Before I left for China, a friend asked me to consider whether I thought the country could realistically be governed as a democracy.

The request was always on my mind as I toured Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou.

We arrived just days after the 60th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. Following the Chinese Civil War and the victory of Mao Zedong’s Communist forces over the Kuomintang forces of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, who fled to Taiwan, Mao declared the founding of the People’s Republic of China on Oct. 1, 1949.

Beijing was still dressed in its best public face and Tiananmen Square was beautiful and still full of tourists.

Before our tour group left the bus, our guide told us to stay close and to be careful about photographing members of the military or police. He said we would risk losing our cameras. He also asked us not to question him about politics.

It soon was evident that we were being followed as we walked around the square. Besides the airport, it possibly was the only time I felt wary, and for once in my life, I simply didn’t ask questions.

Most of our trip was spent seeing the wonderful sights China has to offer. While on the bus, we learned that our guide had a tourist license, which allowed him to do his job. Each year he was required to renew that license. If he wanted to change jobs, he would have to get another permit from the government that would enable him to change professions.

As we changed hotels and traveled to different cities, our passports were collected by our various guides. It left us all feeling vulnerable. At first we were told that the hotel needed to see the passports as an assurance that we were all there legally. Later, we learned it was the way the government could keep track of us while we were in their country.

I picked up a copy of the China Daily, and read a headline heralding the government’s investment of several billions of dollars into a new commercial district.

Buried down in the story was a few paragraphs noting that 10,000 households would be relocated as a result of the development. Where I come from, that particular detail would have been the lead.

Yes, China was indeed a different place.

Still, I couldn’t answer my friend’s question.

The answer, to my surprise, came unsolicited from one of the locals. He was young, probably in his 30s. He talked openly about the many changes being made in his country. He was almost fierce in his condemnation of Mao’s suppression, but said he believed China’s new leaders realized they had to loosen controls.

He pointed out changes being made in “policies” in his country and an awareness that the rest of the world was watching.

“We don’t want to be treated like North Korea,” he told me.