Turkiye a country worth visiting and learning from

During my recent three-week visit of Turkiye, I found myself comparing the Middle East country with China in terms of history, culture and, of course, tourism industry.

A cross-continental country once a center of the ancient Greek and Roman empires, and later the heart of the Ottoman Empire, Turkiye had long been my dream tourism destination because of its culture and splendid ancient relics, as well as its unique landscapes. When planning the trip, my wife and I read quite a few Turkiye-related articles which warned us of the country's "political instability", and "poor public security" in certain parts of the country. Some of the articles said cheating and pickpocketing were rampant in some areas, inflation is uncontrollable and tourism services unsatisfactory in some parts of the country.

Although my wife and I prefer going on self-arranged vacations, we decided to play it safe this time by joining a weeklong local tour group to test the waters, and spending the remaining part of our tour on our own. At the end of our tour, we realized that we had been unnecessarily worried about security. While our cautious arrangement did benefit us in the sense that it gave us an overall view of Turkiye in a few days, not even once did we feel any danger even when walking through the narrow lanes of Istanbul or strolling along the beaches of Antalya late in the evening.

Armed with firearms, policemen and policewomen could be seen at street corners, especially in areas frequented by tourists, while the pickpockets seemed to have vanished from the scene, even though cash is still widely used by both local residents and tourists. My experience further convinced me that stories and opinions about some countries by Western media outlets, including some influential Western media outlets, are not reliable, especially when they disseminate to serve certain countries' political purposes.

China, too, has been the target of the attacks of Western media, which, when not accusing China of being a threat, would be claiming that "China collapse" is just around the corner.

Istanbul is a city of glamour. Grand mosques, historical ruins and relics dot the landscape. After taking a "Turkish bath" in a 1,000-year-old bath house, you can relax over a cup of Turkish tea in a bar across the street built even before the bath house. Taking a cruise across the Turkish Straits that divides the Asian and European continents, one can't help but recall the wars and peace which were once regular features of the region. The glorious ancient buildings still standing on both sides of the straits serve as reminders of the prosperity that comes with peace, and peace is what we should treasure the most today.

With a population 16 of million, Istanbul is an international city. When asking someone about an address or the location of a historic site, you should be cautiously selective because there is a high possibility of that person turning out to be a non-local or a tourist just like you. Data show that less than 30 percent of Istanbul's population can be called local residents with the rest being immigrants from other countries and regions. A number of cities in China trying to become global cities should learn from Istanbul authorities how to govern a city with people of different ethnicities, faiths and creed, and maintain harmony.

While the ancient opera houses, cave hotels and thousands of mosques are fascinating, the highlight of my visit to Turkiye was swimming in the Mediterranean Sea at Lara Beach in Antalya. In the public section of Lara Beach, all facilities including parasols, lounge chairs, changing rooms and shower are free. In fact, along the beaches which are several kilometers long, there is a changing room and shower every 50 meters, making Antalya a paradise for people like me who love swimming.

The free services they provide reminded me of my bad swimming experience in the tropical Chinese city of Sanya in Hainan province, which, despite the repeated complaints of swimmers, is yet to provide such services, free or paid. I hope Sanya can learn something from Antalya.

Indeed, Turkiye is a country worth visiting.

The author is former deputy editor-in-chief of China Daily.