By E. M. El-Hammamy
Before my first visit to China, I had heard criticism of China's human rights record. That criticism did not stop me from coming to China, and it has motivated me to express my impressions of this vast and interesting land.
My first visit left me questioning the objectivity of the things I had seen and read in the foreign media. In the airport, formalities went very smoothly. No waiting, no suffering, everything was well-organized and very efficiently ran.
I submitted my passport to the immigration control officer, who checked it with a smile, stamped it, and handed it back to me in less than half a minute, with a pleasant "Please go in."
The customs officers knew precisely which piece of luggage should be checked and wasted no time. Providing a warm welcome seemed to be one of their priorities.
Within the city, smiling faces greet foreigners everywhere. The citizens who know only the word 'hello' do not hesitate to say it with a broad smile. The citizens who do not speak English are not sparing with their broad smiles and friendly gestures.
In the hotels and offices, all contacts were friendly rather than businesslike. In restaurants and shops, no different. I am a devout Muslim, and my beliefs and feelings were deeply respected. There is much more to be said about this, but I'll leave that for another time.
After a successful visit full of Chinese generous hospitality and warm welcomes, my departure was no less smooth and pleasant than my arrival, except for dealing with my excess luggage, the result of the many gifts presented to me by Chinese citizens who became real friends during a business visit of few days.
On the second and later visits, I secretly started counting from the moment I handed over my passport to the immigration control officer for verification and stamping of the entry visa. I started 1, 2, 3... but I never ever reached 30.
All private and public services are well organized and performed with extreme politeness.
During my many visits, I met with ordinary Chinese citizens in addition to members of the Communist Party of China. Several times my hosts invited me for lunch or dinner in Muslim restaurants. That was repeated in different cities. I deeply appreciate such kind gestures from my hosts.
My many visits have fully convinced me that China is the safest place in the world to live and the most promising land for business and investment due to the fact that the Chinese agricultural and industrial products are up to international quality standards at competitive prices. My strong friendly relations with many Chinese citizens in many cities have encouraged me to live in China and do business with reputed Chinese firms that have business connections with firms in the Middle East and Africa.
In the Chinese embassy in Kuwait (where I lived before coming to China), from His Excellency the Ambassador, to every last employee in the Economics and Commercial Section, all are fine examples of the friendly smiling nation that is the People's Republic of China. The formalities for obtaining a visa from the embassy for living and working in China were no less easy than any time I applied for a business visa anywhere in the world.
I have been in several domestic airports and flown on many domestic airlines, and it is needless to repeat that the performance of Chinese citizens everywhere is very gratifying.
Since the first time I arrived in Jinzhou District of the city of Dalian on the second of April 2001, I have always had a warm welcome, in the communities of Dalian, and from the governmental authorities and the civil administration departments.
In proportion to the population of more than 1.25 billion citizens, crime in China is negligible. We hear about it in the media, but Chinese streets are very safe. And when I visited the district of Jinzhou Police Department to obtain a residence permit, the chief of the Department and his assistant received me with traditional Chinese warmth and respect, promised to look out for my life safety and security and provided me with their mobile and office telephone numbers. At the end of my visit, the assistant chief of police shook hands with me at the outermost door of the building. On most weekends, I go out shopping and looking after my other affairs. In the streets, the welcoming smiles are always there. In public or private service centers such as the post office, telephone office, markets, supermarkets, shops, restaurants, trains, buses, minibuses, and the hospital, the citizens and the service staff give priority to the foreigners who they treat as guests of their country.
Where I live, the neighbors in the same building and the surrounding buildings introduce themselves to me as neighbors and friends. Further, they present me with gifts of food frequently and on all Middle East religious occasions of Muslims, Christians and at Chinese festivals, they present me many Chinese cultural and traditional gifts.
I have been invited to the houses of many families in several towns. In this connection, I would like to say that the Chinese family is one of the most social families in the world.
Since my first visit, I have noticed the stability of the Chinese RMB currency, which is a very important economic sign. The human resources and the natural resources of China are among the richest in the world.
The innocent smiles in Chinese streets reflect the Chinese people's enjoyment of life, with their clean hearts and easy spirit. Such citizens do not plot or think about crime. That is why the crime level is obviously low and China is the safest place to live and do business.
(The author is a 64-year-old Egyptian citizen who has been living in Jinzhou District in the city of Dalian for more than 10 months. He visited China five times between March 1998 and May 2000. The article was originally carried in Monday's edition of Human Rights magazine.)
(China Daily June 13, 2002)
