Think of Boston, Chicago or Atlanta with their glass buildings, steel skyscrapers, broad roads and smart malls and jazzy downtowns and think of Americans wearing fashionable dresses which we know commonly as "western wear". Replace the population with Chinese. That's how Shanghai and Beijing looks. Only, Mandarin is the only medium of communication. If civilization is dependent on language, food, homes, environment, religion, politics , music, dressing and life style then Chinese are entering into revolutionary times. China has adopted functional changes from West without having guilt, confusion or without looking back.
The people of Shanghai and Beijing are working in buildings with designs of the best of Western architectures, wearing functional Western dresses and hardly or just not speaking English.
My guide in Shanghai had two names: Burney and Zhang Zhi Wei. He said, " I am not only Chinese. I am living in an international city. I am international. My parents and I wear only Western clothes."
"Why?"
"We like it. We should be international. We are in Shanghai. I am working. My work demands that I wear good clothes."
He said, "India is never on my mind. We the people in Shanghai think of America, all the time. It's our benchmark. We want to learn English and we want to make big money. I don't like to waste time with parents. I love them, I love my country but I must work and make big money."
Before I could ask about politics, he answered: "I don't talk of politics. I don't need it to live happy life. I love Karaoke."
He added, "But my Daddy dislikes it. He quotes a Chinese proverb that says it is better to have a good thing than a cheap thing."
"We have got a good life, at last. China's culture is part of my history. Its in the museum."
Many Chinese youngsters claim that culture and belief in Buddha or Taoism is still intact but there is no time for them.
Following the Japanese and Koreans, the Chinese are going for the so-called American style urbanisation that too without qualms and confusion. The Indian elite and urban people are also getting Westernisted but Westernization in certain areas of China is so fast and mind blowing that any Indian would be perplexed.
Is it good? I don't know.
A young Chinese couple in western wear
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