A month of travelling in three stories

1. Hainan

I arrived on this southernmost island of China with no expectations whatsoever. Most things I heard about it were about its construction boom because vacation homes are becoming en vogue among wealthy Chinese and warnings from friends not to go there but to holiday destinations that do not belong to China. The reason I still went is first and foremost that I really wanted some surfing and tropical vibes but flying to South-East-Asia for just a few days would have been too decadent and wasteful. Hainan, on the other hand, was just an 8-hour busride + ferry from Guangzhou (the sleeper bus experience with 150 x 30cm berths would make a good story on its own). From the prime tourist destination Sanya in the south of the island I took another one-hour busride to Houhai – and then never left that village.

A bar recently opened by a guy from Beijing where the locals meet up to drink
and play video games

Houhai is one of the two surf destinations on Hainan and has against all odds managed to retain the feeling of a calm fishing village turned into alternative tourist destination. No apartment blocks, no chain hotels, no travel busses (well, within sight – the village is dissected by a road, left of it is a tourist harbor, but since Chinese travel group tourists barely set a foot off their guided itinerary, you wouldn’t realize it just 100m away), no more people than in a low-key backpacker destination somewhere in South-East-Asia – it felt too good to be true. And even better were the people. Surfing seems to attract alternative-minded people all over the globe. The locals consisted mostly of Chinese 20- and 30-somethings who rejected the white-collar rat race of their former hometowns (Beijing, Suzhou, Chengdu) to do odd-jobs at the local boutique hotels or open their own bars and surfshops – whatever it takes to make enough money to surf and party in the evenings. Because the scene consisted of no more than 50 people who were sitting on their surfboards in the ocean next to you during daytime and on couches with a beer next to you at nighttime, it took me only two days to feel kind of local myself. Everybody was nice, the weather was outright perfect, the water 26 degrees, the swell consistent. I think I never felt as relaxed in China as during those three days at its southern tip. If I hadn’t made plans before, I could’ve easily stayed a week or longer.

2. Hongkong

But I had plans and so I reluctantly left this small retreat and went for Hongkong, where I was bound to meet an old friend from Berlin whose family partially lives there. Their house is in the New Territories, the part of Hongkong that borders Mainland China. This area is less urban and contains several national parks and beautiful beaches. At its periphery it also offers cheaper housing than Central Hongkong, so you don’t have to be a multi-millionaire to own a family-size apartment, but only a millionaire. The major disadvantage is that getting into town might take you two hours if you live in a small village next to a national park, unless you own a car.

Bayview from the house, in the distance you might spot Shenzhen

New year fireworks were quite modest this year due to the ongoing demonstrations

Rock climbing next to massive waves

I spent five very relaxed days, mostly in nature (really not what you’d think of when hearing Hongkong), going for walks, for movies, rock-climbing and very modestly celebrating New Year’s Eve (the only good club would’ve charged 45€ entrance so sitting outside talking and drinking it was). I also felt a bit of a throwback to my younger days, because I was staying with a basically German family with a young child in a house that very much looked like those I know from my own childhood. On 1/1/2020 this very wholesome and laid back second part of my journey ended with a flight to the beloved island just off the Eurasian continent’s east coast.

3. Taiwan

The obvious highlight of my trip, if not my 2020. Taipei really feels like a second, or maybe third home by now. I might have spent more time in Beijing and recently Guangzhou, but those places never had the welcoming atmosphere that you need to feel in place. Because of the overwhelming openness and friendliness of Taiwanese towards foreigners, even if I wouldn’t know anyone when arriving, I would’ve probably made friends within 5 days. And every time I’m going there I realize that I become a better person temporarily, too. I apologize more, greet more, smile more and would never dare to flick a cigarette butt on the street despite usually having to carry it for half an hour due to Taiwan’s lack of public trashcans. Besides my admiration for the place itself I also had big plans and many friends to see this time. My stay coincided with the general elections and winter break for most students, so lots of Taiwanese and non-Taiwanese came from Europe, the States and elsewhere to spend their vacation and cast their vote. On top, two of my best friends from Germany were coming to see me as well.

On Taiwans highest mountain pass accesible by car (3200m)

I spent about half my time in Taipei and the other half circling half the island on a scooter, which is possible thanks to Taiwan’s small size and high density. Touristically speaking, I just revisited places I’ve seen before, but it was all about showing them to friends for me. And of course, it was great to witness Taiwanese democracy from close-up. Compared to elections in Germany, Taiwan is a lot more politicized and polarized. This makes sense considering that the major underlying issue of elections in Taiwan is its relationship with China, which is literally existential. Since Tsai-Ing Wen’s first term a stark old vs. young gap emerged in Taiwan’s quasi two-party-system. Old people predominantly vote KMT, young people vote the incumbent’s progressive party by huge margins (80/20 percent). The KMT is traditionally China-friendly and wants closer ties with it, at the very least economically. But just reaping economic benefits without paying a political price is impossible if your partner actually considers you a wayward part of its own territory. Young Taiwanese who grew up in a fully democratic society and whose roots to China usually date back two or more generations would rather be poorer but sovereign and free. This is the position the progressive party symbolizes. 

Taroko national park

Wai'Ao beach some 50km from Taipei with black volcanic sand

On most other policy issues, the divides are very similar to the ones we know between liberals and conservatives in our own societies: Pro/Con Gay Marriage, Environmentalism, Multiculturalism vs. Nationalism etc. And the two candidates were very good reflections of their parties this time. A woman who studied at an elite university abroad for the Progressive Party and a male populist with sometimes erratic proposals and little substantive policy for the KMT.

Because of the generational gap in voting behavior many families are being torn apart about politics. There was news about children reporting their parents to the police for stealing and hiding their ID cards so they could not cast their vote. A friend of mine threatened her father that if he voted for the KMT, she would marry her European boyfriend and stay abroad forever. A lot of young people stop talking with their parents about politics or even altogether.

It’s easy to discard the admiration of old Taiwanese people for a candidate whose most memorable slogan is “Let’s get rich” as ignorance and short-sightedness (after all, old people don’t have to think in the long run as much as young ones anymore…). But it is more than that. For one thing, older people definitely have a stronger Chinese identity. They’re often 2^nd or even 1^st generation refugees from China and despite hating the Communist party rulers of it, they might prefer it over openly declaring themselves something distinctly not-Chinese. Second and more importantly, older people remember the times when Taiwan was a developing country and dictatorship itself. Growing up under these circumstances, security and economic stability are often more important values to them than idealistic concepts like freedom and democracy. Young people only know a prosperous and liberal Taiwan and want to maintain that status at all costs.

With this election and Tsai’s 20%-lead, it seems like Taiwan’s youth has decisively won the generational battle. Unless China discovers some propaganda miracle (because even now China must be spending incredible amounts of resources on propaganda and mass media in Taiwan – seemingly to little avail) it will be impossible to swing public opinion in Taiwan toward its goal of reunification. Which leaves it with two options in the long run – compromise or military.

Taipei at dawn

I left the small miracle (a few facts: crime rate among the lowest in the world, lower than anywhere in Europe / most LGBT-friendly country in Asia, has gay marriage / advanced single-payer healthcare system nearly as good as Western European ones / ranked the friendliest place by expats for years successively / 4G-coverage in the jungle is better than in central Berlin) three days after the general election for a last three days in China, to pick up luggage, see some friends in Beijing and take advantage of cheap flight tickets. So summing up you could say, I’ve had a pretty great last month in East-Asia, one that made me recall the things I like so much about staying here – things I sometimes forgot while I was studying in Beijing and working in Guangzhou.