<p class="ql-block">The Future World – A Journey to China</p><p class="ql-block">Author Xunjia Liu</p><p class="ql-block">2025 6 13</p> <p class="ql-block">This summer, my wife and I planned to take our twelve-year-old grandson Max to China to visit relatives and explore the country. We hadn’t been back in over ten years, and this was also Max’s final summer before graduating from elementary school. We wanted him to experience a different culture and enrich his life.</p><p class="ql-block">Max was born in Saskatoon, a city on the central plains of Canada. Though it is the largest city in Saskatchewan, it has only about three hundred thousands to four hundred thousands people. The area is vast and sparsely populated, and Chinese Canadians often refer to it affectionately as “薩屯?！盨ince he was two or three years old, Max has traveled with his parents throughout Canada and neighboring country of the U.S. But he has always been curious about China — a land on the other side of the globe, and the homeland of his grandparents.</p><p class="ql-block">We did quite a bit to prepare for this overseas journey. First, we requested speaking Chinese at home and mostly ate Chinese food. We also told him stories about Chinese traditions and especially about China’s rapid development. We hoped he’d remember that China is not only an ancient civilization but also a “future world,” just like Canada or the U.S.</p><p class="ql-block">At Max’s age, he loves cartoons and is fascinated by futuristic worlds. He had heard about “movie-like high-speed trains” in China, “stores where you can buy things with your face,” and “restaurants with robot waiters.” It all sounded like scenes from Star Wars or Iron Man. He was very excited.</p><p class="ql-block">We waited eagerly for the summer to come. Maybe because we were so excited or simply impatient, we ended up dreaming about the trip before it even began—</p> <p class="ql-block">The plane flew eastward over the Pacific. Max lay on his seat, looking at the clouds outside the window, feeling excited and a little anxious. He had visited many amazing places in Canada and the U.S., so he couldn’t help but wonder: could anything really be cooler than that? He turned to me, “Grandpa, is China really like the future?” There was a bit of doubt in his voice. I smiled, “You’ll see when we land.”</p><p class="ql-block">Beijing was our first stop. By the time we landed, it was already evening. As soon as we exited the airport, Max was stunned. In the customs hall, there were no human officers—Chinese citizens simply scanned their ID cards to pass through automated gates. No lines, no waiting—quick and seamless. “Just like spies entering a secret base!” he whispered. “It seems all true.” His doubts began to melt away.</p><p class="ql-block">In Beijing, we booked a homestay and asked for a high school student to be our local guide. That way, Max would have someone his age to talk to, and we also needed help navigating a country we hadn’t seen in years. A young woman greeted us outside the building. She was polite and warm. “My name is Anna. Welcome to China,” she said, taking our luggage and guiding us inside.</p><p class="ql-block">Our room was spacious and equipped with smart technology. As we stepped through the door, a voice greeted us: “hello! Dear guests, Welcome to Room 101. I will be your service assistant. If you need anything, just let me know. My name is Huanhuan.” We were all astonished. Max said, “I’d like a cup of orange juice, please.” “Certainly. Please go to the minibar to your right.” Amazingly, the system even understood English! Moments later, a paper cup was filled with juice. Max turned to us, “Even the hotels in the U.S. and Canada weren’t this cool.”</p><p class="ql-block">Before bed, we gathered in the living room for a short chat. Everyone in the homestay was incredibly friendly—it felt like a big family gathering. Anna and Max hit it off right away, as if they were siblings.</p><p class="ql-block">The next morning, we did some light exercises in the courtyard. The house was larger than the one we had in Canada. Shrubs formed neat fences around the property, and inside them, flower beds and lawns were laid out with elegance. An elderly man trimming the bushes told us that this area had been a barren field just three years ago. With the city’s expansion, homes with traditional styles were built and incorporated into municipal management. The government even allowed these homes to host foreign guests.