Public transit, foreign stares, surveillance state, and consumerism, yay!
The China leg of my trip was the most unfamiliar to me, and I was nervous about existing there as a trans person. My first interaction with the Chinese government affirmed this anxiety, as I was made to write and sign this for my visa application, when I visited the consulate in LA:
“Fun” fact: even though I got an ‘X’ on my passport, it still shows ‘Male’ for countries that don’t recognize it!
Not sure if this is a change from Trump’s passport bullshit, or if it was always like this, and my government was just pretending to be inclusive ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I knew travel would be more complicated as a trans person, and thankfully this was the worst of what I encountered on this trip. Although I was stared at throughout my time in China, it was a less-stressful “foreigner staring” (trans people are generally not in the cultural consciousness in China, so I was just read as a tall white woman).
In some ways, this experience made me more comfortable with ‘standing out’ in a place – it really says far more about the people doing the staring than it does about me.
Shanghai Dreams
After one last stressful airport transfer, I met my friend Jessica near our hotel in Shanghai. I’ve really enjoyed being able to spend so much of my trip with friends, and it was especially nice to be with someone Ive known for a long time. Her ability to navigate us through the smartphone-required cities of China was just an added bonus 🙂
We spent the next week exploring Shanghai’s many malls, museums, and art galleries, through sweltering heat and thunderstorms.
We also made a few day trips out to West Lake in Hangzhou, a water town called Zhujiajiao, and in typical fashion, an impulsive trip to Disneyland 😅
I’ll let the pictures do the talking for these beautiful and historically fascinating places. If you want more, check out the full China album.
Aside from the heat and Shanghai Disney being a bit of a let-down, I really enjoyed seeing as much as I did, and loved sharing in Jessica’s adventurous spirit. She even let me crash our rental boat on West Lake!
Ningbo Community
After our time in Shanghai, Jessica and I went back to her home in Ningbo (high-speed rail is incredible btw). There, I’d be welcomed and inspired by the kind of community a good person can make in a new country in just under a year.
This time in Ningbo was immensely healing for me. Seeing my friend, who I had so much in common with, thriving in a new place (they moved out of the U.S. a couple months before I did), inspired and motivated me in my own new chapter. I was reminded of how much progress I’d made too, and felt motivated to continue making my life here in Haarlem.
And we still got up to lots of adventures: game nights with work colleagues, mahjong with neighbors, and many more outings to malls, museums, and art galleries (and a reptile shop!)
I was lucky that the university Jessica worked at had their graduation ceremony during my visit – and I was able to watch! The ceremony was nice, but the true joy was in meeting her students – young people passionate about social justice and about to start their grad school journeys across the world.
In a moment of bravery and compassion I will never forget, one of these students decided to unfurl a large trans flag when it was her turn on stage, with the words “Voice Trans and Queer Youth: we survived your system – not because of it”. Of course, I brought my American hooting and hollering for her entire walk off the stage. And I was honored to be asked to join their polaroid photoshoot, for one of my favorite pictures:
Although I was sad to say goodbye, and wished I had more time there, I felt unexpectedly eager to get back home to Haarlem and keep making my own adventures.
I was off to London, a place so close to home it practically was. I felt like the end was in sight, but I could still have a bit more fun before it was over…
MUSINGS ON CHINA
I’ve never been somewhere before where I felt so afraid to break the rules. Normally, I evaluate the consequences and likelihood of getting caught, and accept the risks in order to have fun/help someone. But between the universal coverage of CCTV cameras, the lack of graffiti on the streets, and my understanding of their police/justice system, I dared not put up my gay little stickers like I had planned.
The structures of this security exists everywhere: guards and gates at all apartment complexes, near-universal CCTV coverage, and a social reinforcement of not being disruptive (especially on the metro, which easily surpassed the Netherlands for my new standard for good public transit).
Every transaction, taxi ride, or metro stop goes through your ID-linked Alipay and/or WeChat accounts. Most non-Chinese websites and apps are blocked unless you use a VPN (which many, many people do…). And there are riot gear kits in nearly every public area for police to access as-needed.
I personally wish for a world without such restrictions on the movement of people, a justice system that seeks restoration rather than punishment, and freedom of all information. But I have to admit that I did enjoy the effect of these oppressive systems, in that I felt so very safe throughout my time in China.
I felt that as long as I followed their rules, everyone else would, and everything would be ok. I know the reality is rarely as ‘fair’, but I could at least empathize a bit with people who think this level of control is a good thing. But I believe a more free, kinder world is not at odds with a safe one, and that’s what I want to work toward.
Anyway, that’s it for the thoughts. A bit late on this post, but it marks the end of my Round-the-World Trip, as my final leg in the UK didn’t pan out like I expected…
Hoping to chill on the travel posts for a bit, get back to life stuff, and keep building out this funky little webbed site I’ve made for myself (speaking of – there’ve been some updates to the Community page).
Until next time,
💜Ada
Leave a Reply