Guangzhou, I'm Starting to Hate You (and Here's Why You Might Too)
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Well, dear friends, listen to me, a true native of Guangzhou, chat for a bit!
I've grown up in Guangzhou all my life, but frankly speaking, recently, I feel that the city is quite chaotic compared to what I remember.
- Guangzhou is known as one of China's key "Tier-1 Cities" - approximately synonymous with hyper-developed economies and cosmopolitan mega-cities.
- However, take a wild guess – when I look at the streets or traffic conditions lately, they don't seem as clean or fluid as fellow cities like Nanning and Liuzhou in neighboring Guangxi province. (For international friends, let me explain: Guangxi is the province next to Guangdong where Guangzhou resides, and Nanning and Liuzhou its major cities. In theory, Guangzhou, being so advanced, should be more organized.)
I'm rather puzzled; perhaps it's the city management departments that are short-handed recently? It feels like our city governance has had some setbacks.
So, if you are thinking about coming to visit Guangzhou:
- Traffic may be somewhat congested (Traffic Alert):
- Especially during rush hours or should you wish to explore popular attractions, checking real-time traffic updates prior would be wise. Allocating additional time is crucial.
- What can be done? Taking the metro, usually, could be the better option because it’s often less tiring than experiencing heavy road congestion on the surface.
- The cityscape may not be up to scratch (City Appearance Heads-Up):
- Some areas might not be as clean and tidy as you envisaged. For instance, the streets may have clutter and they seem to lack neatness.
- Don’t get too surprised! Remember, Guangzhou is an enormous city with ongoing construction and urban development adjustments, resulting in varying conditions.
Ultimately, there’s still much fun and delicious food awaiting you in Guangzhou, despite the recent challenges of its cityscape and traffic woes. We sure hope everything gets back on track soon!
#Guangzhou #ElectricVehiclesInGuangzhou #GuangzhouRestaurants #GuangzhouTravel
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Having graduated from Sun Yat-sen University and lived in Guangzhou for 10 years, I never expected that out of a group of over 30 of my former classmates, only 3 are still in Guangzhou. Even some Guangzhou locals have left, with most of them heading to Shenzhen. The city is becoming increasingly chaotic, with fewer and fewer job opportunities. Some Guangzhou residents have been constantly telling outsiders to 'get lost' from their city, and now it seems their wish is coming true. But if all the talent 'gets lost,' leaving only low-end jobs and an influx of low-skilled workers, can it still be considered a first-tier city?
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What do you mean, 'as they wished'? Guangzhou still has the highest net inflow of migrants in the entire country, you know...
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The mayor isn't even a local. How can you expect him to truly love Guangzhou? No way.
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That's a political regulation. High-ranking officials in a region usually can't be natives of that place. Otherwise, it would be easier for a hereditary system to develop.
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As a Guangzhou local myself, I agree. Too many so-called 'low-skilled' people have moved into Guangzhou... It's become a chaotic mess.
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It's a bunch of toxic, uncultured so-called 'low-end talent.' Nightclubs, saunas, massage parlors, and foot bath places are everywhere, along with a ton of fraudulent financial companies.
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As someone from Guangzhou who visited Shenzhen these past two days – wow, it's incredibly 'cutthroat' over there. For instance, my hotel had robot delivery, but the delivery guy still called, costing him extra, just to tell me he'd left the food with the robot at the front desk. At the subway security check, they proactively offered a basket and even said 'thank you' when checking my water bottle. All my frustrations as a worker just vanished. I don't really feel like going back to Guangzhou now.
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Oh really? Where do delivery people just leave food with a robot without calling first?
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Can't we just ban those electric scooters (e-bikes) already?!
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They banned motorcycles in the past, so why not ban these e-bikes too? I don't get it.
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To be honest, e-bikes are really convenient! But look at Liuzhou – the entire city is practically full of e-bikes, yet they manage them extremely well! Why can't Guangzhou learn from them? Is it an economic issue? A policy issue? Or a population issue?
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Nanning is also a major city for e-bikes, and they manage them very well there too.
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I'm temporarily living in Shenzhen and sometimes travel to Guangzhou for exams. I don't know why, but every time I go, I feel 'unlucky' – the chaotic traffic, the crowded and somewhat run-down subway, and Cantonese being spoken everywhere. I just feel like I can't fit in and can't understand much. Oh well, forget it.
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Is that so?
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All this talk of 'driving out the so-called low-end population'... it truly makes you feel the dehumanization of people.
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Actually, I kind of feel the same way...
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My biggest impression visiting Guangzhou from Nanning is that in such a big city where every inch of land is precious, the roads are narrow, there are no dedicated lanes for non-motorized vehicles, taxis are expensive, and journeys take a long time. Also, compared to Nanning, there are actually far fewer e-bikes on the roads here.