By BAILEY BAERWOLF, 7/27/2016. The other day Jordenn and I had the fortunate opportunity of meeting up with a fellow Parsons student in his home city of Hong Kong. He took us around some of his favorite spots to give us a taste of what China felt like across the border. Wow—leaving mainland was a huge wake-up call for us here in Shenzhen, and we learned a lot.
Hong Kong is what it might be like if someone were to put New York in a snow globe, shake up all of its buildings and streets, and then set it back down. There also might be a San Francisco hybrid somewhere in there, too, but I only say that because of Hong Kong’s intense topography and bayside vibe (something New York sort of has, but certainly doesn’t take advantage of in the way HK does).
During a late-lunch in one of the city’s most historic teahouses, we probed our friend on his thoughts of Shenzhen. He didn’t have much to say other than that the city was an afterthought—a pitstop on the way to Guangzhou where people have no sense of hygiene (and often use the street as their restroom). He then compared Hong Kong and Shenzhen to New York and Jersey City.
As soon as Jordenn and I returned to Shenzhen, we began to see things in a dramatic new light. As soon as we got off the train entering mainland China, cab drivers hungry for a hefty fare started yelling, “Guangzhou! Guangzhou! We take you to Guangzhou!” What about a taxi to get someplace in Shenzhen? Clearly not a popular choice.
Shenzhen is dirty and the urban villages are even dirtier, sometimes to the point of hazard. Hong Kong literally smells good. I think they perfume the Metro. Shenzhen makes me hold my breath at times. In fact, while walking through Shenzhen we have seen four different children being held in a squat position by their parents as they do their business in the street. Hong Kong has fences around the sidewalk that prevent people from merely crossing illegally, let alone defecating into the sewer drain. I could go on, but you likely get the point.
When I think of all of this, I can’t help but recall the first thought I had when hearing about how terrible our friend thought Shenzhen was: these are twenty million people you are dismissing. Each day in this city has only gotten more difficult, though. Its far less accommodating to foreigners, offers nearly no menu to an easy-going vegetarian (Jordenn) or just someone picky about their meat (me), and has hardly any sense of culture, music, art, etc. besides the OCT Loft—an isolated community of creatives.
As unique of a case study for on-demand urban growth as Shenzhen has been, it’s still sort of sleepy. To revise our friend’s analogy: if Hong Kong were Manhattan, Shenzhen might be Staten Island (a fitting comparison when considering that, I, a Manhattanite, have only taken the ferry over to the outer-borough just to jump right back on as a cheap way to see the New York harbor—similar to how our friend says that Shenzhen is a pit-stop on the way to Guangzhou).
With all this being said, Jordenn and I are glad to have witnessed the phenomenon that is Shenzhen, but are much more excited to explore what the rest of mainland China has to offer. Our next destination is Shanghai, where we will experience China’s most historical example of capitalist urbanization and attempt to achieve a small understanding of what daily life is like for its inhabitants, in comparison to Shenzhen and Hong Kong.
The other day Jordenn and I saw a shanzhai version of a Dippin’ Dot’s stand. Remember that fun beaded form that ice cream took on for a few years in the early 2000’s, when the short-lived brand claimed they were the future of frozen dairy treats? I haven’t seen them since childhood, but in Shenzhen they were still being sold (under a different name, of course). I voiced to Jordenn how interesting it was that Dippin’ Dots had such confidence that they were the future, but then basically went out of business just a few short years later.
When returning to Shenzhen from Hong Kong, we walked through the Metro and I couldn’t help but wonder if this was it for Shenzhen. Is this its golden era? Is it only downhill from here, contrary to its reputation for unprecedented growth? I thought out loud to Jordenn for a moment before he replied, “Maybe the city will be like Dippin’ Dots…maybe in a few years it’ll just fizzle out.” There’s really no telling what will happen, but even if the world isn’t watching, we sure will be.
Onward.
