Firstly, I must say that I have never been in a safer country than China. Yes, it is way safer than any country in Europe or USA. However, there is always a price you have to pay for the extreme safety it seems. In China, you pay your privacy.
In two months traveling all around China, I understood that every single person living there is being tracked and followed. It even seemed that the Chinese government was recording every conversation in the streets. And it surely did scan all of my things at least 5 times a day. There is no safe heaven from safety in China.
And I often ask myself if providing me with safety against my will is actually what I need. I mean, "give us your privacy and we will assure your safety" sounds way too familiar if you watch any of those sci-fi movies where all the unique people are being hunted down because they are a threat to the society. So, ultimate safety means being just like everyone else in a way. Even though I have nothing to hide, I still want to have my right to hide things. And the ultimate safety that China provides, does not allow you to hide anything because you become a threat.
From a traveler's point of view, China is an amazingly polite and welcoming country where you can walk in the streets at 2 am with a pocket full of cash. However, I still prefer taking care of my safety in Colombia rather than being watched by cameras every single second. You know why? Because I like to have an opportunity to get robbed. I like my freedom of choice.
