China
Finding freedom in a country where being retweeted can get you to jail
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Johan Kruseman
Updated on 28 July 2024
Updated on 28 July 2024
And after this series of top attractions, I listened on my last day to the do’s and especially don’ts of my next destination: North Korea... But before I introduce you to the secrets of North Korea, I will first give a small bonus on Beijing because this time I let keeping countries together prevail over chronology. A little flash-forward, if you will.
I never would have thought that in the country with Facebook and Google blocks, the country where you get arrested if your tweet is retweeted more than 10,000 times, and where the population cannot choose who governs them, I would find the feeling of freedom again. But how China was an oasis of freedom after 12 days in North Korea. I could walk more than 10 meters away from the group without being shown an orange ball, in fact, I didn’t even have a group. I could cross the bridge on my own without being followed. And I had, only slightly censored, access to the big internet again. It was indescribable to have that freedom back.
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Traveled route: Trans Mongolie Express,Beijing, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, Tian'anmen Square, Great Wall of China, Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge, Qingdao
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Did this story inspire you to go to China? Read more on what China has to offer, what the best months are for visiting and check the handy links for backpacking there.
