Having been in China specifically Shenzhen, I want to share my thoughts and hopefully break some stereotypes because it sure broke mine. I'll start by saying China is light years ahead of the US in many ways. First and foremost is how easy you order and pay for things. They use WeChat pay (would be similar to Apple pay) for EVERYTHING. No credit cards, and hardly any physical money is used. Every store, every cab, every toll booth, every parking garage, everything has a bar code you scan on your phone and a menu pops up for you to authorize. We walked into a Burger King to get a latte (yes) and there is a bar code on the wall. You scan it and the entire BK menu is pulled up on your phone and you order from that. No waiting in lines. The residents have lock boxes for incoming mail as well that have an electronic bar code. Scan that and the appropriate box auto opens so you can get your package. You drive up to a toll booth, scan the bar code from your car window and the gate automatically opens up after you pay. Very efficient without any hassle.
Also if you have a designated parking garage, when you drive up it reads your front license plate and auto opens which was cool.
The other thing that blew my mind was how clean the city was. Any parking garage is spotless, the floors shined. The city streets constantly patrolled and swept and there are no funky smells of urine and whatnot. No tagging, no one yelling profanities. Every morning the older retired crowd goes out and exercises together either by Tai Chi, fan dancing, or a variety of other things to keep moving. Certainly not an overweight problem here at all. China has also made a HUGE push to electric vehicles. Every taxi, bus, and every single one of those moped/scooters that pack the city are 100% electric. I did not see a single gas 2 wheel vehicle.
The driving in the city is the one downside because I think the lines that divide the lanes are purely fictional. People will cut you off without looking in a heartbeat. People do walk in the right lane a lot and those mopeds are everywhere splitting traffic from every direction. Still I did not see a single accident so it is more like organized chaos.
That's it for now. Did not mean to make a huge wall of text
Just wanted to share what I have learned on this amazing trip. I am also probably 20 lbs heavier in 1 week from all the good food.
Also if you have a designated parking garage, when you drive up it reads your front license plate and auto opens which was cool.
The other thing that blew my mind was how clean the city was. Any parking garage is spotless, the floors shined. The city streets constantly patrolled and swept and there are no funky smells of urine and whatnot. No tagging, no one yelling profanities. Every morning the older retired crowd goes out and exercises together either by Tai Chi, fan dancing, or a variety of other things to keep moving. Certainly not an overweight problem here at all. China has also made a HUGE push to electric vehicles. Every taxi, bus, and every single one of those moped/scooters that pack the city are 100% electric. I did not see a single gas 2 wheel vehicle.
The driving in the city is the one downside because I think the lines that divide the lanes are purely fictional. People will cut you off without looking in a heartbeat. People do walk in the right lane a lot and those mopeds are everywhere splitting traffic from every direction. Still I did not see a single accident so it is more like organized chaos.
That's it for now. Did not mean to make a huge wall of text
Just wanted to share what I have learned on this amazing trip. I am also probably 20 lbs heavier in 1 week from all the good food.
