Chinese Technology

I have decided that from now on I'm taking my camera with me everywhere. I don't know what I've been thinking to this point. It's really the only way to get the great shots. Friday I was in a cab heading to the Goodyear plant, when I saw a guy on a tri-cycle that had a storage area on the back. It was loaded at least 10 feet in the air with cardboard on it. It looked like one of those crazy emails you see.

I walked to the grocery store today. There is a building under construction right next to my hotel. When I walked by I saw everyone staring up....so I looked up. There was a construction crane raising this giant piece of steel. Right over traffic. It was only about 40 feet above traffic. There were no safety cables attached to it.....Just amazing! No OSHA here!

I made it through the grocery store today! That was huge! I'm getting better and better at finding my way around. I know how to say enough words to usually get what I need. In the grocery store there was a HUGE seafood section. Everything is still alive, it's kind of like going to an Aquarium. You can walk around and see Turtles, Eels, Fish, Clams, weird things that live on the ocean floor, and an assortment of things I have no idea where they come from. All these things are alive and squirming around. I especially felt bad for some fish. They were just put in a tub with barely enough water to cover their gills....they have to know the end is coming! I walked around the seafood section for probably 20 minutes....just looking at the animals. It's a free zoo!

They also had some kind of little creature that was very expensive. They were kept in locked little aquariums and cost 1600RMB. That's over 230 bucks American. I don't know how many you get for that price, but I guarantee no one in America is looking to pay for these things! They were each maybe 3-4 inches long. Weird.

The last couple of days I've noticed more and more, how China somewhat limits their use of technology. There are so many people here, that they limit technology to create more jobs for people.

Every morning I pass some kind of roadside project. I think they are going to widen the highway. They first are digging out a hill along the highway. They have a Shovel, Scoop, Truck, thingy...but they only use that to loosen the dirt. They have 10 guys with shovels that shovel out all the dirt. Really weird, it's like that all over. They use some of the technology, but will use 10 guys to do the job of one machine...so that everyone can make a living. I think people are the number one resource in China.

They also burn coal in their apartments for heat. There is a HUGE area of coal, next to a bunch of apartment buildings. I asked Jerry what the coal was for, he said everyday the people come to the pile and take their daily allotment.

In China you can be driving on a very modern street, then you take a left, and you are in an area that you and I would call a slum. It's strange like that. Every corner has it's own surprise waiting around the bend.

So with my new policy of carrying the camera! I will have many more pictures to post!