有朋 - If a friend ...

“有朋自远方来，不亦乐乎？”
"If a friend comes from afar would you not be happy?"
This famous quote by none other than the great Confucius himself adorns the arrival hall of Beijing Capital Airport. Printed on a huge banner it spans the lofty glass and steel heights above the immigration desks. Further back hang similar banners with words of welcome in various Western languages.
Welcome.
Bien venu.
Willkommen.
Unfortunately, the reality looks a bit different now. While it is still easy enough to obtain a Chinese visa, legislation concerning foreigners in the country has become more frustrating.
One is concerning hotels. Not just any hotel can accommodate foreigners. They have to be (for lack of a better word) "licenced" to do so. In the past, possibly in the run-up to the Olympics (when I was there last) this was not taken so seriously. Now, that the games are over checks have become stricter and more frequent. So, hotels are very strict about the matter. The same actually also goes for apartment complexes. Foreigners are not allowed to just live anywhere either.
I first found out about this because I was supposed to stay with a friend. I dropped my suitcase there after arriving but in the evening the guards (some young boys) would not let me in anymore. My friend kindly even called the supervisor but was told that, unfortunately, I would have to leave the next day and stay somewhere else. The first hotel I tried in that neighbourhood then also told me that they were sorry but they were not allowed to admit foreigners. Only a large three-star hotel finally took me in. I ended up spending more then 300 RMB for the night. But it got better. In Chengde me and a friend spent the better part of one evening trying different hotels - from small 50-RMB family run affairs to even a large three-star place. All were very apologetic but said it was not allowed. Foreigners, one young receptionist told me, could now only stay in hotels four-stars or better. Eventually, the cheapest such place we could find in Chengde still cost 480 RMB a night - a shocking more than 50 EUR!
The next shock was going online. I love net bars in China - I don't really know why but I feel a bit at home among the gamers and geeks. Now however, to use a net bar you need a Chinese national ID card (身份证), which is swiped when you pay and your ID number becomes your username. You can't do this with foreign passports, so those are disallowed. I find this a very worrying development since when your card is swiped it brings your photo and all your personal information up on the screen. This would give the government or police an incredibly powerful tool to monitor the web usage of each and every user. How much more Big Brother could it get?
Actually, I also wonder how backpackers these days get online - unless they stay at one of the youth hostels. In my time, I relied on the net bars to contact friends and family, check train schedules or look for hotels. Doing that offline would be a lot harder - especially if you don't speak Chinese.
Why am I moaning about this? People might say: "why not go to a country that has a more permissive legislation?" But actually, I love China. This time going back there felt a bit like returning home. Sadly, regulations like these are frustrating and make going back a bitter-sweet experience. My friend says things will change again. I hope for the better.