Quick, witty banter. Words flying back and forth. Burns. Quips. Torts and retorts. Putdowns and comeuppances. You might just think that people could talk that way in real life but no! It was just the script of His Girl Friday.
Jan Chipchase recently got back from five weeks of traveling in western China, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan. He compiled an interesting list of technology and culture observations:
6. A truly great border crossing will hold a mirror up to your soul.
13. After fifteen years of professionally decoding human behaviour, I’m still surprised by the universality of body language.
18. China is still arguably the lowest-trust consumer society in the world. If a product can be faked it will be. Out of necessity, they also have the most savvy consumers in the world.
38. Tibetan monks prefer iOS over Android.
45. The sooner western companies own up to copying WeChat, the sooner we can get on with acknowledging a significant shift in the global creative center of gravity.
58. If you want to understand where a country is heading pick a 2nd or 3rd tier city and revisit it over many years. Chengdu remains my bellwether 2nd tier Chinese city. It’s inland, has a strong local identity and sub-cultures, and has room to grow. Bonus: its’ only a few hours from some of the best mountain ranges in the world.
Read the whole thing.
ArticlesChinaTajikistanKyrgyzstanObservationsTechnology