Back to the Present

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Like I said, I will be hopping back and forth between my experiences weeks ago and my experiences now, just until I get all caught up. So bear with me.

SHENZHEN:

When I think of a futuristic city, I think of Shenzhen. It obviously doesn't have flying cars or teleporters, but I don't know if any other city on Earth except maybe Dubai that can say it wasn't here 35 years ago. In 1979, the Chinese government proclaimed Shenzhen to be the first special economic zone. This means cheaper labor, an easier ability to export goods, and an exemption from the federal taxes. This allowed Shenzhen's meager fishing village to transform into a city of offically 11,000,000 but actually 20,000,000 million people.

Amidst the cities high-rises rests KK Tower, the 8th tallest in the world. High rise aparments litter the landscape. Since the construction never stops, the worlds 2nd tallest building is currently under construction. There are 5 subway systems that primarily serve in the inner disctricts, but there are currently more lines being built.

Unlike Beijing, the air in Shenzhen is decent. There are nights where I can see the stars, and there are days where I can pinpoint the sun. I live in the center of it all. There are technically 4 inner districts, and I live in Futian (the government district). There are apartments taller than any building in Eugene or Portland. There is a relatively reliable transportion network. Quite a change of pace from back home.

It took about a week to realize I was less than 1.5km from the HongKong border. There are no tall buildings on the other side of the border. The city of HongKong is actually farther away. I just hadn't noticed with all the tall buildings and the city happening around me.

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