The first was that the Chinese were nice people and they did not live in fear. Certainly, conference attendees treated the speakers with deference and helpful friendliness. However, outside of the conference venue, in the streets and restaurants, the shops and byways, people were unfailingly friendly and helpful. Strangers were happy to use their limited English to help overcome language barriers when shopping transactions went awry. No-one shunned contact with foreigners for fear of being under surveillance.
Having travelled to China innumerable times, it is easy for me to forget how some first-time business visitors react to China. These are intelligent and informed business travellers, and despite their research, their opinions are largely shaped by the everyday media reporting they are exposed to over many years.
A few weeks ago, I worked with a small group of Westerners visiting China for the first time. We were all speakers at a conference attended by more than 1,000 guests. Speakers mingled with the guests at events, banquets and around the hotel and the surrounding streets. They were mainly European, but there was a smattering of English and Australians in the group. I asked them for their top three impressions of China. There were three features that were most common in their responses.
