The past week I was in China and I had some opportunity to visit a local market.
A barber shop at a street corner. I asked a co-worker to get a haircut together but he refused.
Fruit stands selling lychee in drive-through style. Man-powered taxis passing by each other.
Construction cranes at the outskirts of the ever-expanding cities.
I have been interested to learn about the different perspectives of the media between the East and the West. The West has been unrelenting in pointing out the flaws and shortcoming of China, which is growing at an incredible rate. There has been a lot of public attention toward sub-standard products, the pollution to the environment, and the human rights issues.
On the other hand, the people in China seem indifferent to government policies or actions as long as it brings about continual prosperity. There is also a hope that the upcoming Olympic will fix many things and China will be able to demonstrate its powers to the world.
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With the large population, it is perhaps necessary for the government to exercise higher control to regulate the flow of the people. This control extends over to the tightly controlled media channels and internet censorship. The news networks and propaganda are filled with motivating idioms, stories, and statistics regarding increased levels of production at all levels.
No doubt the government has been putting a lot of resources into improving the infrastructure and road networks. One advantage is that China has access to technologies and experiences learned from developed countries. However, corruption and cutting corners are big concerns for the safety and reliability of these buildings. Time will tell.
Comments 3
I remember when I Was in china, I also felt that people were hoping the olympics would take care of things– and in a sense, with the spotlike being on China and with all the foreign attention it brings, maybe it will eventually make China better.
I think your style of black and white street shots have influenced me to take soem black and white pictures. haha.. before, I rarely grayscaled my pics.
I really really like that last train station picture– looks like something out of a movie.
that ad for adidas with the chinese volleyball team is so huge…it’s larger than life! i think i’m always joking about the shoddiness of chinese products…and i remember one prof telling me that in a short time, China would be eclipsing us in their development.
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