</p><p class="ql-block">We had breakfast at the homestay. There were both Chinese and Western options—rich and varied. After eating, Anna took us to a nearby convenience store.</p><p class="ql-block">My wife and I waited outside as Anna led Max in. From the window, we saw a clean, well-lit shop—but not a single person inside. Max followed Anna cautiously, looking around curiously. Shelves were neatly arranged, lights were soft, and the products abundant. But… “Where is the cashier?” Max suddenly asked. “There isn’t one! This is a fully automated store,” Anna replied. She picked up a bag of chips, two bottles of water, and a pack of tissues.</p><p class="ql-block">Max also grabbed a juice and picked up a piece of gum each for me and my wife. At the exit, a small scanner beeped, and a screen displayed all of Anna’s items with their total price. “Payment successful,” a voice announced. Then it said, “Young guest, please proceed to the payment kiosk in the corner to pay for your juice.” Anna suddenly realized that Max hadn’t registered—he hadn’t done facial recognition, so the scanner didn’t know him. She quickly said, “Sorry, sorry, little brother. I forgot you just arrived in Beijing and haven’t registered your face yet.” She turned to the scanner, “Sorry, I’ll pay for him.” “Thank you,” the scanner replied, adding, “Young guest, don’t forget to pay your sister back!” Max looked confused.</p><p class="ql-block">Eyes wide, Max asked, “How did it know what we picked?”</p><p class="ql-block">“Cameras, AI, big data,” Anna said mysteriously. “And here’s a secret—it remembered you the moment you walked in.”</p><p class="ql-block">Max felt like he was in the movie Knowing, being tracked by mysterious tech. A mix of fear and excitement.</p> <p class="ql-block">At noon, we took the subway to a mall on Chaoyang Street. The station was brightly lit, colorful with digital ads, and impeccably clean. Gates lined up like honor guards. Anna taught us how to use the ticket machines. She pointed at the map, tapped our destination and transfer points, and with a quick scan of her phone, tickets popped out. You could also pay with cash or card. The train glided like a dragon through tunnels, silent and smooth—more comfortable than buses. “It’s even more fun than the light rail in Calgary,” Max said.</p><p class="ql-block">We went to a bubble tea shop. Max asked me to prepare some money. But he noticed the customer in front of us simply greeted a screen with a “Hi,” and their drink was automatically paid for.</p><p class="ql-block">“Did he… just pay with his face?!”</p><p class="ql-block">“Yup. It’s called ‘facial recognition payment.’ You can use it at bubble tea shops, burger joints, convenience stores…”</p><p class="ql-block">Max stepped up to the screen and gave a cheerful “Hi.” Nothing happened. Anna laughed, “Just like at the store—you have to register your face first!”</p><p class="ql-block">So, we paid the traditional way at the counter.</p><p class="ql-block">After lunch, Anna took us to tour a summer camp school.</p><p class="ql-block">As soon as we entered the classroom, Max gasped in amazement—and so did we.</p><p class="ql-block">The teacher stood in front of a giant smart board. With a swipe of her hand, she pulled up videos, projected charts, and even remotely controlled students’ tablets. There was no chalk dust, no paper textbooks—every student had their own learning tablet.</p><p class="ql-block">Even more amazing, the teacher didn’t take attendance. The system automatically checked students in with facial recognition.</p><p class="ql-block">“You guys are living in the space age!” Max exclaimed.</p><p class="ql-block">“Want to try our ‘drone programming class’? Everyone gets to fly their own mini drone.”</p><p class="ql-block">“Really?!” Max nearly jumped with excitement and joined.</p> <p class="ql-block">On the third day, we headed to Shanghai—with Anna still as our guide. She arranged for us to experience the high-speed train.</p><p class="ql-block">At the station, we checked in with facial recognition. As the train accelerated, Max watched the cities and fields blur past, feeling like he was in a race between the train and the wind.</p><p class="ql-block">“350 kilometers per hour!” Anna pointed at the display. “Beijing to Shanghai in just over four hours!”