12 ms·

People should google some (night) videos from Chinese cities like Shanghai or Wuhan. You might be shocked by how they look like. I think few in the West reali

People should google some (night) videos from Chinese cities like Shanghai or Wuhan. You might be shocked by how they look like. I think few in the West realize how fast China is moving.

graeme 6y ago
Like this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ff29nDLBzaA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ff29nDLBzaA Looks like insomnia. China does move impressively fast, but what does this show? Everyone needs to sleep.
- hjfigkfkrkr 6y ago
  I was thinking more about drone video, you can see the scale better: https://youtu.be/4nrdHYL5eq8 https://youtu.be/4nrdHYL5eq8
  - NicoJuicy 6y ago
    Fancy lights
  - davidy123 6y ago
    This reminds me of the neon sign craze of the 50s. After the novelty wears off, it's garish. That neon was torn down in most places, thanks largely to better ideas around mixed use development where constant bright lights are a problem. People need places to feel part of society, and it's fun to visit, but living in a mall/amusement park/sports bar/Tron has negative health impacts with all the over stimulation. By now, high density, ecologically sensitive, mixed use cities that have a focus on overall quality of life, rather than dazzling, are more impressive. Chinese development can pull ahead there with a focus on transportation systems.
  - graeme 6y ago
    The scale is certainly impressive! I’ve seem much better use of lights in Europe though. But your point may have been largely about scale in which case I agree. They’ve moved very fast n
- _hao 6y ago
  These light shows don't continue throughout the night.
johnnycerberus 6y ago
Are expensive office buildings and high end transportation an indicator of an innovative country? They can definitely act as infrastructure to support innovation but it remains to be seen.
- hjfigkfkrkr 6y ago
  They can build a Las Vegas in the time San Francisco can build a train station. Now imagine if they turned this focus to something else.
- throwaway4good 6y ago
  To be honest I find it amazing people are still questioning the growth of China and its capability of innovation. For all the years I have been following China, it has always been the same: China's economic numbers are exaggerated, just about to collapse, yeah sure they can make that gadget but can they make this gadget? Why is that? I think it says more about us in the west.
  - toyg 6y ago
    The arguments are exactly the same as we had in Europe during the rise of the US. "They can only copy! They have no taste! They're all fraudsters! They're slavedrivers!" etc etc. This said, we won't have a real tipping point until China can rival Hollywood for quality and quantity of cultural output, and their language makes that quite difficult. This is one of the reasons the USSR never "won" even at the time when it was arguably more powerful and efficient than the US.
    - throwaway4good 6y ago
      Look up top grossing movies globally for 2020. Granted it is a special year.
    - jimmydef 6y ago
      Nowadays I hear a lot of people commenting about how excellent the quality of Japanese products are. How they have a "craftsmanship" culture where a master will spend his whole life perfecting a craft, etc. Recently read a reddit thread about a Japanese man making whisky in the 19th century. Overall a lot of praises for the Japanese on how they pursue excellence. Amazing how fast attitudes change. Just a few decades back, Japanese goods and Made in Japan had the same cheap, low quality reputation as Made in China goods today. I even distinctly remembered the same "Japanese people as a culture don't care about quality" comments which is the same as some people nowadays complaining that Chinese people have "chabuduo"(just enough) attitudes. Or the same accusations of no creativity. Funny how drastically these "deep-rooted" cultural attitudes in Japanese people have changed. Or maybe its not the culture of Japan that has changed but the perceptions others have of it. I reckon the same is for China.
creamytaco 6y ago
The West is in decline and the US in particular is collapsing. Infrastructure is decaying to non-existent, the cultural output is absolute garbage, widespread poverty, political corruption, drug addiction, societal and racial tensions that are on the brink of a major cascade and an ideology of defeat.
- viraptor 6y ago
  That's an interesting list following a comment about China. At least corruption, social and racial tensions apply there too - I have no information about the rest. (Also not sure what "cultural output" really is in this context)
  - ewindal 6y ago
    It’s pretty funny to point out racial tension in the US when discussing China, considering sinicization is clearly one of China’s overarching goals.
    - bilbyx 6y ago
      Your reply is pretty funny, considering the US has been forcing Americanization onto so many other countries through wars, inciting coups, and training terrorists to do their dirty deeds (this had backfired in the middle-east). Please get some education in history and you'll know who has been the aggressor here.
      - viraptor 6y ago
        Nobody here is saying it doesn't apply to the US as well. Just that it can't be contrasted with China.
        bilbyx 6y ago
        I agreed that it can't be contrasted with China. See http://www.worldfuturefund.org/Reports/Imperialism/usmurder.html http://www.worldfuturefund.org/Reports/Imperialism/usmurder..... If only US can focus on improving the welfare of its people, improving its infrastructures, funding new industries, subsidize education and health, instead of spending so much on futile wars overseas, it would not be in the situation it is in now. Sorry for going off-topic.
mark_l_watson 6y ago
I remember the feeling of traveling in Japan and China, with really nice infrastructure, then my wife and I flying home and landing in the shabby San Francisco Airport. We were in a great mood from our trip, but then getting home and looking at how run down things looked at home was so very disappointing. Most Americans don’t much travel abroad, don’t see how nice life can be in Europe, how beautiful and energetic the people are in Africa (but a lot of violence in some places), the calm energy and generally very good vibes in India, the vibrancy of Asia. I love my country but I also believe in having a realistic view of the world.

