The ‘sleeping giant’ is wide awake

The nickname given by Napoleon to China was “sleeping lion” and that was almost two centuries ago. Now, we can say the lion has awakened and much of it has been possible because of the reform and opening-up in 1978. Since China’s reform and opening-up it has become a land of opportunity both for Chinese and foreigners. Foreigners who came to China in 1980s to study and work have numerous stories about the drastic transformation of China. I came to China in 2012 and what impressed me most was the people’s dedication to their work and to change their quality of life. Today’s generation of Chinese are enjoying the fruit of years of hard work and devotion of their previous generation. Even, the latest generation of China is working hard to make China the largest economy of the world.

While I was going through immigration on my first trip to China the immigration officer at Dhaka International Airport asked me why I was going to China and I said I was going to study. The immigration officer told me I should have considered other countries for higher studies. However, his opinion about China was rather different than mine but quite common with people who have never stepped into the country which is full of mysteries and long history. Since the day I arrived in China the country has never stopped surprising me with the changes I experienced and stories I heard from the people who came before me.

China is now full of achievements and a land of success stories of thousands of entrepreneurs since the reform and opening-up. There are several major changes China has witnessed in last four decade. One of them is China rightfully becoming the second-largest economy of the world and in the process it successfully pulled almost 800 million of people out of absolute poverty. Chinese people became better off in terms of material possession and education because it opened its door to receive foreign resources and know-how.

My journey in China started in Dalian, a city in Northeast China’s Liaoning province famous for its beaches and rich sea food. There are few software parks in Dalian where several American and Japanese firms established their branches to outsource their technical and business process services. These companies are a major source of employment for the residents of this city and thousands of graduates of universities of north east China. Because of the reform and opening-up foreign investments and tourism were able to reach these small cities and in the process changed the outlook and life of residents of the city.

The southern second-tier cities are full of manufacturing plants established by US and European companies who came after the reform and opening-up because of the cheap labor and in the process provided employment opportunities and improved the quality of life of the residents. Moreover, these cities are extremely well planned and in some cases have better living conditions than capitals of many countries.

China currently contributes almost 30 percent of global economic growth. Much of it has been possible because China became a major manufacturer and producer of goods for the whole world. Cheap labor and government incentives attracted major manufacturers of the Western countries. As a result developed and developing countries were able to use a wide range of products at low cost.

Now, Chinese tech giants, construction and apparel companies are moving to new emerging economies of South America and South East Asia and in the process creating millions of jobs in those regions. Another significant thing is that China can share its experience with these countries the strategies and policies that contributed much of its poverty alleviation agenda. Since 2012 each year 10 million people have been alleviated from poverty and 28 counties have been removed from the list of poorest places in China.

According to another Bangladeshi who came to China in 1980 and resides in Shanghai, the privileges and honor foreigners enjoyed in their time cannot be found in any other countries because in that time foreigners were considered as a door to cultural diversity and outer knowledge.

In 1980s most foreigners who came to China were businessman or advisors from Western countries and very few were students.

But in last two decade students from all over the world started to come to learn Chinese and for higher studies as well. Also lot of foreigners came in search of better work opportunities since corporations from all over the world opened their offices in Shanghai and Beijing. Currently China is welcoming talented individuals who can contribute to their new mission of innovation base economy and they have relaxed the visa processing policies in big cities like Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen. China has not only changed lives of their citizen but also of foreigners who came into contact with China.

China’s economic reform and opening-up were necessary for the country to eradicate poverty and boost the country for economic growth. Even after four decades the country is witnessing changes in every aspect of people’s life. In coming information age China will play a major role in global economy and innovations.

The author is from Bangladesh and he is currently studying in Dalian Maritime University.

The opinions expressed here are those of the writer and do not represent the views of China Daily and China Daily website.