Seeing how well-developed some parts of Guangzhou are was both impressive and sad. There’s no doubt that Guangzhou exceeded any prior expectations I had regarding how modern and well-organized things were going to be, but deep inside it was the other China I was more into – simple life, perhaps more authentic, with the beauty of how things were before the mass transformation.
Let’s start from the more modern Guangzhou. The riverside is an absolute pleasure to walkby.
I’m always jealous when I see a brand new and shiny underground like the one in Guangzhou (comparable to Hong Kong, Taipei and Kaohsiung).
And the big malls are, well, big malls.
Luckily, there are still other parts in Guangzhou which give you a completely different vibe. Many of these neighborhoods are slowly making way for the more modern alternatives.
You can only imagine the life inside.
A friend caught me in one of those beautiful simple spots that you just have to be in for you to fully appreciate…
Kind of makes you think, doesn’t it?
I’ve read an article(我就這樣認識了廣州) written by Lung Ying-tai(龍應台). The article was about that she was stolen by a thief when she went to Guangzhou. I also heard that many people said Guangzhou ‘s train station is not safe, because many people from inside proviences go there first and try to find jobs in Guangzhou. Some of them can’t find jobs successfully and then gather in the train station and sleep on the groud. Have you been to the train station? Is it a rumor or the true?
yijung – I came with the HK-Guangzhou train that goes to the eastern train station, which is smaller and slightly more organized (atleast so I’m told). I’ve heard some things about the central train station, but I suggest taking it all in perspective. In general I would say that Guangzhou seems to suffer less from those problems than most of the big cities I’ve seen in still-developing countries (Saigon, Bangkok, Bangalore etc.). I honestly can’t even recall seeing a homeless person anywhere, but I was in the more touristic places of town. I’d suggest asking a local about that. I… Read more »
Thanks Fili. Maybe you are right, I read that article in 2005, which means four years ago. Things must have been changed very fast in Guangzhou. I haven’t had a chance to visit Guangzhou, so all the information I get are from reading articles and news. From your pictures, it really did change my perception of Guangzhou. I wish I can go there in the future to see what happen there! I only remember two years ago, I visited Chicago. I felt very unsafe when I took subways. A strange murmured and kept looking at me. My friend suggested that… Read more »
yijung – Safer? I’m not a big expert on crime rates, but not all big cities in the US are of the same scale when it comes to crime problem. I think it’s quite rare to find the kind of secure feeling you get around Taipei/Kaohsiung anywhere in the US with the same number of residents. It’s more than crime, really, it’s also lacking social welfare and health system together with social inequality that creates a huge homeless problem and differences between rich neighborhoods and poor ones (the classic case being Harlem in northern Manhattan, for example).
Thanks for your analogy.