</p><p class="ql-block">“It takes over five hours to go from Toronto to Ottawa by train!” Max shouted. “This is like a bullet train!”</p><p class="ql-block">“Faster than a bullet,” Anna smiled. “And it has Wi-Fi, meal service, and little tray tables for drawing.”</p><p class="ql-block">Max pulled out his tablet to record the view—but the footage was all a blur.</p><p class="ql-block">In Shanghai, we visited the Future Technology Museum. All three of us were amazed by the power of high-tech. We wore VR goggles to explore the metaverse; we used hand gestures to control an AR wall, watching the ancient Terracotta Warriors “come to life”; we even played a smart waste-sorting game and won a little robot keychain. “This is so exciting!” Max exclaimed.</p><p class="ql-block">We also visited Disneyland in Shanghai. Compared to the one in Florida, it had a strong Chinese flavor. The roller coaster, for example, was styled like a flying Eastern dragon. The Dino Racer shot into the sky with the press of a . The space-themed rides were wild. My wife and I were nervous the whole time, but Max said, “It’s a great challenging experience!”</p> <p class="ql-block">After Shanghai, we said goodbye to Anna and took the high-speed train to Wuhan—where I had studied and lived in my youth.</p><p class="ql-block">The change was incredible. Places I had once known were completely transformed. With Max, we visited the spots where my wife and I had walked together as young people.</p><p class="ql-block">That old breakfast alley was now a wide innovation boulevard—only a hundred-year-old tree remained, standing like a witness to history. A tiny store that once sold cooking oil and tea had become a giant shopping mall. The park where we first met had turned into a massive amusement center. Max listened curiously. “You were only thirty then? Now you’ve aged, but this place got younger.” “Yes,” I said, “That’s progress.”</p><p class="ql-block">In Wuhan, we also tried self-driving taxis, the Guanggu Photon Skyrail, and a tunnel beneath the Yangtze river.</p> <p class="ql-block">We continued south and west. In Zhangjiajie, Hunan, we saw robot dogs carrying tourists’ luggage up the mountain. In Guangzhou, we watched robots perform public square dances. In Yunnan, over a thousand drones lit up the sky, spelling out “Welcome.”</p><p class="ql-block">Finally, we returned to my hometown—Honghu.</p><p class="ql-block">As we stepped in, the fragrance of lotus blossoms filled the air. Where there once had been a swampy, overgrown field, there was now a lotus pond, lush and beautiful. Fish swam in the clear water. Paved roads stretched from the highway to every home in the new village. Kitchens had modern stoves, homes were full of appliances, and cars were common.</p><p class="ql-block">We originally wanted Max to try some traditional farm labor—but machines had replaced most of it. “Grandpa, I don’t see any of that carrying on your shoulders stuff you talked about. Look—they’re using remote controls to plow!” I said, “Yes, it’s changing fast—even faster than we expected.”</p><p class="ql-block">During our days in the village, we visited relatives and were served delicious meals everywhere. Max called it a world of food. My wife and I felt the warmth of home and family.</p><p class="ql-block">As our trip neared its end, I told Max, “Everything you’ve seen on this trip is something your grandma and I never imagined back when we lived here.” Max replied, “I haven’t seen anything like this in Canada or the U.S., either.” Then he asked, “You’ve lived in Canada for 25 years—did all this tech and change happen in that time?” “Yes,” I said. “We’ve been catching up with America and Canada—learning from them.”</p><p class="ql-block">“I think I finally understand what ‘the future’ means,” Max said on the flight home.</p><p class="ql-block">“Do you think China is the future?” Grandma asked.</p><p class="ql-block">Max thought for a moment, then said, “I think China is the place where the future becomes reality.”</p><p class="ql-block">“Would you like to come back?”</p><p class="ql-block">“Of course!” he grinned. “Next time I’ll bring my little sister. She’ll never believe I sang karaoke with a robot waiter!”</p><p class="ql-block">As the plane lifted off, Max looked out at the city lights below, his hand tightly gripping that little robot keychain. He knew that on this trip, he had seen more than what books or TV could show—he had seen a glimpse of the future.</p>