A student asked me recently about the word progress. During preparation for the Test of English as Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam, she came across the word in a writing prompt that asked for the positives and negatives of progress."But I don't understand," she said. "If progress means buildings and streets, than when isn't progress good?"
Much has been written in Western media about the rapid infrastructure growth in China, a good deal of it negative. Most notably was the rash of negative coverage when the construction of Olympic buildings displaced nearly 1.5 million Chinese residents, a figure reported in USA Today.
It seems there are three rings of opinions on China's construction. The first, inner most ring is represented by my student's insular, traditional opinion taught to her and promoted by the state. My student's gut reaction was progress means new infrastructure and new infrastructure means increased standard of living.
If you move one ring out to the more inclusive world view of an academic, China's construction is talked about in a tongue in cheek way. A Chinese economics professor at Peking University coined the phrase the national bird of China is the construction crane.
The outer most ring is the world view China's diplomats confront on a daily basis. The international community seems constantly amazed by the breakneck speed of progress in China, taking turns criticizing and acclaiming it.
It's not the opinions I find fascinating, it's differences between them. It's just one issue that shows the stark differences in values, East to West. Take a look at these pictures and if you feel inclined to tell me your opinions on the matter, please do. As always, more photos are posted here.
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