People should google some (night) videos from Chinese cities like Shanghai or Wuhan. You might be shocked by how they look like. I think few in the West realize how fast China is moving.

graeme 6y ago

Like this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ff29nDLBzaA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ff29nDLBzaA Looks like insomnia. China does move impressively fast, but what does this show? Everyone needs to sleep.

hjfigkfkrkr 6y ago
I was thinking more about drone video, you can see the scale better: https://youtu.be/4nrdHYL5eq8 https://youtu.be/4nrdHYL5eq8
- NicoJuicy 6y ago
  Fancy lights
- davidy123 6y ago
  This reminds me of the neon sign craze of the 50s. After the novelty wears off, it's garish. That neon was torn down in most places, thanks largely to better ideas around mixed use development where constant bright lights are a problem. People need places to feel part of society, and it's fun to visit, but living in a mall/amusement park/sports bar/Tron has negative health impacts with all the over stimulation. By now, high density, ecologically sensitive, mixed use cities that have a focus on overall quality of life, rather than dazzling, are more impressive. Chinese development can pull ahead there with a focus on transportation systems.
- graeme 6y ago
  The scale is certainly impressive! I’ve seem much better use of lights in Europe though. But your point may have been largely about scale in which case I agree. They’ve moved very fast n
_hao 6y ago
These light shows don't continue throughout the night.

johnnycerberus 6y ago

Are expensive office buildings and high end transportation an indicator of an innovative country? They can definitely act as infrastructure to support innovation but it remains to be seen.

hjfigkfkrkr 6y ago
They can build a Las Vegas in the time San Francisco can build a train station. Now imagine if they turned this focus to something else.
throwaway4good 6y ago
To be honest I find it amazing people are still questioning the growth of China and its capability of innovation. For all the years I have been following China, it has always been the same: China's economic numbers are exaggerated, just about to collapse, yeah sure they can make that gadget but can they make this gadget? Why is that? I think it says more about us in the west.
- toyg 6y ago
  The arguments are exactly the same as we had in Europe during the rise of the US. "They can only copy! They have no taste! They're all fraudsters! They're slavedrivers!" etc etc. This said, we won't have a real tipping point until China can rival Hollywood for quality and quantity of cultural output, and their language makes that quite difficult. This is one of the reasons the USSR never "won" even at the time when it was arguably more powerful and efficient than the US.
  - throwaway4good 6y ago
    Look up top grossing movies globally for 2020. Granted it is a special year.
  - jimmydef 6y ago
    Nowadays I hear a lot of people commenting about how excellent the quality of Japanese products are. How they have a "craftsmanship" culture where a master will spend his whole life perfecting a craft, etc. Recently read a reddit thread about a Japanese man making whisky in the 19th century. Overall a lot of praises for the Japanese on how they pursue excellence. Amazing how fast attitudes change. Just a few decades back, Japanese goods and Made in Japan had the same cheap, low quality reputation as Made in China goods today. I even distinctly remembered the same "Japanese people as a culture don't care about quality" comments which is the same as some people nowadays complaining that Chinese people have "chabuduo"(just enough) attitudes. Or the same accusations of no creativity. Funny how drastically these "deep-rooted" cultural attitudes in Japanese people have changed. Or maybe its not the culture of Japan that has changed but the perceptions others have of it. I reckon the same is for China.

creamytaco 6y ago

The West is in decline and the US in particular is collapsing. Infrastructure is decaying to non-existent, the cultural output is absolute garbage, widespread poverty, political corruption, drug addiction, societal and racial tensions that are on the brink of a major cascade and an ideology of defeat.

viraptor 6y ago
That's an interesting list following a comment about China. At least corruption, social and racial tensions apply there too - I have no information about the rest. (Also not sure what "cultural output" really is in this context)
- ewindal 6y ago
  It’s pretty funny to point out racial tension in the US when discussing China, considering sinicization is clearly one of China’s overarching goals.
  - bilbyx 6y ago
    Your reply is pretty funny, considering the US has been forcing Americanization onto so many other countries through wars, inciting coups, and training terrorists to do their dirty deeds (this had backfired in the middle-east). Please get some education in history and you'll know who has been the aggressor here.
    - viraptor 6y ago
      Nobody here is saying it doesn't apply to the US as well. Just that it can't be contrasted with China.
      - bilbyx 6y ago
        I agreed that it can't be contrasted with China. See http://www.worldfuturefund.org/Reports/Imperialism/usmurder.html http://www.worldfuturefund.org/Reports/Imperialism/usmurder..... If only US can focus on improving the welfare of its people, improving its infrastructures, funding new industries, subsidize education and health, instead of spending so much on futile wars overseas, it would not be in the situation it is in now. Sorry for going off-topic.

mark_l_watson 6y ago

I remember the feeling of traveling in Japan and China, with really nice infrastructure, then my wife and I flying home and landing in the shabby San Francisco Airport. We were in a great mood from our trip, but then getting home and looking at how run down things looked at home was so very disappointing. Most Americans don’t much travel abroad, don’t see how nice life can be in Europe, how beautiful and energetic the people are in Africa (but a lot of violence in some places), the calm energy and generally very good vibes in India, the vibrancy of Asia. I love my country but I also believe in having a realistic view of the world.