Waking up with a hangover in Beijing felt surreal for a Filipino journalist who had long dreamed of visiting China's capital. The headache was a small price to pay after an intense 48 hours of travel and immersion, leading to a morning lecture that would frame his entire two-week experience.
Understanding China's Digital and Democratic Model
The core of the visit included a lecture on "Digital Media and Public Opinion in China" by Professor Zhang Di from the Renmin University of China's School of Journalism. This session delved into the country's unique internet ecosystem, including the "Great Firewall." The journalist observed that while critics view this system as restrictive, it establishes clear boundaries for hundreds of millions of users who operate and thrive within them.
He reflected that no society offers absolute freedom, contrasting perceived Western liberal democracy with China's approach. The key, he noted, is China's emphasis on shared values and collective stability over individual-centric models, rooted in millennia of tradition. This philosophy extends to what China terms "whole-process people's democracy," presented as a successful alternative to Western systems.
From Lectures to Real-World Visits
The academic program was robust. It featured talks like "China-US Relations and Major-Power Strategic Rivalry" by Professor Wang Yong of Peking University and "Chinese Path to Modernization" by Professor Zhang Xiaomeng. These lectures served as a primer on China's strategic direction.
This theoretical knowledge was complemented by official site visits. The journalist toured Huawei, the Zhongguancun International Robotics Industrial Park, and the JD.com headquarters in Beijing. A high-speed train journey to Zhengzhou, Henan, included stops at the Henan Media Group and Yutong Bus Co. Ltd. Cultural visits to the Museum of the Communist Party of China, the Henan Museum, the Great Wall, and the Forbidden City rounded out the experience, reinforcing his pre-existing admiration for China's rapid transformation.
The Value of Regional Camaraderie
Beyond the scheduled program, the most valued aspect was bonding with fellow journalists from 14 other countries, including Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka. As the sole representative from the Philippines, he felt a poignant isolation from regional media networks, envying the cross-border coverage ease of his mainland Southeast Asian counterparts.
On the final night, sharing drinks in a hotel room, the Sri Lankan participant expressed sadness about departing. The journalist, the group's second-oldest, bluntly acknowledged they would likely forget each other soon after returning home. This honesty made the memory of that final night of camaraderie even more precious as he prepared to return to his routine.
The journey, which began with a hangover, evolved into a deep reflection on media, governance, and the interconnectedness of Asia's journalistic community.
