A Perham High School student experienced Red China last summer. His journey was fascinating--but once was probably enough.
"I don't think I would want to go back," said Davin Bauck, who spoke on his incredible journey to the Orient at a recent Perham Lions meeting.
Why not?
Because of his distaste for the Communist government in power. Beaurocrats, most of them low-level members of the Communist party, bolster their inflated sense of self-importance by harassing people at checkpoints, controlling nearly all access by westerners, and generally make life difficult for visitors--as well as their own citizenry.
That was Bauck's general view of the party and its power in China.
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"The government guided us everywhere. It was very controlled...And they shielded us from the slums," said Bauck. With 400 million people living in a city no larger in geography than Minneapolis, the slums are visible within blocks of the posh, 5-star hotels and restaurants, where westerners are brought to eat.
Housing ranges from a poor family that lives in a cave, to an "upper class" family in what is considered outstanding housing in China: a four-room main floor unit. Upstairs, another "well-to-do family" lives in a similar four-room layout.
Bauck's China trip was sponsored by People to People Student Ambassadors. He would like to share what he has learned with the community.
Government controls birth, family size
Here are a few other observations and comments from his 17-day experience.
---A skilled electrician in China earns the equivalent of about $3 a month.
---Almost everywhere Bauck went, in urban areas of China, it smelled like sewer.
---Even the water at the five -star hotel restaurant was essentially unfit to drink. Bauck experienced this himself, and was sick for 24 hours.
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---China allows religious freedom, with the dominant religion being Buddhism. Surprisingly, Christianity is another of the predominant religions, as well as Hinduism and Taoism.
---If you want membership in the Communist party, however, you must be an avowed atheist.
---Birth and family size are controlled by the government, with severe penalties. If a family has more than one child, the family can be evicted from their house, their pay can be docked, fines levied, and health insurance discontinued.
Despite some of the negative observations, Bauck met many wonderful people there. Also, it is a country with extraordinary beauty, he said.
Bauck to speak at St. Paul's church
He will be presenting his China information on Sunday, September 24 at 10 a.m. at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Perham. All are welcome to listen.
His program includes a power point presentation, an articulate discussion of his experiences, and question-answer about Chinese: politics, people, schools, economy, jobs, culture, business and geography.
Perham Library presentation Oct. 2
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He will also present at the Perham Public Library on Monday, October 2 at 7 p.m. If Rotary, Lions, Senior Citizens, or other groups would like him to share his information please call 346-4078.
Davin feels so blessed to have been given this opportunity. He feels very privileged to live in America and wants all to remember how "lucky" we are to live in the land of the free.
Until then "Bool shee Merigous. Merigou ding ding hoa!"
