"The 21st Century belongs to China," one of the officials, who received a group of Journalists from Africa visiting China on the sidelines of the Beijing Olympics Games, said with pride.
Indeed from all indications China, the Star of the East, has risen and there is no going back.
This Writer, who was among the 34 African Journalists, could not but agree with the Official from what he saw.
The Chinese have been able to weave a tapestry of thousands of years of history, cultural heritage, social cohesion, economic development, scientific advancement and cutting-edge technology that is resplendent.
It is said "travel and see" and indeed this Writer travelled and saw.
Before leaving Ghana, this Writer had been made to have a certain picture about Beijing and China as a whole.
First Beijing was portrayed as unhealthy because of ever-present smog; that the Chinese did not respect human rights and that the Chinese were xenophobic.
Apart from the smog, which was evident even before Flight ET 604 from Addis Ababa touched down at the Beijing Airport on August 5, 2008, the other two did not have any basis.
The Chinese had been able to adopt measures to reduce drastically the intensity of the smog by closing down some factories before the opening of the Games.
The Good Lord also caused rain to fall on the third day to clear the smog.
On the aspect of human rights, one can say without the fear of contradiction that the Chinese society is disciplined. It is a society, in which everything is done with the interest of the State in mind.
The Chinese society is based on the principle of collective well-being, instead of individual greed.
Unlike in the Western society where individual freedom is extended to the level of absurdity by allowing men to marry men and women to marry women, the Chinese society ensures that human beings behave as such and not as animals.
If this is what others see as human right abuse, then so be it. No society has the right to impose its values on another. This must be made clear. Every society must have the right to organise the social order the way it deemed fit.
During interactions with the ordinary people, it came out clearly that the Chinese society was contented. Each had specific task to accomplish and went about it with diligence.
The Guides performed their duties with a level of diligence that should be the envy of other countries.
They were punctual and always had to wait for members of the Group to assemble before beginning the day's programme. They were very courteous but firm. They would not bend the rules but they did it in such a way not to hurt any feelings.
From the interactions with the ordinary people, it came out clearly that virtually none of the 1.3 billion Chinese ever went to bed hungry. The State catered for the basic needs of its citizens.
At the Tiananmen Square in Beijing, the ordinary Chinese, who have been portrayed as being xenophobic, begged the Journalists to allow them to take pictures with them. Anytime the Journalists obliged they became very happy, beaming with smiles.
At the Silk Market, sellers would approach customers, who came from all over the world, with persuasive words. Some went to the extent of putting their hands on the shoulders of customers. Their behaviour was so natural. It was not different from what traders at Makola Market in Accra and Kejetia in Kumasi do.
At the Forbidden City, the palace of Ancient Chinese Emperors, the over 5,000 years of Chinese civilisation comes to life. The Guides give a rendition of Chinese history that makes one to live in the past and the present at the same time.
Needless to say the Great Wall of China showed what a determined people could do. It is a wonder that without modern day machinery, a civilisation could erect such an edifice on precipitous edges of mountains.
Of modern architecture, the less said about it the better. One could say with certainty that Beijing is the most beautiful city on earth. A member of the Group, who had been staying in New York, summed it all up when he said, "Beijing is the modern side of New York".
The towering glass and steel skyscrapers, the manicured flower beds, trimmed hedges and clean streets are a marvel.
A computer simulated tour of Beijing at the City Hall showed how advanced the Chinese are technologically. It brought home forcefully what The Bible said about the Devil taking Jesus Christ to a tower and showing him the beauty of Jerusalem.
One could see three-dimensional objects that gave the feel of reality, even though one was watching a film with special goggles.
Many of the world's giant supermarkets have opened branches in Beijing - Wal-Mart of USA; Ito-Yokado of Tokyo, Carrefour of France, and others.
Apart from the Central Business District of Beijing, where the streets were at the same level, and therefore, traffic had to be controlled, all other roads are dual carriage and at different levels so there is no question of head-on collision of vehicles.
Everything about China to the outsider is excellent. The Chinese have taken the world by storms and there is no indication that the storm would ever abate. Indeed the 21st Century belongs to the "Land of the Three Emperors Deity" - God The Father, God The Son and God The Holy Ghost" - China.