Luckily, there was an internet cafe next to the hostel, so I bought a membership. For the rest of my time in Shenzhen, I spent much of the day there watching movies. My new roommates, one from Taiwan and the other from Canada but originally from Mali, both snored heavily (and you know how much I like snoring). I enjoyed some excellent conversations with the Canadian, who shared his efforts to secure a better future.

As one might expect, downloaded material was everywhere in the cafe. I found one of its shared drives, which contained a large collection of movies and television shows. I watched a few episodes of “Heroes” and then some of “Prison Break,” which is now one of my favourite shows. Meanwhile, for more academic reading, I finished the stories I wanted to read from my Continental Literature book. For pure pleasure, someone gave me Deja Dead, an international bestselling suspense novel. It was mediocre but mildly entertaining. After War and Peace and works such as The Iliad, it was a change of pace.

My flight was scheduled for 7:00pm, which meant I had to leave by 4:00pm to clear border control, catch the train, and then take the bus.

At 12:30, my FedEx package arrived in Shenzhen; it had been due the previous day at 6:00pm. At 1:00pm, the online status changed to “Wrong Address.” I called FedEx and confirmed that they had both my phone number and address. They said the courier would reach the hostel shortly and call me within 15 minutes. No courier, no package.

To make a repetitive story short, one of the hostel staff called FedEx six times, becoming more forceful with each call. Needless to say, I owe her.

Finally, at 3:45pm, she called and said, “First, you have my phone number, but you don’t call me back. Second, I’ve given you the address several times, but you haven’t come. Third, I’ve given you specific directions, but still nobody has arrived. What is the matter?” Ten minutes later, a grumpy FedEx courier walked through the door carrying my passport.

I ripped open the package, checked the visa, said my goodbyes, and ran out the door. A quick subway ride to the border and a trip through security put me back in Hong Kong. I cleared Hong Kong security, jumped on the train, and one stop later boarded the A43 bus to the airport. Along the way, I met a couple from Taiwan whom I had first noticed at the border. We chatted and exchanged contact details before arriving at the airport. I paid at the China Airlines counter, collected my ticket, passed through security, and was on my way home.

Arriving in Taipei was a relief. Although the culture is similar in many ways, home is home. I jumped on the bus and reached downtown Taipei 45 minutes later. It felt strange to be there when, only five hours earlier, I had been in Shenzhen. A friend met me at my subway station, and we went back to my house.

Hoping for fast internet so I could call my parents, I was disappointed to arrive home and find that my building had no power. Oh well, home is home.

So, what are my thoughts on China? This was only my second visit, and I had mainly seen cities in the southeast, so I should reserve judgement until I can see more of the country. One of my first major observations was the air pollution that lingered wherever I went. Despite the large number of people in the places I visited, I felt that a certain order persisted. The “vacation” felt less like a holiday and more like an exploration of culture.

At the same time, I always felt the need to keep my belongings safe. In Taipei, I would not hesitate to leave my laptop on a table while visiting the bathroom. In China, I was wary of leaving anything beyond arm’s reach. Train stations often displayed warnings about common thefts, which was alarming but also useful. China was still not the easiest place to travel, even with a Mandarin speaker beside me, but the effort to improve was obvious. Buildings and infrastructure were under construction everywhere, making the country’s rapid development hard to miss. The sheer number of people also stayed in my thoughts: the country’s scale made me consider future shifts in global power. The intensity with which many people studied, both in China and Taiwan, stood in sharp contrast to what I had often seen in the United States. Aspiring entrepreneurs also seemed ubiquitous; I met many people trying to start small import-export businesses. Shenzhen’s economic prosperity was apparent, and the city was clearly growing as an economic hub.

Overall impression? A positive exploration.