2024-11 - Shenzhen, China meetings
Shenzhen Marriott Nanshan
CHINA, PART 1:
You know the concept of “dog years”? Where one year of a dog’s life is like seven years of ours? China changes at a similar pace. Not just construction, but culturally! Like values change from one generation to the next, those changes can happen here in only a few years.
Fourteen years ago, when I lived in Singapore, it was a common complaint that the Chinese were loud, rude, and pushy. Over the last ten years, it seems this generation has become refined and considerate - not feeling a need to push and shout. Now I heard Chinese locals gently observing that foreigners seem loud, rude, and pushy. (This could be micro-regional since I’ve been in center-city places of abundance.)
The last few years here have been financially hard, with a real estate crash wiping out many people’s life savings, and unemployment currently very high. But everyone said it didn’t feel like a dilemma or disaster. There’s no fear of big change or war. The government is running things pretty well. Life carries on, improving.
SHENZHEN:
Shenzhen has the best infrastructure in the whole world. Beautiful pristine roads, bike lanes, parks, trains, running trails and walking paths. It’s so efficient, so comfortable, and half the price of next-door-neighbor Hong Kong. Life is easy here. Absolutely amazing quality of life.
Culturally, Shenzhen is all about 搞钱 = gǎo qián = making money. People come here to focused on making money above all else except family. Everyone, including locals who grew up here, agrees on this. Because of this, there is almost nothing of cultural interest.
This had an interesting effect on me. Since nothing entertaining is distracting, and everything is so easy and efficient, it had me asking, “Now what?” And my answer was to work! This could be a great place to start a business, when you really just want to throw yourself completely into your work. (And right here with the smartest minds in China, currently-high unemployment, and the best manufacturing in the world.)
Next I fly to Chengdu to compare the difference.
click a name for notes:
Jason Woodard- Singapore, Shenzhen, startups, the current economic downturn here
Joseph Chan- Shenzhen, blogging, parents, risk-taking, Dali
Owen Young- note-taking, blogging, translation, luck
Tina Hsu- being weird and international, accents, Dali, AI, sweets
Camellia Yang- nomad, parents, Balaji, Chinese manners and motivations
Luis Rosende- Chinese sweet manners, Spain, Swiss watches, Hong Kong
Jenxi Seow- Shenzhen, AI, photography, traditions, wuxia novels, baby
Keya Luó- generations, memoir, France
Jingzhou Chen- Guangzhou, school, Cantonese, languages, 'this is a test'
Luo Rongxin- philosophy, marriage, thinking, feeling, debugging
Dhruv Sehgal- Thailand, travel, teaching
Soroush Torkian-Valashani- China, culture
Ali Abdaal- Hong Kong, parenting, fame, writing
Chris Barclay- hospitality, clubs, embracing all sides, Chinese characters