The New York Post published a piece about how China is publicly putting on a show of being defiant of the United States and the tariffs hikes imposed by President Trump, while privately negotiating for concessions. But the article begins by noting a very Orwellian practice of propagandizing hate:
In a move harking back to the Cultural Revolution, Chinese schoolchildren are again being taught to hate the US. Class time is devoted to shouting anti-American slogans like “China must win the China-US trade war!”
China’s foreign ministry even released a video claiming that China “won’t kneel down” to the US, warning that bowing to US hegemony would be like drinking poison. At the BRICS meeting in Rio this week, Foreign Minister Wang Yi talked tough as well: “Silence or retreat will only embolden bullies.”
But for what type of life are the Chinese supposed to be fighting and struggling? The Daily Mail has an article today about life in the Chinese city of Chongqing, a major technology hub in the southwest of the country which, per the article, "boasts a population of 32 million and covers an area the size of Austria."
Chongqing emerged as a major hub for laptop manufacturing after computer hardware company HP set up its production base there in 2009.
Other information companies have since followed suit, with firms like Foxconn, Quanta Computer, Lenovo and Asus, setting up successful operations in the Chinese megacity.
Despite Chongqing's technical boom bringing in jobs for the city's inhabitants, locals have offered a grim insight into what its like working in China's 'cyberpunk city'.
Scores of content creators have offered glimpses into their mundane lives working in factories, where they produce laptops and mobile phones, among other gadgets.
The article describes the drudgery of the typical factory worker working a 12-hour shift. (The article doesn't mention this, but it is 12-hours per day for 6 days per week). Living in dorms that sink below street level so some areas never have daylight. The city is one of the most heavily surveilled in the world, with the article noting that "[e]arlier this year, authorities installed 27,900 surveillance cameras and 245 sensors as part of a comprehensive 'grid' surveillance plan to keep tabs on its residents, according to Radio Free Asia."
And if setting up facial recognition systems wasn't enough for the Chinese government to keep tabs on Chongqing's population, the city has also introduced the use of inspection robots.
The bots are used in Chongqing's factories to independently patrol the premises, inspect key equipment and notify staff of any issues.
A video circulating on TikTok shows white inspection robots whizzing through a railway power station in Chongqing.
While the city enjoys a fleet of robot taxis, I have to wonder if that just makes it easier to track people's movements. And a communist country would not be complete without horrible pollution problems:
The city's rapid industrialisation has also meant that Chongqing has become known as one of the world's most polluted cities.
At the time of writing, Chongqing has an Air Quality Index of 89 - making it the most polluted city in the world currently.
While it is important to note that AQI's fluctuate, a national environmental analysis report released by Tsinghua University and the Asian Development Bank in 2013 revealed that Chongqing was among the top 10 most polluted cities worldwide.
Apparently life is so bad in China, that even the robots are beginning to revolt: "Chilling moment humanoid robot wakes up and starts attacking its handlers while trying to break free from restraints." Probably some staged stunt, but robots sometimes do odd things, like the robot vehicles that drive around parking lots honking at one another.
Of course, it is not a true dystopia without some sense of despondence. And China seems to have plenty of that, from the lying down movement to more updated versions such as the "rat people" described in the latest China Uncovered video below:
VIDEO: "This is Why China Will Lose the Trade War"
China Uncensored (11 min.)
I think it already has lost the trade war. But at least the Chinese government isn't importing millions of foreigners.
ReplyDeleteNope. In fact, they have been working steadily to get rid of anyone that isn't Han Chinese.
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