How China caught me by surprise

I clearly remember the days leading up to my decision to move to China. Unlike most people who relocate abroad, I wasn't moving for work.

The decision was made simply out of a need for a new environment, a new challenge.

Up until my final day in Minneapolis, Minnesota, everything I knew about China I had read online. My first destination was Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, known for its fantastic food and vibrant metropolis.

However, my first holiday within China was Beijing, the country's capital, during my second week in China. At the time, the biggest news stories about the city had to do with the smog.

In September 2013, I arrived to an expectedly polluted Beijing. A trip to the Great Wall at Badaling was disappointing because it was barely visible in the gray haze. I thought to myself, I would never live here.

Guangzhou is much nicer, with mostly clear days although it rains quite heavily in the spring and summer.

Fast forward eight years and here I am, finding myself living and working in Beijing, under blue skies.

I recall back in 2016 when China had pledged to fight air pollution and, fortunately for my recent transition to Beijing, it has been immensely successful.

It does wonders when you can enjoy clear air for the majority of the year. It's been awesome to witness firsthand the amount of progress the country has made in the climate change sector.

However, it's not only the promise of improving environmental protection being fulfilled that has surprised me.

To celebrate the Communist Party of China's 100-year anniversary, I was given the opportunity to travel to Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region to visit a few villages to speak to some centenarians. I wanted to hear directly from them what improvements had been made to their livelihoods throughout the years.

You can read about China's progress online or in books but it's a whole other experience to hear it from their mouths.

Listening to the stories of those aged 100 and over was a fascinating trip. They spoke of infrastructure being built to make traveling and trade easier, healthcare being improved immensely each decade, government programs to assist them to build safe and sturdy homes, and technology that made it easier for them to achieve higher incomes.

To say their lives and lifestyles have improved over the years is a huge understatement.

In looking back at what I learned about China before moving to the country and comparing it to what I've experienced since I've arrived have distinct contrasts.

This is why I tell my friends to travel as much as possible; what you read or think you know about a place cannot compare to experiencing it. Get out. Live it.