What's Great about China

The worlds 'biggest' everything may also have the 'worlds shortest list of things tohm find's great about it' and so it must come with disclaimers.

Disclaimer 1: A lack of greatness is not the responsibility of the nation itself but rather the management of it. The Stalinist/Maoist brand of Socialism is transparently known to be spectacular at impoversishing a nation. China is a developing country so it shouldn't be surprising that when plagued by poverty there is not much to reecommend about it. Furthermore from a humane point of view, I find it much more ethical to hold China to a global standard of the services provided to its people than to diminish them to a standard whereby services and achievements that are a matter of course in other countries should become sugar coated 'achievements' in China.

Disclaimer 2: Cheap prices and shopping can't truly be great, it is a little akin to saying 'stealing is great' cheap goods in China are those that are labour intensive eto manufacturee rather than capital intensive, and that means that the low prices are secured at the expense of people who make transactions that amount to .01 AU cent a couple of times a day. Now living expenses are low, so wages have to be judged in real purchasing power for local standards, but inflation is leaving people starved cold and hungry in China right now, which kind of takes the shine off getting a pair of pants for $3.

Disclaimer 3: I went there in the coldest winter in years. Birght light makes anywhere look better, and seem more liveable. That said Parky said Beijing was prettier for the snow, which possibly reduces the stink of garbage and human reefuse left in sunlight. Also grey skies make pollution look better too, as evidenced by my journey to CCTV tower where I could appreciate smog more than when I was walking about in it on ground level.

So here's the list:

1. Cuisine

You could eat at the same restaurant for a month and never have two dishes the same. You could eat in China at Chinese restaurants for 10,000 years and still never have sampled all of Chinese cuisine. And it is large and plentiful. A word of advice though, Chinese restaurants are probably best if you can bring 4 or 5 friends, to experience 'real china' restaurants whilst also being able to justify a private room to get away from the smoking and spitting. If you are a relative eprude like me, that finds bushman's oysters on the floor unsavory.

2. Warmth

There is a certain advantage to socialism and relative to Japan, Chinese buildings in Beijing at least are well heated, centrally heated by the government. This is a big improvement on Japanese apartment blocks. Albeit if Japan chose to fix their homes with insulation and proper heating they could do so tomorrow and build new profitable industries while they are at it. But that said, in Beijing I could strip down to tshirt and underpants safely in my hotel room despite it being -6 degres outside, and this is provided to a large number of residents of beijing it seems.

And that's it, I could also talk about the relieving freedom of a completee absense of social contracts when compared to Japan, but China is a case of too much of a good thing. Jaywalking is great, but China both pedestrians and cars jaywalk. Being comfortable enough to fart in company is also great, but shitting on the streets is disrespectful to other people who have to walk there. Being unreserved and expressing your feelings is also great. But yelling over the top of people to as Andy says 'create a warm friendly atmosphere' continually is not conducive to conversation.
So there you have it, but I think they are positives. Other people could find more probably but I was only there two weeks and to call China a 'great' place I feel is ignoring the elephant in the room.
Again, Chinese civilisation and culture has a long proud history extending back to before the Romans and should not be disrespected or ignored, but it was disrespected, ignored and shat on by Chairman Mao with his self serving 'cultural revolution'. It ain't the emarginalised masses fault, it is the contender for 'worst government ever' that is the CCP.