When I was in Beijing last November I saw something remarkable from the bus. It was a footbridge over one of their w-i-i-i-de dual carriageways through the city. On the railings in cut-out metal letters was this:

It’s one of Einstein’s Equations of General Relativity! This is China. Knowledge is respected. Education is paramount.

I was quite impressed by my short visit to China. Can you imagine any Australian city using an equation like this as public artwork? They obviously do it out of respect.

I found other examples of street art that made me think, “Gee, these are not flag waving militaristic heathens.” Quite the opposite.

I’ve been watching If You Are The One every night on SBS2 for months now, and again, I’m quite impressed. The level of education among the girls is quite remarkable. Out of 24, up to a dozen will either have a PhD or be working toward one. Many have Masters degrees. Most have been to uni. Same for the guys – many have high qualifications, at least a bachelor’s degree. Many also do altruistic voluntary work, and one guy last night donates 10% of his salary to charities. I could go on – watch the show and be surprised.

So my ideas of China have changed completely from the old Red Guard Mao suited Communist days. China has changed enormously and I’m impressed.