T plus 21 - Dunhuang
I'm still in a state of semi-shock.
So I rocked-up into Dunhuang at 7-ish in the evening, expecting to see a sleepy, dusty little town still clinging on to its Silk Road claim to fame. Not so. It was as if I was transported through a portal into an alternate universe. Dunhuang's streets are so clean that they could belong in Singapore. And the broad pavements, on even broader boulevards lined with leafy trees look like they've come straight out of San Diego's town planning textbook.
Forget the images we have of secondary Chinese cities - grey, uninspired architecture, broken roads, shockingly rude locals, unintelligible or missing street signs etc. It's like the powers that be in China woke up one day and said "I have a vision for Utopian China, and let's create this enchanted land in Dunhuang, in the middle of nowhere".
"In this land of rainbows and unicorns, we will have a giant statue of a Chinese princess strumming the mandolin in the centre of town; there will be children playing at every corner; people will dance on the streets; families walk around holding hands with perfectly groomed toy poodles in tow; pairs of fluffy camels will appear at random; stalls will be clustered by what they sell with their goods arranged in pristine rows; there will be free public toilets everywhere; vehicles will use their indicators not their horns; locals won't spit on the street and will offer strangers condiments at restaurants; there will be scores of tastefully appointed shops selling the latest electronics; everyone smiles and look like they've won the lottery; pretty girls ride around on trendy new scooters; the police ride around in little electric carts; and the roads are sprinkled with water every hour to keep dust clouds away."
Sounds like I'm high? I thought so too.
Which is why I have the following pictures as evidence! (So sorry about the quality. All taken with an iPhone 4s. I didn't even think to bring my camera out.)
Again, I remind everyone that this is Dunhuang. A little town in the Chinese desert with a population of 200,000. About 15% of the population of Penang, Malaysia.
Unbelievable.
I'm still in a state of semi-shock.
So I rocked-up into Dunhuang at 7-ish in the evening, expecting to see a sleepy, dusty little town still clinging on to its Silk Road claim to fame. Not so. It was as if I was transported through a portal into an alternate universe. Dunhuang's streets are so clean that they could belong in Singapore. And the broad pavements, on even broader boulevards lined with leafy trees look like they've come straight out of San Diego's town planning textbook.
Forget the images we have of secondary Chinese cities - grey, uninspired architecture, broken roads, shockingly rude locals, unintelligible or missing street signs etc. It's like the powers that be in China woke up one day and said "I have a vision for Utopian China, and let's create this enchanted land in Dunhuang, in the middle of nowhere".
"In this land of rainbows and unicorns, we will have a giant statue of a Chinese princess strumming the mandolin in the centre of town; there will be children playing at every corner; people will dance on the streets; families walk around holding hands with perfectly groomed toy poodles in tow; pairs of fluffy camels will appear at random; stalls will be clustered by what they sell with their goods arranged in pristine rows; there will be free public toilets everywhere; vehicles will use their indicators not their horns; locals won't spit on the street and will offer strangers condiments at restaurants; there will be scores of tastefully appointed shops selling the latest electronics; everyone smiles and look like they've won the lottery; pretty girls ride around on trendy new scooters; the police ride around in little electric carts; and the roads are sprinkled with water every hour to keep dust clouds away."
Sounds like I'm high? I thought so too.
Which is why I have the following pictures as evidence! (So sorry about the quality. All taken with an iPhone 4s. I didn't even think to bring my camera out.)
Again, I remind everyone that this is Dunhuang. A little town in the Chinese desert with a population of 200,000. About 15% of the population of Penang, Malaysia.
Unbelievable.
Exhibit A: The statue of the princess playing the mandolin
Exhibit B: There are fluffy camels on the streets. And fluffier ones in the shop windows.
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Exhibit C: Police in electric carts and girls on pop-art scooters
Exhibit D: Spotless, wide streets with beautiful shops.
And trees with the lower half considerately painted a fluorescent white,
so people don't run into them at night.
And trees with the lower half considerately painted a fluorescent white,
so people don't run into them at night.
The Vanquisher of Street Trash stands guard. Why the fluorescent yellow stripe on their overalls? Because they're on duty even at 9.30pm!
Exhibit E: Even the market is spotless.
And the goods are arranged so neatly it could pass off as an auction at Christie's.
And the goods are arranged so neatly it could pass off as an auction at Christie's.
The chickens are fluffier and cleaner than in Harrods.
Exhibit F: Happy children playing in the park; and people dancing in the streets.
This wasn't the only group I saw. They're everywhere!
This wasn't the only group I saw. They're everywhere!
And most impressive of all...
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People pick up their doggie's doo-doo.
WTF. How is this China???