ChinaEthnoExp. Part IV. Hangzhou, Gulangyu, Xiamen
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October 7–27, 2014
Common sense hasn’t yet prevailed in all areas in China. Almost all the buses have absolutely insane model numbers that are cast in plastic, painted chrome and stuck right on the outside of the body.
Hangzhou
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A Chinese city that differs from other Chinese cities in three ways. First of all, it has a pretty lake downtown.
Second, it has giant pedestrian traffic light pillars with text.
Third, it has the most unusual zebra crossings. The stripes start off with a distortion on the right to indicate which side pedestrians should keep to when crossing.
Gulangyu
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China has its own pleasant pedestrian city. There are no cars here because the city is located on an island. And its pleasantness comes from the fact that the city was administered by Europeans for many years.
There are many places cars wouldn’t fit through even if they did exist here.
So people have to lug everything themselves.
An automated library and a drinking water deliveryman.
Dumpsters.
Street sweepers.
The city is completely touristy, of course.
It’s also known as a place with lots of pianos. That’s why there’s a piano museum here. The museum is quite interesting; it broadened my knowledge of the kinds of pianos that exist. For instance, corner pianos.
Or vertical ones.
Xiamen, a large city, is located a short ferry ride away.
Xiamen
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The city of Xiamen has a shopping mall called Mingfa.
With caryatids along the facade.
And an entire pirate ship outside.
The mall has fashion stores.
Dog grooming salons.
Trendy eateries.
In keeping with Chinese tradition, the manager lines up all the cooks and waiters on the shift to keep them in line.
There’s a shooting range here.
Some lady is doing cross-stitch embroidery.
There’s an Apple store.
At the same time, there’s also total decay!
Half the mall is abandoned, dilapidated and rotting away.
Some of the retail spaces resemble slums.
The neighborhood’s poor lighting really contributes to the atmosphere.
Have YOU bought the iPhone 6?
Half-naked dudes are making instant noodles.
The lower level features Venetian-style canals. There’s trash floating in the water; the surrounding storefronts are empty.
The roof is leaking.
People ride motorcycles inside the building.
It feels as though you’re in a musty underground walkway. But this is the third floor.
Air conditioners hang in the hallways, right next to bicycle and clothing racks.
A chick sitting in a bin full of clothes, reading her text messages. She couldn’t care less about the customers.
The next store over sells very expensive pianos.
You can sleep, sit, read, smoke, stand or lie down in the hallways—no one cares.
The escalators connecting the floors haven’t been turned on once in about five years.
You can ride a moped around the top floor.
A Ferris wheel towers over the mall. It’s old, rusty and crooked. With filth and non-functioning escalators down below.
No one cares about anything in the worst shopping mall in the world.
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