little_tippler

I thought this photo was interesting because, even though it could be a montage, it describes well what I've read and heard on China, particularly with regards to it's currently booming economy. There is a great divide between rich and poor...and it is plainly visible. They are in close proximity to each other. I have met people who have visited China recently due to the boom in the art market and they also took photos like this...the entire neighbourhood of new art galleries is side by side with shanty towns and poverty...I have been told it's quite...confusing, for lack of a better word.

In this shot, the particular irony lies in the Olympic slogan.

__________________
Whether we write or speak or do but look
We are ever unapparent. What we are
Cannot be transfused into word or book.
Our soul from us is infinitely far.
However much we give our thoughts the will
To be our soul and gesture it abroad,
Our hearts are incommunicable still.
In what we show ourselves we are ignored.
The abyss from soul to soul cannot be bridged
By any skill of thought or trick of seeming.
Unto our very selves we are abridged
When we would utter to our thought our being.
We are our dreams of ourselves, souls by gleams,
And each to each other dreams of others' dreams.

Fernando Pessoa, 1918

jorgelito

Looks like Los Angeles. This is nothing new nor is it restricted to China. Europe has lots of scenes like this too: Rome, Paris, Athens all have similar scenes.

__________________
"The race is not always to the swift, nor battle to the strong, but
to the one that endures to the end."

"Demand more from yourself, more than anyone else could ever ask!"

- My recruiter

Charlatan

Just say thank you to the liberalization of their economy. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

genuinegirly

That wall is there to hide reality. Pretty messed up. I viewed a similar dichotomy in Tahiti. But there was no wall hiding the shanties from the wealthy. What people don't see, they will be less motivated to change.

__________________
"Sometimes I have to remember that things are brought to me for a reason, either for my own lessons or for the benefit of others." Cynthetiq

"violence is no more or less real than non-violence." roachboy

QuasiMondo

Sorta reminds me of the contrast between West Orange and Newark, NJ. Amazing how quickly the scenery changes heading down S. Orange Ave from the neighborhood around Seton Hall University to the Vailsburg section.

That photo looks like two images merged.

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Cameron originally envisioned the Terminator as a small, unremarkable man, giving it the ability to blend in more easily. As a result, his first choice for the part was Lance Henriksen. O. J. Simpson was on the shortlist but Cameron did not think that such a nice guy could be a ruthless killer.

-From the Collector's Edition DVD of The Terminator

Craven Morehead

The Great Wall - ver. 2008

speshul-k

While it might not be anything new, it is still good to see reality shots like this.
Makes sure we keep our own feet on the ground and thankful for all that we have.

Baraka_Guru

I can't wait to see the next in the series with the Downtown Eastside area and Hastings Street in Vancouver for 2010. Or maybe they'll "fix" that beforehand.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

Reese

While I doubt the validity of that picture, I have no doubt there are scenes exactly like this all over China.

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“It is better to be rich and healthy than poor and sick” - Dave Barry

Sion

or maybe...The not-so-great Wall of China

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He's the best, of course, of all the worst.
Some wrong been done, he done it first. -fz

I jus' want ta thank you...falettinme...be mice elf...agin...

jorgelito

There absolutely are scenes like that all over China. As well as all over the world too. China is not unique in this However, they are a work in progress and by all accounts, have made remarkable strides.

__________________
"The race is not always to the swift, nor battle to the strong, but
to the one that endures to the end."

"Demand more from yourself, more than anyone else could ever ask!"

- My recruiter

Ananas

Potemkin Villages can be found all over. I don't think they're just a feature of capitalism or New World economy either -- the same photo could have been taken (or 'shopped) during the Communist period of China.

Maybe the so-called great divide between rich and poor isn't as wide as as we think.

__________________
it's gritty