Caltex’s magazine for employees, franchisees & resellers
Issue 43 Jun – Jul 08
Article Highlights
Another sign of progress is the buildings. The high rises, office towers, state opera house, Olympic site and CCTV tower are like nothing I’ve seen anywhere in the world. I’d never believed the country could become so effective, efficient and advanced in so many ways.
In this issue:
Postcard from China
Former Australian resident Chelsea Li, now based in Beijing.
Chelsea Li grew up in Beijing. She moved to Australia to study law and work. Recently she returned to China to become a partner in law firm Gray & Perkins in the city of her birth.
China has changed so much! Being here permanently I can appreciate how amazing the Chinese achievements are in the 30 years since the country opened up to the world.
When I grew up, among the apartment blocks and alleyways where I lived every Chinese rode a bicycle. These days the space bicycles take up on the roads is small. On the other hand the number of cars on the roads is extraordinary. It causes congestion which can be a frustration in peak hours, but it’s a sign of our progress; at least most Chinese see it that way.
Another sign of progress is the buildings. The high rises, office towers, state opera house, Olympic site and CCTV tower are like nothing I’ve seen anywhere in the world. I’d never believed the country could become so effective, efficient and advanced in so many ways.
People from disadvantaged backgrounds are making it here today. They’re proud of what they’re doing. I’ve just hired a new graduate from a really poor area in the Inner Mongolia. He’s 26. He came to university in Beijing and graduated top of the class. People like him are working really, really hard.
Commercial aviation has made a huge difference to the country and so has infrastructure development. Demand for flights and transportation is now so great it’s become a problem. A couple of years ago I went to a remote coal mining area, Peixian Xuzhou in Jiangsu Province, where the new airport was in the middle of nowhere and the highway to the mine was the newest I’d ever seen. The work being done around transportation is very impressive.
I’m happy living here. I surprised myself that my attitude to China had changed. About 30 years ago the Chinese who had suffered much wanted to run away. Now they want to travel outside the country and see the world and so do their kids. But they want to come back. That’s the fundamental difference between the Chinese of 30years ago and the people now.
Chelsea Li, Beijing