There is More to China than Communism

Despite having overcome many of our prejudices in the Western world, a surprising number of common misconceptions still abound related to the world's most populous nation, and these are certainly in need of remedying. As one of the world's largest economic powers, if you're planning on visiting China, you'll find the nation has much more to offer than dragons and kung fu; in fact, you may find it far more similar to life at home than you expected.

It seems that many preconceptions about China have advanced very little since the Cold War era, unlike China itself which has flourished to become the world's fastest growing economy. Contrary to many stereotypes, China is not an inherently dangerous nation to visit, Chinese government officials are not all corrupt and Chinese women aren't subservient to men.

Visitors can expect to see a major difference between life in developed cities such as Beijing and Shanghai and less developed rural areas of course, but if the city is your comfort zone, expect to see hi-tech electronics, well-stocked department stores and amusement parks catering for international tastes. You may even be surprised to see that the range of cuisine on offer goes far beyond the menu of your local Chinese restaurant.

Even the government of the People's Republic of China, while being fundamentally communist, is a much different form of communism than that of Soviet Russia, and represents a huge shift since the days of Mao by continually embracing many values of capitalism. In fact, the Chinese government is one of the least centralised in the world, meaning that cities and other local governments are continually competing to offer the greatest benefits to the quality of citizens' lives.

Despite all these similarities however, visitors can still enjoy a radically different experience in China than in the rest of the world, as long as they motivate themselves to embrace the country's new opportunities and don't just head to the nearest McDonalds or Starbucks upon arrival.

The digital revolution has seen China come even closer to the West, meaning that if you're planning on visiting China, you'll find it just as easy to keep in touch with people back home as you would anywhere else in the world.

With much of the country connected to the internet, it's now more convenient than ever to send emails or make cheap calls to China wherever you are in the world.

Adam Singleton writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.