The before pictures look like shit. In comparison the other looks much better. The amenities, and views seems much better, and the added greens gives the cities a better look. I would argue a bit more green should be added as they add more shade to the population especially during the summer months. Also some of the older cities just look they are crumbling similarly like the South Bronx in the early 80s. So the newer version of the cities just seem like massive improvement
That’s a fair take, for sure. I think it also comes down to personal preference—some people would love to live in a rural area, and others thrive in a city.
That said, there are also exceptions in my statement, which is why I said “aspects” of the before pics. In some of the before pics you can also see plenty of failing infrastructure. I don’t prefer that part. I don’t prefer anything that means lower quality of life for the citizens. And I think that is where we’ll see some divergence of opinions and speculation. I would be prone to say that to an extent, more advanced tech or nicer-looking buildings does not automatically equal better overall quality of life. Things look objectively better infrastructure-wise, but there are things missing as well as an over-presence of certain others (flashy lights, the aesthetic) that I find concerning. And I am admitting that yes, I don’t know—but none of us know how much of this improvement improves the lives of the citizens vs how much of it is meant to improve the world’s image of China. And I’d wager that others would disagree. And I like to talk about it and hear other opinions, as we all should, because they’re important. Unless an echo chamber is actually what one desires. If you have more thoughts I’d love to hear them.
I think it's easier to tell. We have videos done by tourist walking those cities. Million of videos of these types that it becomes difficult to argue it's propaganda to sanitize China when the infrastructure improvement do seem to have helped the citizens. Personally I prefer cities over rural but I was born in, grew up, and live in a big city so I have a bias.
Thanks for another thoughtful and civil comment. Comments like yours allow for constructive discussions. I’m glad to hear your take.
I enjoy watching videos like those but I’m also wary and take them with a grain of salt, because I’ve seen various videos like that done on the US where I am balking at the content and having a mini crisis about my ability to see reality clearly—because what I’m seeing in the videos so strongly does not reflect my experience as a citizen. So even with those types of videos, it is possible for them to be an inaccurate, or rather, an incomplete, portrayal. And as someone who used to try to create some content, it’s quite possible for a bias held by the creator to go largely unnoticed despite its presence.
That said, they can also be accurate. And I have no reason not to give you the benefit of the doubt there, so I will.
In the US, I believe that the citizens have undergone such psychological manipulation for so long that I would believe that there would be enough people even today who could make videos such as the ones you mentioned, that show that things are actually “fine” or “not as bad as everyone thinks” because the creators actually believe that. However like I said, I don’t know enough about China to make any assertions on whether or not that is the case there. What are your thoughts on the government in China? Do you feel positively, negatively, neutral?
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u/SectorEducational460 4d ago edited 4d ago
The before pictures look like shit. In comparison the other looks much better. The amenities, and views seems much better, and the added greens gives the cities a better look. I would argue a bit more green should be added as they add more shade to the population especially during the summer months. Also some of the older cities just look they are crumbling similarly like the South Bronx in the early 80s. So the newer version of the cities just seem like massive improvement