The best reason to visit China now is because foreigners are still a novelty. At first, you may feel uncomfortable with the way that the Chinese stare at you — like you are the most exotic animal in the zoo. But you need to understand that many Chinese tourists are traveling from their homes in the provinces for the first time, and some have never seen a western face before.
You may find yourself surprisingly popular. When my husband and I visited China, we were amazed when Chinese tourists at breathtaking sites like the Temple of Heaven or The Great Wall wanted to take pictures of us. Some of your favorite memories of China may be these fun picture-taking interactions.
It is hard to believe that the Cultural Revolution ended just two generations ago. Throughout China, young people seek out foreigners to show-off their fluent English, and little school children jump up and down yelling, “Hallo! Hallo!” whenever they see western tourists. Several times, parents nudged their children in our direction – the kids proudly waving their schoolbooks to show us they were learning how to speak English.
In general, China is much friendlier than you would expect. As new generations emerge, the old antagonism towards the West seems long forgotten, and the deep suspicion of foreigners that Mao encouraged is nowhere in sight.
