just returned from a short trip to Beijing and Xian , my third and second visit respectively. My last visit to these 2 cities were in 2008. My advice to people who wish to see certain famous tourist attractions in China is to do so asap before the local China nationals become richer and richer. China in itself comprising 23 provinces and a population of 1.3 billion is like a big continent with many countries. In fact China's population is almost double that of Europe. Can you imagine what domestic tourism spending is like when every Chinese's dream in each of these 23 Chinese provinces is to visit each other or at least the must see places like Beijing's Great Wall and Xian's Terracota.

In 2008 when I visited the Forbidden City I was able to take my time to look into the throne room and the emperor's wedding chamber albeit at the barrier set up at the doorway. During the recent visit the throng of domestic tourists elbowing their way to catch a brief glimpse into these chambers deter one from such an attempt. The local guide said that was nothing to lament about compared to the peak seasons when one only sees the back of heads and for a child tourist only backsides. Back in 2008 when I stayed in Beijing for 2 weeks while my daughter was interning there, I ventured on a weekday into the long corridors of the Forbidden  City and deserted living quarters of the Imperial harem. There I lingered imagining the sorrowful lives wasted in those chambers where some imperial consorts never in their lifetime met the emperor. If you visit the Forbidden City today the noise and chatter permeates the whole palace and the ambiance for such mulling is impossible.

At pit 1 of the Teracotta Warrior Site in Xian, the museum guide assigned to our group was exasperated with us. He rebuked us for not maintaining our foothold when he managed to find a good viewing spot. Instead we were shoved away by waves of domestic tourists. In his effeminate voice, eunuch mannerism and cynical humour he nagged us for not being aggressive enough. Pit 1 really looked more like a refugee camp when we were there, on a weekday mind you.

China tourism data showed that 4 billion domestic trips were made in China in 2016, equivalent to 3 trips on an average per person in the population. The revenue from domestic travel amounted to RMB 3.9 trillion in 2016. The GDP per capita has doubled since my previous visit in 2008 from USD 3500 to USD 8000.

Therefore it is better to visit places in your wish list asap before the tide of Chinese national's holiday spending power surges further and swarms of Chinese tourists descend on those tourist attaractions, be it in the confines of China or even further ashore in Asia and Europe.