Two weeks across six Chinese cities changed how I think about what makes a country feel “developed”
City: Beijing, China
I just came back from two weeks in China visiting Beijing, Xi’an, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Zhangjiajie and Shanghai. I expected good infrastructure and cheap prices. What surprised me was how much of “quality of life” doesn’t show up in the stats we usually use. A few examples: * MRI in Xi’an hospital listed for about AUD $70 * 45-minute high-speed rail between Hangzhou and Shanghai * Nationwide rentable power banks everywhere * Huge domestic tourism culture * Less visible fear about AI replacing jobs than I expected It made me think that GDP and rankings often miss what daily life actually feels like. I wrote a longer piece about it here if anyone’s interested: [https://priyanshustakes.substack.com/p/what-china-taught-me-about-things?r=1pjt39](https://priyanshustakes.substack.com/p/what-china-taught-me-about-things?r=1pjt39) Curious for people who’ve travelled widely: what country most challenged your assumptions?
Tags: r/travelchina