On a trip to China

In search of adventure, I decided to get away from Jakarta and set off on a trip to the People’s Republic of China. It was not only a leisure trip, as you might expect. My father asked me to accompany him with some business matters, so how could I refuse? I took a plane from Jakarta to the city of Guangzhou, one of the commercial strongholds of the Chinese economy. Jakarta’s airport offers a great deal of flights to many destinations in Southeast Asia and beyond, and thus serves as a good starting point for any journey, be it within the Indonesian archipelago, or elsewhere in Asia and Oceania. Jakarta is a port city too, with two main harbours in Tanjung Priok and Ancol, offering a number of both regular and irregular connections to other ports in Indonesia, and the region.

In Guangzhou, my main point of interest was the China Import and Export Fair, also known as the 108th Canton Fair. It is the largest fair of this kind in the country and is held regularly with the aim to amplify bilateral trade relations between Chinese and overseas companies. When I arrived at Guanghzou airport, I was stuck in a massive queue to clear immigration. The crowd was truly international, with people from all over the world. Each session of the fair attracts thousands of people who all storm the fair hall in the morning, and hit the town in the afternoon and evening. Because of that, unlike in many other parts of China, people no longer wonder when they see a European entering their shop or wanting to dine at their restaurant.
Guangzhou interested me also because of its widespreadness of bicycle transportation, completely non-existent in most major Asian cities, with a few notable exceptions. I really wish Jakarta was more of a bike-friendly city, but with the latest speeches of the mayor in which he announced that bike lanes will be built after the number of cyclists in the city surpasses 1 million, one should not have any hope left.


After a couple of days in Guangzhou, I left for the city of Yiwu. It is a relatively young town, with some 6 million inhabitants in and around, where 70% of the population is not native and comes from other regions of China and even from places like Uzbekistan or Mongolia. It is home to Yiwu Market, the largest commodity market in the world, which was the reason for my visit. The market has really induced my thinking, expanded my imagination and left me wondering: how come is all this possible? It covers 4.3 million square kilometres, an area equal to more than 600 000 football fields! There are 62 000 booths inside, offering over 400 000 unique products. I tried to estimate how many people work there every day, and judging by an average number of people working in each booth, it must be at least 200 000 people! Inside, you can find almost any kind of a product you might think of. If you are looking for a business idea, go there. I can guarantee you that you walk out with a new idea for a business.

Yiwu, as a result of its ethnic diversity and visitors from all parts of the globe, of whom many became permanent residents, offers an amazing food experience for every taste and pocket. My personal favourite are the little road-side stands with Central Asian cuisine and specialities such as lamb shish kebabs and nuns. I have also visited a very nice restaurant with Sichuan food. Actually, I loved it so much that I stuffed myself to the limits. The next day, the payback time came as my stomach suffered great pains. Nevertheless, believe me, it was worth it!

Visiting China was a worthwhile experience, I can say with confidence. I would have never expected this, but in China I found a piece of home abroad. Public parks, majestic buildings and dumplings - that's something so typical to my home country and so not present in Jakarta. Dumplings? Yes indeed! Some 500 years ago dumplings have reached Poland and became incorporated into our national cuisine, becoming a common favourite of many Poles!



During my trip, I have visited one more city - Shanghai. I promise to write about it in my next post. Now, however, I am preparing for the next trip - to Singapore, where I am going in just two days. Be assured some pictures from Singapore will follow too!