Went there 4 times. Very interesting. A bit of a culture shock to this rural Yankee. In a city of 10 million that no one has ever heard of. China has dozens and dozen of them bigger than NYC, L.A. or Chicago. Extremely advanced and modern, way beyond USA and Europe, not even close, and then extremely primitive a few blocks away.
Lots of contradictions.
There I felt more free, with way, way, less restrictions.
If you want to drive an overloaded truck, no muffler, bald tires, no turn signals etc.. (and you wouldn't believe what you see on the road) the wrong way down a 4 lane highway at rush hour, past a cop: No problem!
The traffic will just part and go around you. If that truck breaks down and you need to pull the motor out of it right there on the highway. No problem, there's a guy who does that.
I once "shared" a bicycle lane (as in tucked in my elbows and passed each other) with a scooter and a cement truck (on the bicycle lane) going the wrong direction. Yep, we somehow fit.
I watched them build a highway overpass, swinging beams and cement over the top of live traffic passing underneath it for days. There's no OSHA. Its the kind of unrestricted, non-regulations that a lot of people in this country dream about and want to get back to.
...but don't write a nasty letter to the editor.
Yes, I can come here and complain about my government, but so what?
Not like I have a billion dollars to launch a campaign or be heard.
In day to day REAL life, the average Chinese person I saw was way more free (unregulated).
