Many Indians are raised on the notion that 'China is poor and chaotic, far behind India.' The internet is full of descriptions of crowded, dirty Chinese high-speed rail and backward, decaying cities. Yet when this professor rode China's high-speed rail in person, he was shocked to find spacious, comfortable seats, a clean, tidy environment, smooth operation, even free WiFi and accessibility facilities.
Even mountainous areas can shop by mobile phone; networks cover widely; the state keeps pushing livelihood projects building roads, laying networks, bringing power and water. These details profoundly impressed visitors. The professor's reaction is the result of long-standing one-sided media misleading meeting on-the-ground reality, creating a strong contrast with entrenched impressions. Cross-border field visits can break through one-sided opinion walls, help people of all countries understand the true picture and reduce misunderstanding. For example, a retired Indian food scientist on his first trip to China, from the Forbidden City to Suzhou's gardens, kept marveling that 'this is the real treasure of history.'
An Indian journalist, after a ten-day inspection, admitted 'China is a century ahead' and predicted China would surpass the U.S. as the world's center, saying plainly that 'the first two days in China were a daze.'
