Steven Liou
5.9K posts


@Somchai55475884 Thanks.
Ive been called a Pakistani and a Chinese agent within 30 seconds of posting.
English

I recently spent 2 weeks in China.
6 cities: Shanghai, Beijing, Xi’an, Zhangjiajie, Chongqing and Chengdu.
I went there with curiosity.
Like many Indians, I had heard a lot about China through media, social media and conversations. I expected to see progress, maybe discover some business ideas, and understand what the country is actually building.
I came back with a very uncomfortable feeling.
Not because I found a business idea for myself.
But because I saw 100 things that governments can do when infrastructure, tourism, transport, urban planning and civic systems are treated seriously.
I travelled within China by flights, trains, cars and local transport. The infrastructure was honestly stunning.
Clean cities. Smooth roads. High-speed trains. Well-managed traffic. Public spaces that actually feel designed for people. Tourist destinations that are built, maintained and promoted like national assets.
And then I kept thinking about India.
We keep comparing ourselves to China. Our media keeps telling us how India is catching up, how China is restrictive, how we are better in so many ways.
After spending time there and speaking to people, I realised how much of that narrative is just comfort food.
China is not perfect. No country is.
But on infrastructure, execution, tourism, civic discipline and quality of urban life, they are not 5 years ahead of us.
They are decades ahead.
The saddest part for me was the currency.
Everything felt expensive. Not because China was insanely expensive, but because the rupee has weakened so much that even normal spending starts feeling heavy. As an Indian taxpayer, that genuinely hurt.
We pay taxes. We work hard. We talk about becoming a global power.
But where is the quality of life?
Where is the civic sense?
Where is the infrastructure that makes daily life easier?
Where is the tourism vision beyond religious tourism?
I met travellers from other countries who were excited to visit China because they wanted to see its progress. When I asked about India, many had no real desire to visit. Not out of hate. India simply was not on their aspirational travel list.
That should bother us.
Even the so-called “closed internet” surprised me. We are told people there are missing out because they don’t use Google, Instagram, WhatsApp or Facebook.
But China has built its own digital ecosystem. Payments, maps, transport, messaging, shopping, everything works inside their own infrastructure. People did not seem to feel deprived. They seemed adapted.
Again, this is not a hate post.
I love India. That is exactly why this trip bothered me.
Patriotism cannot only be about saying we are great.
Real patriotism is having the courage to admit where we are falling behind.
China made me realise one thing very clearly:
India’s potential is not the problem.
Execution is.
And unless we stop comforting ourselves with comparisons and start demanding better infrastructure, better governance, better tourism, cleaner cities and a higher quality of life, we will keep celebrating the idea of progress instead of actually living it.
English

第一次見貼牌產品嗎?這種東西在日本更多⋯
至少得力和兄弟是簽了正規的代工委託的,某些「日本製」商品溯源起來可能連這種節省成本的東西都不如⋯
大翻訳運動@daihonyaku
中国ブランド「得力」のプリンター、実は中身は日本の「brother」だよ😌
中文


@Iwannabe_fled 现在的日本人,很少会主动与他人为敌。对于敌对行为、言论或他国强加的不合理文化,我们会表达反对。但在动漫、游戏等获得各国认可的领域,日本人是相当友好的。我自己也是日本人,但我非常喜欢去中国旅行、品尝中国料理,以及在旅途中遇到的人们🫰
中文

@Iwannabe_fled 中国の方に聞きますが。
日本と中国が対立して一番得をする国はどこだと思いますか?
1972年に日中国交正常化した時に一番反発したのはアメリカです。
それから50年に渡りCIAを使って日中関係が悪化するように仕向けてきました。
アメリカは日本と中国が仲良くするのを最も恐れています。
日本語

Your culture was never stable to begin with. It helped cause half of World War II, and it was only stabilized by our military and the foreign system established afterwards. Maybe you should appreciate the rules and western culture (especially tolerance in this case) that actually made your society stable a little more.
English


@kid4wang @Stanleysobest 你大概是不知道苹果鼠标在某些平面上有多难用。再加上这么狭窄的空间,如果不是操作非要用鼠标的软件,触控板方便好用得多。
中文

@Stanleysobest 很正常,有可能人家在出差路上,下了高铁就要开一个重要的会议,提前做一些最终的修改和确认罢了。有啥好大惊小怪的。
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