i am really turned off by the notion of visiting X or Y city nowadays for this exact reason. apart from the very few unique, local cultural experiences to be had (in a handful of cities), it's the same thing again and again. the skylines look cool in tiktok propaganda shorts, walking among them opens a void in one's chest.
Soon after China opened, the overwhelming emotion was shame. Areas of China were closed because the Chinese were embarrassed.
I was accosted by uniformed police, once for “disorderly photography” in Hanzhong, Shaanxi and once for paying too much for a small melon in Goat Home Mountain.
I paid the vendor a few cents for a melon. I didn’t haggle. Word spread how I had such wealth, I paid an exorbitant price without haggling. The police, driving a Beijing Jeep, stopped me from entering the outdoor market the next day. I was permanently barred from shopping there.
In Shanghai an early hotel was the Sheraton Hua Ting. City officials wanted ornate and fancy. Crowds gathered outside behind police cordons to watch, mouths agape, as elevators ascended outdoor walls.
At the request of city officials, the hotel installed so many indoor waterfalls that people had to shout to be heard. The waterfalls were soon removed
I would apply the same analysis I used to look at Chinese cities; history, political economy, geography; the role of interstate highway Act, mass suburbanization, standardized real estate models, and zoning codes that mandate minimum parking requirements, automobility, etc...
That was really interesting! Live a deep dive into a topic. We all used to laugh wondering China got all those little white tiles… must have been a truly massive tile making factory somewhere! Never did find it. 😄 Not true so much now… Shenzhen in particular is doing some visually interesting things. 🙏
It would be useful to review “Seeing Like a State” by James Scott for insights. The centralized state wants legibility, which demands rationalization and same-ness. It is the unavoidable outcome of a system that demands control.
i am really turned off by the notion of visiting X or Y city nowadays for this exact reason. apart from the very few unique, local cultural experiences to be had (in a handful of cities), it's the same thing again and again. the skylines look cool in tiktok propaganda shorts, walking among them opens a void in one's chest.
You see Chinese respond to their history.
Soon after China opened, the overwhelming emotion was shame. Areas of China were closed because the Chinese were embarrassed.
I was accosted by uniformed police, once for “disorderly photography” in Hanzhong, Shaanxi and once for paying too much for a small melon in Goat Home Mountain.
I paid the vendor a few cents for a melon. I didn’t haggle. Word spread how I had such wealth, I paid an exorbitant price without haggling. The police, driving a Beijing Jeep, stopped me from entering the outdoor market the next day. I was permanently barred from shopping there.
In Shanghai an early hotel was the Sheraton Hua Ting. City officials wanted ornate and fancy. Crowds gathered outside behind police cordons to watch, mouths agape, as elevators ascended outdoor walls.
At the request of city officials, the hotel installed so many indoor waterfalls that people had to shout to be heard. The waterfalls were soon removed
Why do American cities, especially American suburbs, all look the same?
I would apply the same analysis I used to look at Chinese cities; history, political economy, geography; the role of interstate highway Act, mass suburbanization, standardized real estate models, and zoning codes that mandate minimum parking requirements, automobility, etc...
That was really interesting! Live a deep dive into a topic. We all used to laugh wondering China got all those little white tiles… must have been a truly massive tile making factory somewhere! Never did find it. 😄 Not true so much now… Shenzhen in particular is doing some visually interesting things. 🙏
It would be useful to review “Seeing Like a State” by James Scott for insights. The centralized state wants legibility, which demands rationalization and same-ness. It is the unavoidable outcome of a system that demands control.
It’s called by-laws