To Know a City
- Anna Duan
- Aug 20, 2016
- 2 min read
Dear Reader,
How well do you know Shenzhen?
Before answering that, consider what it means to know a city. Does it imply a fondness for local foods, or skillful navigation of the streets? Perhaps it requires a deep understanding of the politics, history, and current international standing of the city.
If you ask me, I would say that there are three levels of familiarity with a city, or any place in general.
Starting at level one, someone living in Shenzhen for example, might be able to talk about the dank, rancid smell of the bay or the traveling coconut vendors in summertime. They might be familiar with where to get the cheapest stationary, and may occasionally be able to bargain their way to a better deal. They have authentic knowledge about Shenzhen, with the know-how possessed only by someone who’s lived here. However, their understanding of Shenzhen is still at the skin level; limited to experiences directly involving the 5 senses.
Advancing a step, the next level of acquaintance with Shenzhen involves knowledge of Shenzhen as a city. Here, a person could have a decent understanding of the tech-savvy and skyscraper filled aspects of Shenzhen. Said person may be able to tell the story of how a fishing village in 1979 became the world’s number one electronics producer in thirty years, or of how Deng Xiaoping’s 1979 economic reform paved the way for the spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation that characterizes the city today. At this level, one’s knowledge of the city goes beyond the basics, delving into the flesh of this city. This is the level that most of Shenzhen’s inhabitants are at:familiar with the modern history of Shenzhen and believing that there’s not much more to Shenzhen than that. (see below: actual post on question-answer site, Quora)
The truth is, Shenzhen does have culture. In all the commotion about Shenzhen’s past thirty years, we have neglected the thousands of years that came before. Indeed, our booming metropolis quietly boasts several millennia’s worth of folk-art, literature, drama and customs. What we have long believed to be a cold, emotionless tech-machine is in fact the vibrant cultural hub of south China; the culmination of over a thousand years as a major trading port.
How well do you really know your city?
