Visiting history

Another significant change that Lichtenberg has noticed is China's shift from being a factory of the world to a country with a keen focus on innovation and creativity. The country now has many good design institutions such as the China Academy of Arts that produces young talent who have created "really beautiful, really well-made" furniture products.

Another foreigner who is well-acquainted with the topic of creativity in China-albeit in a different context-is Astrid Poghosyan, an Armenian violinist and the first non-Chinese management employee in the history of the prestigious Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. She says she feels foreigners living in China have a role to play in sharing a truthful account of the country. She has been regularly doing so on her own accord.

"I think I've been enlightening my friends and family because I'm always talking about China and how amazing it is. Many of them are surprised at my descriptions of China, and I'm always urging them to come and see the country for themselves. Those who have visited the country cannot believe that what I've been saying all this while is true," she says.

Poghosyan notes that it is especially important that foreigners present the truth about China in this time of pandemic when misinformation and rumors about the country's handling of the situation have been making rounds online.

"I was here during the outbreak so I know how much effort China took to combat the spread of the virus. Our job as foreigners is to tell the truth about China because there are many people who have misconceptions about the country," she says.

Regarding the transformation of the local art and culture scene, Poghosyan says one of the most obvious changes, apart from the remarkable improvement in the quality of music programs and artists, is audience behavior. The crowd that can be found in musical venues today, she says, is far more sophisticated and educated than before.

"Today, when you go to concerts, you can tell that the audience members are very educated based on how they behave. In the past, you could find some people talking, being noisy and using their phones during a concert, but this doesn't really happen anymore," she says.

Having grown up watching Jackie Chan's films and the animated Disney classic Mulan-she once watched the latter seven times in a day-Poghosyan says it was perhaps only natural that she moved to China to study at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in 2009.

The speed at which Shanghai has evolved over the past 12 years, she adds, has been nothing short of astounding, especially when compared to the development of Europe.

"Things are developing so quickly here that I feel like I'm aging faster here," she laughs. "I always joke with my friends that one year of development in China is probably the equivalent to 10 years of development in Europe. I would often walk past shopping malls and buildings that I don't remember being there before. The pace of change is just fascinating and it makes me really proud, happy and lucky to live in a place like this."