Video summary
Shenzhen is portrayed as a city where the future has already arrived, characterized by an unparalleled speed of innovation and development that far exceeds global standards. Once a simple fishing village forty years ago, it has transformed into a massive economic engine fueled by intense competition and efficiency, often described as "Shenzhen Speed." This rapid pace allows for incredible clustering of industries; for instance, if one needs to build a drone, the suppliers for motors and chips are all located within the same area, enabling businesses to iterate and launch products with astonishing quickness. The city's culture is hyper-competitive, driven by a national desire to move forward faster than anyone else, creating an environment where success comes quickly but requires immense effort and resilience.
The technological landscape in Shenzhen is so advanced that it feels like stepping into a scene from the movie *The Matrix*, with humanoid robots already engaging in combat sports and futuristic gadgets becoming everyday reality. Electric vehicles dominate the streets, making them affordable and accessible to the average citizen, while smart features like AI-powered glasses that translate languages in real-time and cars equipped with digital rearview cameras are commonplace. The city also embraces unique lifestyle trends, such as a booming perfume culture focused on emotional memories rather than just social status, and specialized washing machines designed to handle delicate items like underwear separately for hygiene. Even architecture reflects this forward-thinking mindset, with buildings resembling spaceships and massive drone shows that push the boundaries of what is considered possible.
Despite its futuristic image, Shenzhen maintains a deep connection to its past and offers a diverse cultural experience that contrasts sharply with other major cities. The city includes ancient districts dating back over 1,700 years, providing a historical counterpoint to its gleaming skyscrapers and high-tech zones. This blend allows residents and visitors to enjoy modern conveniences while exploring traditional markets, old guard towers reminiscent of *Mulan*, and artisanal fashion scenes that emphasize quality and heritage over mere branding. The city acts as a melting pot for people from all over China who have migrated there seeking better opportunities, creating a dynamic society where individuals can build wealth and provide for their families in ways that were previously unimaginable.
Ultimately, Shenzhen represents a unique model of development where making money and pushing the world forward go hand in hand, offering a glimpse into what life could look like globally in the coming decades. While some may find the rapid changes disorienting or even feel that certain aspects seem fake until experienced firsthand, the city's ability to integrate advanced technology with human needs creates an environment of genuine excitement and opportunity. The presence of happy children playing safely amidst this high-tech wonder suggests that progress does not have to come at the cost of well-being, making Shenzhen not just a hub for business and innovation, but also a place where families can thrive and dream big.
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What if the future's happening already?
>> But most of us just don't know where to
look.
>> Welcome to Global Next China Edition.
>> Let's discover what's next.
Joe, it is a scorching Shenzhen day.
We're outside, but where are we at?
>> We are at the Pingong Finance Center. I
believe it's the fifth tallest building
in the world, and we're going to be
eating at the 118th floor.
>> Okay. And we're going to be able to see
what this entire thing that is Shenzen.
>> 360 of all Shenzhen.
>> Uh Chris, so you're from Ho, also a tech
city. What do you know about Shenzhen?
>> Well, I know nothing about Shenzhen, but
I heard a ton of Shenzhen. I think
everybody in China knows a lot about
Shenzhen, like on paper. So, I just
wanted to know what makes Shenzhen
different.
>> Well, there's China speed and then
there's Shenzen speed and that's at a
completely different level.
>> Oh man, I want to check it out. Listen
guys, I think that Shenzen might be the
most important, underrated, unknown city
in the world right now. Let's go check
it out. Let's do it.
What? What is this?
>> This is a Japanese restaurant.
>> Yeah. This just like the Doesn't this
feel like Jon?
>> It does.
>> Where where where are we at? Are we
>> So, this restaurant's called Altitude.
>> I don't care where you are. This is
almost like the feels like Dubai.
>> Yeah.
>> And you can see literally everywhere.
So, 360 of all the all Shimpa.
>> Oh, wow. The city was built on the
gadget. It was a fishing village like 40
years ago.
>> Yeah.
>> Nothing here before.
>> I mean, um, what are we doing now?
>> Yeah. No. So, it's a you can order your
main here and then you can go and grab
uh for the buffet as well.
>> So, this is like a hybrid. You get a
really expensive thing and then
>> you can get as many as you want.
>> Okay.
>> This is a cold mantis shrimp for your
shrimp cocktail.
>> Oh my goodness. The canto.
>> Yeah. Got to Hey, the cantos. We got to
go for the tacio. Definitely.
>> That's a must.
>> They got a lot of tao duck here too.
>> I've seen your viral videos. What you
actually do?
>> So my main business, we actually work
with brands to develop and do their
manufacturing.
>> Right.
>> So that's why it was a big reason we
moved to China.
