China-2007: Westernization?

So finally, I have taken the time to sit down and write about my trip to China. Can I just say how SURREAL it is to take a tour trip to a foreign country in a language you can't understand?!  Thankfully, most of the signs in China were written in English and the Koreans were the ones wondering where they were. LOL! Yes, the tour guide spoke Korean and Chinese, but no English, except for the little bit she picked up from Sex and the City. ha! So needless to say, I spent most of my time looking for signs in English or poking my cousin to have her explain to me what the heck was going on and where we were going!

Before going on this trip, I had my preconceptions as to what this trip would be like. I figured I would be seeing a lot of guards with machine guns and very few Western products. Boy, was I wrong! I think I saw more Officers with guns in England than I did in China. Yeah, go figure. And all those people out there who think that America is a gun crazy country, I would like you all to know the first time I saw a machine gun in real life was at a British Airport in my early 20's and I grew up with a parent in the US Army!

So the first sight to greet me at the Beijing airport was:

Yes, that's right Ladies and Gentlemen! STARBUCKS!

And to add to surreal mood, the areas of China we were visiting we saw the following common sights:

AND

AND

These are DEFINITELY sights that I did not expect to see in China.  Weren't the Chinese Government tracking down Christians and killing them? And yet, here is Mr. Claus greeting me on the door of a Chinese pharmacy.

Granted, Christmas Décor doesn't always indicate Christianity. After all, one could argue that it is rather a celebration of materialism and entitlement, rather than a celebration of a poor, persecuted infant child of God. Which could be the route the Chinese have taken, they don't necessarily recognize the "Christ" in Christmas. However, since I don't know any Chinese people to ask without possibly causing unintentional harm , this will remain a mystery for now.

Another sight that I found rather surprising was the number of KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) restaurants in China. I was told by my tour guide that there was more KFC's in China than there were McDonalds. Apparently, the Chinese really love to eat Chicken. I really wanted to eat at one to see what their menu looked like but alas, our trip did not allow for that. Koreans with their "fast, fast, fast."