Tradition, economic development and technology: in China the future is already present
If I asked you to close your eyes and think of China, what would be the first image impressed on your mind? From the expressive almond eyes of a young woman dressed in silk walking along a typical hutong to the long, thin and blown by the wind moustache of an old peasant devoted to the cultivation of rice, there are many typical representations of the Celestial Empire that send us back to a universe of inestimable customs and traditions, which have come down to us from a distant past.
Over the last hundred years, China has had several changes, thus bringing new fascinating representations into the eyes of the observers.
And so from the skyscrapers of the cosmopolitan Shanghai to the impressive evolution of Shenzen, an ancient fishing village that in just forty years has become the headquarters of the most important hi-tech companies in the country, it has emerged how great were the steps taken by the Asian Power to become the second most important economy in the world, after only the United States. With1.4 billion people, China currently presents the most efficient and competitive economy, representing the best terrain to look to the future with hope and optimism.
And optimism is the key to success, and, according to a research conducted by the prestigious English newspaper The Times, is the most important economic indicator of the unstoppable expansion of a country that allows its young people to think about the future with much more serenity compared to their American and European peers. And so, as polls testify, while American millennials feel increasingly precarious about their future, Chinese are sure that their Country will become the most powerful on Earth.
But what fuels this atmosphere of enthusiastic confidence? The answer can be easily found in an unprecedented economic expansion in modern history, carried out through thirty years of reforms, which has increased life expectancy and purchasing power, especially in the new Chinese middle class, characterized by a greater spending capacity and with a higher propensity to consume.
And what in the past represented The American Dream has become in recent years the Zhōngguó Mèng, the "Chinese Dream", to be achieved combining the pursuit of prosperity with a more sustainable development model that pays particular attention to the environment, sinking its roots in the traditional concept of harmony. In this new ethos of collective progress, there are enormous opportunities for personal and professional growth that can be achieved by those who choose to approach this land of infinite possibilities.
Entrare in contatto con una realtà così complessa e affascinante dal punto di vista culturale rappresenta in primo luogo un’ottima occasione per uscire dai propri schemi mentali, nutrendo la propria anima di quelle preziose suggestioni che solo il confronto con una società culturalmente poliedrica e così ricca di storia può garantire con successo. Ma non solo storia e tradizione connotano la Terra di Mezzo. In un Paese dove si può far tutto attraverso Wechat, solo in apparenza semplice applicazione di messaggistica, gli investimenti nelle nuove tecnologie rappresentano la nuova frontiera del business, rendendo la Cina il candidato migliore a sostituire la Silicon Valley nel primato all’ innovazione.
Getting in touch with a reality so complex and fascinating from the cultural point of view is primarily an excellent opportunity to get out of our own mental schemes, nourishing the soul with those precious suggestions that only the comparison with a culturally multifaceted and rich society of history can successfully guarantee. But not only history and tradition characterize the so- called Middle-earth. In a country where everything can be done through Wechat, only apparently a simple messaging application, investments in new technologies represent the new frontier of business, making China the best candidate to replace Silicon Valley in the primacy of innovation.
Virtual reality and artificial intelligence are at the base of the most advanced technological industries, destined to occupy a leading role in the new world economic scenario. Furthermore, important projects such as "One Belt One Road" bear witness to the declared objective of bringing China to the center of global political and economic plots, making it the main point of reference for the commercial and maritime routes in a new link between East and West, on the trail of the ancient Silk Road.
But in the race to establish itself as a global market leader, Space plays a very important role. "The Dark Side of the Moon" sang the Pink Floyd in the early seventies, when everything seemed to be part of an impossible future. Today we know that this is possible thanks to the "Chinese Lunar Exploration Program", a program of missions on the Moon, which in these days is bringing China to become the first nation in the world to explore its mysterious dark side, taking a step forward in the study and understanding of the Universe.
Economic development, high technology and particular attention to the training of human resources are therefore the winning drive for a country with enormous potential for development ... for a future now at hand.
