EcoInspired

Beijing June 10, 2007

Feeling a bit like Rip Van Winkle, I felt awestruck upon arriving in Beijing June 8, 2007 to see the massive tree, flower, shrub and grass plantings spreading from the airport throughout the city. The Chinese government has made a major effort in reforestation around the capital city. This was a healing and welcome contrast to the gloomy gray buildings and no living plants anywhere except for the manicured gardens that I saw on 3 previous trips to China during the early 1980s.

I overcame 25 years of reluctance to return to China when I was invited to speak about Leadership Challenges and Social Responsibility at the 2007 China International Coaching Conference on Corporate Social Responsibility. My entire visit was an experience in contrasts between the many years of Maoist communist control, and the recent hyperactive capitalist market. For a country hell-bent on becoming a developed nation with all its excesses and supported by the concessions given a developing country, I felt as though I had entered a heady, reverse Gold Rush.

Thousands of foreign-born Chinese and ex-pats live and work in Beijing and elsewhere in China–excited by the daily changes in the most-populated place on the planet and determined to make their fortunes there. Entrepreneurism is everywhere, with conversion from state-run companies to private seen as a positive and welcome step. Fashion is wild compared to the gloomy grays and blues of Maoist years.

Society is more open–no one opened my mail, spied on my visitors or phone calls; in fact, almost everyone packed a cell phone. Although still not condoned, people are practicing their religious faith in less hidden ways. I did not meet any UUs. Consumerism is rampant and window-shopping is the biggest pastime, even for those without jobs. The subways are fast, efficient, and cheap, in contrast to sitting in a taxi that can take 3 to 10 times as long. Why so many millions gave up their bicycles to sit in a personal car in gridlock is beyond me.

The urge to become a powerful player on the global stage has created some serious problems for China, which have been highly publicized–extensive environmental degradation and huge dichotomies between haves and have nots. People have been moving into the cities in droves to find work (many unsuccessful). Whole villages have been moved to accommodate river engineering and China’s modernization. Coal-fired power plants are starting up everywhere, one or two a week, causing tremendous pollution in China that blows to the U.S. and Australia, and eventually around the globe.

Idealists try to do their part to counteract these life-threatening activities, but it’s an uphill struggle in a country where altruism, philanthropy and volunteerism are not part of the culture. Those who try to persuade businesses to address social concerns and care for the environment are faced with, “But it costs too much,” or “we can’t make money that way.”