>> Can you tell us what kind of brands or
young ordin
lifestyle things have you have changed
for you? It is so affordable to eat out
here. So, we just eat out all the time.
>> Okay.
>> Between that and food delivery, my uh my
home cooking has definitely rapidly
>> declined.
>> We're in Shenzhen. So, we got to do two
things at one time.
>> What is Shenzhen speed? Like, help
Western people understand that because
it's like me being here, I understand it
now, but maybe people back home, they
have no idea what you're talking about.
>> By clustering everything together, it's
very competitive, but everything becomes
super efficient. If you're building a a
drone, the motor suppliers, the chip
suppliers are all in one place. So, you
can just move so much quicker.
>> Crystal, is it kind of like uh your
hyperco competitive Chinese middle
school and high school?
>> Well, I mean, like I think, you know,
every single Chinese is super
competitive and it seems like a lot of
it is by design as well, right? Cuz you
know, like the country want to they come
to faster. So they want to like squeeze
that out of people and business and um
it's brutal but you know whoever wins
wins big right so I mean like I got to
say after gau like there is no hardship
in life anymore you know like you can do
whatever really yeah because it's so
hard I had like nightmares after
nightmares for 6 months after gau every
single day I was worried about going to
take the golf ball again that's how hard
it was like we all had PTSD like the
nation had golf ptsd
>> there there's a lack of like softness in
I know even like the high schools like I
was talking to my my staff and they're
like, "Oh, we we go to school from 7 to
10:00." I'm like, "What? That's crazy."
Coming from North America, she's like,
"Oh, it's like normal. Normal normal six
days a week.
>> Competitive dynamic, but if you make it,
you come up here to this buffet and then
>> top of the
>> and eat these tiger from Thailand. These
tiger ponds.
>> If you think about it, you're probably
the highest person in the entire world
eating tiger prawns right now."
>> That's true. Oh my gosh. I never thought
about it.
>> Hey guys, listen. Shanzen, I believe
will have the first of a lot of things
probably moving forward in the world.
>> Yeah,
>> I think has the most billionaires. Like
it's the fastest rate of creating
billionaires. Yeah. I think like a lot
of people are coming from smaller
villages to come work in Shenzhen. It's
like it's a big deal for their family
and like they get to provide for their
family. You can get a better life and
like this is your chance to make it.
>> My man behind the camera right here from
Num Mongu.
>> Yeah.
>> Inner Mongolian man. No, he came he came
for a reason.
>> It's a perfect example of that, right?
>> Man, he didn't come here to slack off.
Oh my goodness. This is Shanzhan.
>> Yeah, it is Shanzhan.
>> But it it's it's such a beautiful city.
>> I mean, I don't know. I'm from Ha. I
would say Hong is the best.
>> But
that's true. That's true Chinese
provincialism, guys.
>> Uh so Joe, what do you think about the
fashion scene in China? because you know
recently there's a lot of people wearing
Chinese fashion um in Taylor Swift's
wedding um so yeah it's a big deal right
now in the west
>> I think right now you look at like
Chinese brands they're the speed of
innovation they're able to iterate
they're able to try things and there's
so much rich culture that Chinese brands
are just taking over I think every
sector at this point
>> the ability to use technology to like
solve these quick problems even like AI
adoption here AI adoption in China
versus North America. I think it's very
different and here it's very celebrated.
>> I think in the US only 39% of people are
optimistic about AI and like 80% of
people in China are like optimistic
about AI. So
>> did you feel that in your upbringing
growing up here?
>> Yeah. Uh in terms of technology,
>> yeah, like that embracement of that, you
know, versus like the nerd like gets his
underwear hung up on the locker.
>> First of all, everybody like wear like
glasses in school, right? So all of us
are nerds, right? Like you can't just be
like, oh, you know, like you're a nerd,
but then you're a nerd, too, you know.
So, Joe, do you think you're going to go
back to Toronto anytime soon?
>> Okay. So, originally the original plan
was that we we still had a Toronto
office. We had, you know, 40,000 like
35,000 foot facility there and I had all
my staff and the original plan was to go
back and forth every 6 months and then
>> longer we stayed here, I look at my like
we normally want to go back even to like
travel.
>> Yeah. So, uh, we closed the Toronto
office and now this is our main office
here. So,
>> Oh, cool. Very cool.
>> We still have all our families in
Toronto, but we're trying to get them
over here to experience this.
>> Oh, wow. So, it's only been like a year
and then you made all these big moves.
>> Yeah. Shenzen Speed.
>> Shen Speed for sure.
>> Shenzen was it was actually like an
experiment for China back in the day.
So, like in Shenzen itself, it was like
we're going to experiment. There used to
be a border for Shenzen where you
couldn't come in or out.
