[Understanding China] A taste of China served through food and entertainment

There is a saying that goes “before you eat any other person’s food, you would think your mother’s food is the best of them all”, this actually reflects today’s society because, before I made a visit to China, I believed Kenya had the best food, culture, people etc but on the contrary I discovered that China had more interesting things that left me intrigued.

The Chinese way of life is fascinating not because it is unusual or mysterious, but because it defies the assumption that progress must erase heritage.

At the core of Chinese culture lies a deep respect for order, hierarchy, and family values strongly shaped by the teachings of Confucius, who emphasised family virtues, discipline, and moral duty, teaching which still influence how family’s functions and society organises itself. This is because while parents are supposed to educate their r children, children are supported in turn to honour and support their elders.

From street food, to festivals, entertainment, to friendly people, I was left dumbfounded with how friendly China and its people are, to the extent that they would randomly ask for photo moments with me and my colleagues whom we had travelled to China together.

A walk along the streets of china, painted a different story because street food was in plenty to the extent that families could be seen enjoying a meal in an open space and once in a while invite us to join.

The Food story is actually an interesting one because meals are communal with dishes placed at the center for sharing because as I learnt eating together is not optional it is essential.

At the tables, Signature delicacies such as Peking duck or simmering hot pot, rice mixed with eggs, fried chicken and deserts such as ice-cream were the delicacies available at the tables.

The other interesting thing in China is how Chinese people value festivals and mark it with pride.

Although during the Chinese year is where the country witnesses the largest human migration, we got a glimpse of how Chinese people celebrate such festivals.

During our stay there it was interesting to see how a whole street can be turned into an entertainment spot with people coming dressed in their entertainment gear to impress others.

The entire street was decorated with Red lights line streets as people engaged in dragon dances while others exchanged envelopes in gestures of goodwill.

The celebrations were both intimate and monumental, a reaffirmation that family and fortune remained the most interesting phenomena.

Apart from celebrations, the cohesiveness of the people of China is also something that fascinated us, because Chinese people are also patriotic, they speak positive things about their country and value the fact that they are all keen on ensuring that their country continues to be an admiration to many people in the world.

Perhaps the most intriguing lesson China offered to us was the fact that despite digitizing its economy it has not discarded its ancestral rites because it has initiated developmental programs but still maintained its beauty to the extent that some old buildings could be seen standing tall despite them being revamped.

It was actually interesting to see how China has climbed the ladder and became a world power house thanks to the development projects that have been initiated.

From having an ultra-modern airport to high-speed rail network connecting regions with astonishing efficiency to going cashless where mobile payments dominate daily transactions, powered by firms like Alibaba Group.

In many urban areas, although cash is still accepted, it felt a bit outdated because most Chinese people had gone cashless, to the extent that even street vendors accept QR codes and allow Chinese people to buy groceries, pay taxis, and utility bills through smartphones.