Urumqi Archives
China's Crackdown Trade-offs: Communications vs Entertainment
Aug 28, 2009
A young Urumqi girl checks out a poster of rioters caught after the riot between the Uighur and Han Chinese population where 146+ people died (above) and market goers in Kashi and Tashkurgan do likewise (below). In such a highly charged environment they'll likely be receiving a death sentence.
Given the recent tragic events what was the atmosphere like? The troop presence on the streets of Urumqi were relatively low compared to both Lhasa and Kashi - the latter having a constant stream of 3 trucks convoys bristling with soldiers, rifles facing onto the streets circling the city. If you want a sense of post-net-apocalypse life Xinjiang province is a good place to start - the government has cut off all internet access, including phone data services. As much as I'd like to argue that the biggest disruption the shutdown is to challenge/re-enforce people's political/economic/ethnic assumptions, one could argue that the people most put out on a day to day level by a lack of connectivity are those who use the internet cafes for online FPS gaming and downloading/streaming free content. The corner of the grid that is Xinjiang Province is currently a deep shade of dark.
What happens when a government wants to suppress the use of communication tools to formulate dissent, when those same tools are for (many, younger, relatively-likely-to-dissent males) a primary form of entertainment? How do these young males then fill their time?
Spent ten days between field studies in China and Malaysia/Indonesia on the road in Xinjiang Province with the partially unfulfilled aim of taking the China-Pakistan highway all the way up to the Pakistan border - was eventually turned back around 75km from the border - the road shut for foreigners due to the troubles. A road less travelled.
Bed Warming Norms
Dec 09, 2008
Which country would you expect to find a high tech solution to heating toes?
Traditional Japanese hot water bottle above, and electronic variants from Urumqi, China below.
Gear Stick Norms
Sep 05, 2008
Motivations for customising/personalising gear sticks: on a tour bus in Jeju, South Korea (above); during a bitterly cold winter soujorn into Urumqi, China and on the road into Kabul Afghanistan - although the truck & trucker were Pakistani.
The driver of the latter vehicle was a bit of a gent - woken up by my translator - he allowed us to clamber all over his rig. Interior shots another day.
Balance
Dec 21, 2007
Display Norms
Dec 20, 2007
Urumqi is China’s western-most trading post - the city being dotted with thousands of small shops making the most of limited display space to push as many products to their central Asian visitors as is possible. A typical example above.
Departing through Urumqi's Diwopu had more in common with a new year department store scrum than an airport. Waiting in line turn down several cash offers to sell my check-in luggage allowance to fellow passengers who have exhausted theirs. Pretty much everyone on a buying trip. And, no madam you can’t check that 52 inch flat screen.
Thought for today - the tools to create after-markets for buying and selling (luggage) allowances. And the did-you-pack-your-own-luggage legality and other risks associated with making such a trade. And the likelihood that this will act as a barrier to the creation of such markets.
Tempting Punters
Dec 19, 2007
Bow thoughtfully tied around deep fried whole sheep in the southern (Uighur) part of Urumqi.
Cup Storage
Dec 17, 2007
The physical properties of the cup and container to support drying, stacking and storing, from a restaurant in Urumqi.
A (Mobile Phone) Lens Protracted
Dec 17, 2007
Mobile phone with lens accessory, spotted on Urumqi's Zhongshan Dong Lu. Yes, a little detour in western China. And yes, its a tad cold.
With exception of headphones and headsets accessories that merely enhance the experience will not be carried over time - and are highly likely to end up forgotten in a drawer or bag. For technically minded (but not necessarily technically literate) consumers clamoring for a decent camera phone a separate lens may be a factor during the purchase process. But as this short essay on Mobile TV details, most accessories of this nature fail after the initial new-toy buzz has worn off.
This particular example is doubly problematic because it is difficult to carry the phone in a pocket or bag with the lens attached, and in the few contexts where a lens might feasibly be useful it's doubtful whether the user would bother.
Lesson for today? Don't confuse intent to use (carrying) with use. For background research see Mobile Essential, Field Study and Concepting (0.4MB) and related posts on carrying behaviours here.
Transaction Signatures
Dec 17, 2007
One of the cultural quirks of shoppin' large in Uzbekistan is the physical volume of cash required to complete a transaction. In a country with limited credit and debit card penetration it can take a couple of minutes to reel off the notes in a upscale restaurant, buying a flight means carrying a bag full of cash. The value of 20,000 Uzbekistan Sum, above? About 10.7 Euro.
For someone observing the transaction, to what extent does the process of completing a transaction provides clues to what is being transacted: its value; its relative importance to the buyer or seller; legitimacy or implied legitimacy; whether settlement is agreed? Parameters to keep an eye on include: how the currency is transported; the volume of notes and coins changing hands; whether they are forthcoming from one or multiple locations; the context and manner of the hand-over; the extent that the buyer and seller check, double-check the transaction; whether receipts are forthcoming; the kind of receipt; and body language before, during and after the transaction.
For physical or physical/digital transactions - what makes for an appropriate transaction signature in what contexts?
Related: money (and phone) carrying habits for a range of cultures, infrastructure support to shred transaction receipts in Japan, motivations for retaining receipts from Brazil to Tibet.
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