by Madelyn SmithFive short years ago, Rob Gifford went to China and took a journey down a road that would teach him more about the country than a textbook ever could.He traveled the length of Route 312, widely considered to be China’s version of Route 66, through all tiers of Chinese society ranging from the peasant communities to Shanghai, a vibrant city dominated by China’s growing middle class.Gifford was previously the Beijing correspondent for National Public Radio. He has lived and worked in China for many years since studying there during college and recently moved back to Shanghai with his family.Gifford spoke at Elon University Tuesday and discussed the often tumultuous shifts in China’s government and the more subtle changes in the Chinese people’s lifestyles.

“China is changing so fast,” he said. “Between 200 to 300 million people have joined the middle class in the past 10 to 15 years. There is a theme of hope everywhere. People are hungry for success. But the tension between hope and despair is also really tangible.”Since Gifford’s move back to Shanghai, he has noticed a more globalized culture in the city, especially within its middle class.“Anything you can get or do in Western context, you can now do in China,” he said. “Urban China has moved toward urban America.”But Gifford says that with this new thriving city life comes a larger gap between urban and rural China. Although he says there are many more efficient routes to travel across China, he chose to take the “old road” to get a better picture of the country’s rural and peasant communities. What he found in these communities was social unrest and extremely poor conditions, including a rising rate in HIV/AIDS cases.

“There are still 700 to 800 million people in the countryside who are living as peasants,” he said. “That continues to be the single biggest problem for the Communist party.”Gifford says Communism does not have as tight a grip on China’s government as people once thought.

After 12 factory workers recently committed suicide as a way to protest low pay and poor working conditions, the Chinese government sat up and listened. They worked with the bosses of several factories to significantly raise pay. As a result, workers now see that strikes yield results and that the Communist Party is losing a lot of its legitimacy.“We may well see more strikes and protests as empowerment grows,” Gifford said. “And nobody believes in Communism anymore. For many people, life is getting better. There is a choice available for them. The government’s message a few decades ago was ‘stay out of politics, and you can do anything you want.’ And that is happening.”On Gifford’s journey down Route 312, he witnessed the Chinese people’s new mentality firsthand. Much of what he saw was a sense of freedom among the people and the belief that they can do things for fun, be tourists in their own country and explore spirituality. He said Christianity is on the rise more than ever in China.“You feel freedom very much across China,” he said. “There is a lot of space to live now. You used to be in a birdcage in China, and now you’re in an aviary.”With these new freedoms and revived communities, he says, comes serious problems for China that are also widespread in the West, including drug use and prostitution. And because of China’s increase in consumption, environmental issues are growing as well.“What is going to happen when everyone in a city like Chongqing wants two cars and two homes like people in the United States?” he asked. “The world cannot sustain China going down the same road that we have.”Gifford said that ending of his book “China Road: A Journey into the Future of a Rising Power” ends with him sharing his worries about China’s future.“I now feel slightly less worried,” he said. Examples Gifford gives of major improvements in China are the government’s new funds for rural areas and the success of the Chinese middle class. “But long term,” he said, “I’m still worried. I’m not convinced that China will rise as a superpower. There are just so many problems still there. And I’m not convinced it can make the jump to any new political system.”Even with the issues still facing the Chinese government and the much-needed change that needs to take place there, Gifford encourages people to recognize the change that has already spread over the country: the lives of the ordinary people, the newfound nationalism, China’s growing human rights and its worldwide influence.“We need to engage with China so that we can deal with China,” he said. “China’s influence abroad is only going to grow.”Students from many disciplines at Elon took different things away from Gifford’s account on China. “Gifford gave fascinating insight into the modern-day perception of China,” said Andrew Glass, a junior at Elon.“I honestly don’t know a lot of details about China,” says junior Lauren King. “But Gifford really broke down the stereotypes that I’ve always heard about the country.”

Author of “China Road: A Journey into the Future of a Rising Power” gives insight into the hope and uncertainties that lie ahead for the mega nation

Rob Gifford shares his account of the new China

Rob Gifford, author of China Road, spoke at Elon University

“There is a theme of hope everywhere.

People are hungry for success. But the

tension between hope and despair is also

really tangible.”

For more information on Rob Gifford or to purchase one of his

books, visit www.robgifford

.com.To listen to his

China Road series on

results and that the Communist Party is losing a lot of its legitimacy.“We may well see more strikes and protests as empowerment grows,” Gifford said. “And nobody believes in Communism anymore. For many people, life is getting better. There is a choice available for them. The government’s message a few decades ago was ‘stay out of politics, and you can do anything you want.’ And that is happening.”On Gifford’s journey down Route 312, he witnessed the Chinese people’s new mentality firsthand. Much of what he saw was a sense of freedom among the people and the belief that they can do things for fun, be tourists in their own country and explore spirituality. He said Christianity is on the rise more than ever in China.“You feel freedom very much across China,” he said. “There is a lot of space to live now. You used to be in a birdcage in China, and now you’re in an aviary.”With these new freedoms and revived communities, he says, comes serious problems for China that are also widespread in the West, including drug use and prostitution. And because of China’s increase in consumption, environmental issues are growing as well.“What is going to happen when everyone in a city like Chongqing wants two cars and two homes like people in the United States?” he asked. “The world cannot sustain China going down the same road that we have.”

Gifford said that ending of his book “China Road: A Journey into the Future of a Rising Power” ends with him sharing his worries about China’s future.“I now feel slightly less worried,” he said. Examples Gifford gives of major improvements in China are the government’s new funds for rural areas and the success of the Chinese middle class. “But long term,” he said, “I’m still worried. I’m not convinced that China will rise as a superpower. There are just so many problems still there. And I’m not convinced it can make the jump to any new political system.”Even with the issues still facing the Chinese government and the much-needed change that needs to take place there, Gifford encourages people to recognize the change that has already spread over the country: the lives of the ordinary people, the newfound nationalism, China’s growing human rights and its worldwide influence.“We need to engage with China so that we can deal with China,” he said. “China’s influence abroad is only going to grow.”Students from many disciplines at Elon took different things away from Gifford’s account on China. “Gifford gave fascinating insight into the modern-day perception of China,” said Andrew Glass, a junior at Elon.“I honestly don’t know a lot of details about China,” says junior Lauren King. “But Gifford really broke down the stereotypes that I’ve always heard about the country.”