USA or China a safer tourist destination?

[nOlives]

Yesterday the news suggested Starmer and Xi Jinping were discussing visaless entry to China for Brits.
I know China is not perfect and I have occasionally mentioned or agreed with comments about Uyghurs. I am not Uyghur or Taiwanese.
I have also posted and agreed with quite a lot of comments about Trump, and also USA gun tragedies and airport experiences. I am white British.

AIBU to think China is a safer (and far more interesting) tourist destination than USA just now, not only for me but for most people?

I've been to both multiple times for work and leisure. I refuse to go to the US at the moment because it doesn't feel at all safe and I want nothing to do with the Trump administration. I'd go to China if I really had to, but try not to because of the human rights situation. Sad, because they're both beautiful countries with some wonderful people.

Poor old Winnie is persona non grata in China because people kept comparing him to President Xi:

@nOlives

‘The connection between Chinese leader Xi and Pooh can be traced back to 2013, when people on social media compared a photo of Xi and former President Barack Obama walking side by side to an image of Pooh and Tigger. The meme took off and for several years, government critics appropriated the character to make fun of Xi or lambaste his policies”

Winnie the Pooh is now banned as mocking the Leader is strictly forbidden.

X post

Ohh ouch.
I do think Obama and Tigger are a good match though.

I found it interesting reading through the thread OP that internet access is not mentioned. It is limited in China apparently, with foreign communication apps banned.

I would have thought that would be mentioned from a safety perception point of view. The difficulty of communicating with the outside word.

Not as issue for the US of course.

when I lived in China I used my account as normal and a vpn will give access to Facebook etc. I used mumsnet etc without a vpn. The government will also give access to ‘banned’ sites in certain circumstances eg dc’s school had access for research.
The Chinese use WeChat but it is not end to end encrypted so it’s sensible to be wise in terms of what you write or the groups you join. In 12 years I never experienced a problem with my WeChat account. There were times when internet access was limited eg anniversary of Tiananmen square protests, key party conferences.

Neither

But VPNs are banned ?

Give me China anyday. Beijing or Shanghai - you will be very pleasantly surprised as a tourist. It is not all back alleys and impoverished people on bicycles.

I am so glad you are here because the only negative comments i read about China are from people who aren't! The only fights i ever had with friends or family have been about their (very biased by western media) views about China, which were totally changed after they visited. Even my (old fashioned and easily biased) dad now loves China after visiting, and frequently preaches to his friends about this. The China you see on the news in the UK or other Western countries is not the real China. At all. The restrictions people speak about, I tell my Chinese friends all the time and we laugh about it. It is crazy how people can be so judgemental about a country they have never visited! To everyone saying bad things about China - just go. Go and see for yourself. You have eyes and a brain - let them make your decision and not horribly biased need media channels. As for the Winnie the Pooh thing - its so absurb it has become a long running joke between my Chinese friends and I - of COURSE this isnt true. I literally work in a school with a kindergarten attached and can confirm - this is another insane lie. But if you aren't willing to visit for yourself, then at least the crazy stories you are repeating can give us all here a good laugh. Use your brain! Travel! See things! The world exists outside of your TV screen. China is a beautiful, safe and amazing country. If you dont believe it, just visit. I guarentee you will be so embarrassed about your previous (racist and stupid and uninformed) views after you do.

I also get accused of this - or being a fake account, or being paid, or being "brainwashed" - every time I say something pro-China. It is equally frustrating and hilarious. The sad (and equally lovely!) thing is that my Chinese friends are so kind and respectful about it, with no judgement of British people, just saying that maybe the media is misleading. Not stupid or ignorant enough to judge the UK as a whole (unlike so many people in the UK do to China).

(As a side note, I will never forget the day the BBC came to the city I lived in in China during COVID to report. They went to a back alley, the dark part round the back of the restauraunts which is built for them to put the bins, to report - while standing in the middle of a very beautiful and clean city! Deliberately making it look bleak, dirty and depressing. Even my dad, who had previously been sceptical about the media bias against China, had to agree that this was a weird choice!) (And yes they could have reported anywhere as the area was open, before anyone tries playing that card.)

The BBC were reporting from China during covid ?

I thought they were banned ? Or at least left.

I think this vlog says it all: China is very safe. Everything is cheap. It's very clean. There are driver-less taxis and you can order ice-cream and pretty much any meal you want including well-known Western brands like Starbucks, McDonalds or KFC and have it delivered to designated kiosks in the city BY DRONE! The tech in cities like Shanghai and especially in Shenzhen is incredible.

I’ve never been to China, although I would happily visit. Have been to US many times through the years and never felt unsafe in the areas I went to. Last visit was 2023 so maybe things have changed but I went to a relatively safe area - Yellowstone.

It’s China, everything is possible. I had a vpn so did everyone I knew. The government knows this too but, as I mentioned, on some occasions the vpn will not work eg anniversary of protests, but then the next days it’s fine.

I have been accused in the past of being a communist party plant!

Well, the CPC do have a reputation for using "wumaos" to flood western social media. I have seen it myself on Youtube and Reddit. China related stuff is awash with them. The "ten cent army"

Yes they were there at various times during that period. Especially at the very beginning and towards the end!

DO they though? Or are these just normal British / American citizens who are living in/visiting China who are showing the reality of how beautiful and safe and nice it is, and being accused of this as a defence? As a PP and I have said - it has happened to both of us!

But I am not one of them! I lived there for 12 years and aim to give a balanced view. Of course as a white European my experience is not the same as a local, but I traveled a lot in China and have Chinese friends.

Hahaha during my first few years in China I very briefly attempted the "travel blogger" thing and had the same. However I was too lazy to continue with this and just quit (due to my own laziness, not due to the crazy accusations 😂)

on the covid threads six years ago I was accused of being a plant when I described what was happening in China. I was back in the UK at the time, but Dh was in China and unlike me able to go out to restaurants! We were, of course, not living in Wuhan and lockdowns varied from province to province, but apparently according to some mumsnetters it was all lies and propaganda!

During the most intense periods of COVID, we had people delivering food to us - unpaid, not ordered by us. It was arranged by the local government to make sure nobody was lacking anything due to people panic buying. They literally knocked on our door and gave us huge bags of rice, fresh vegetables and meat. I didnt ask for it or pay for it - nobody did. They just went around every apartment dropping it off for free. Never asked for money or anything. Just taking care of people. My city is enormous - it would take far longer than an hour to drive from east to west or north to south - and this was common for everyone i knew in all parts of the city. My family in the UK didnt get this kind of care - did you? How can you say that COVID in China was such a nightmare when they take care of people like this?