>> Oh, wow.
>> Yeah. And you had to like
>> So, it's a country by itself. Well, was
this just like this enclosed experiment?
Obviously, the experiment went really
well.
>> Yeah. Yeah, for sure it did, though.
>> Hey, 10 out of 10, Special Economic
Zone. Can you talk about the
electrification of Shanzen because we're
looking at, you know, I don't even know
how many EVs, but I almost feel like I'm
looking at a museum right here. We're
next to a combustion car.
>> I would say probably the majority of
cars right now are EVs.
>> You'll notice because they have the
green plates. The blue plates are going
to be gas cars, but it's just so
affordable to buy EVs these days. And
it's so easy to actually just like plug
them in.
>> Yeah.
>> It's like 500 bucks to get a charger in
your apartment for your
>> Do you have a EV yourself?
>> I have a TV.
>> We're headed to our next location. But
Joe, you were you were about to get one
of these.
>> If I was going to get any Chinese car,
it' probably be this one. But I need to
get a chauffeur as well.
>> And it come when you order the DD.
>> Yeah, it came with a chauffeur. Yeah.
>> Why Why are the DDs and the food so
cheap in China? like the truth.
>> You know, as I think just the vehicles
itself, they're they're cheap. You're
not Chinese people are very cautious
about paying more than they should for
things.
>> M
>> Hey, that that you know, as the city
changes, that about Chinese people is
never going to change. No,
>> they got all types of snacks and
everything.
>> There's a fridge here.
>> A lot of people think that's just
Instagram. You know what I mean? Like it
could be fake.
>> Oh, it's cold.
>> Yeah.
>> Show the TV, by the way. Got
>> TV here. The seats are massaging seats,
by the way.
>> Okay.
>> Oh, there's a clock there, too.
>> Yeah. So like I think there's a lot of
people like oh Chinese like the reason
why Chinese EVs are not allowed in North
America because it would just absolutely
decimate car drivers.
>> Wait, how much is this car?
>> I think this one is like if you you get
the mid model ones like 60 60k
>> dude 60k.
>> Yeah. You get a BMW X4 with nothing in
it like CarPlay. This is cool. And you
know one thing I noticed is even the uh
rear view mirror is digital camera.
Yeah. It was definitely for guys cuz you
know like you know like the car stuff is
cool and everything but like a girl is
not going to care about it as much as
like art and fashion. I haven't seen any
art and fashion here. You know you're
working fashion.
>> Hey hey hey Shanun's for guys. Cheers to
that.
>> Oh my gosh
>> dude. I think when we're talking about
electrification it's crazy because it's
just everywhere around you.
>> Yeah.
>> We're just
>> in the mall. This is actually I think
this is this is Den. So this is BYD and
Daimler collaboration.
>> Okay. This is like, would you say that
Shenzhen is an engineer's wet dream?
>> Totally. Like, what in the where in the
world are you going to see robots,
>> right? This is the first one in the
world, it says.
>> Yeah.
>> And guys, this is not Battlebots, which
was used back in the day was like
lawnmowers with like spinning blades.
We're talking about like robot MMA,
right?
>> They don't have UFC. They have R UFC.
Robot Ultimate Fighting Championship.
>> What are we looking at? These are the
robots I guess we're they're going to be
fighting.
>> These are it.
>> You know, this may be the closest thing
to the Matrix in the future. Remember
when Neo Ke Reeves downloaded Kung Fu
into his brain to be like a expert
fighter? I mean, essentially, you can't
we can't do it with humans yet. You
know, maybe Neurolink in the future, but
you could do it with this humanoid.
>> It's only been like what, like one or
two years since we've seen humanoid
robots,
>> and they're already fighting.
>> Yeah, they're going to be crazy. You
know, you were saying something
interesting like where's this if the
robot fighting is here now, where's it
going to be in 5 years, right?
>> And I think that's the whole thing about
the city is like you're you're hopping
into the city that is on a fast train to
god knows wherever.
>> Do you think girls will be into robot
fighting?
>> No.
>> If the robot fight league and all the
futuristic logistic stuff wasn't enough,
they got cheeseburger pancakes. They're
just thinking different. They're moving
different. They're thinking about what
people are going to want in the future.
They're going to want two things that
they love. Lunch and breakfast.
>> Where are we?
>> New development area. We'll see like the
they call the AirPod buildings,
>> right? Airpod building.
>> I mean, I see a lot of spaceship like
buildings.
>> You know, that's the one thing I love
about Shenzen is they're willing to even
China in general, they're willing to try
stuff with architecture.
>> Yeah.
>> Whereas you look at like Toronto,
Vancouver, it's just like one generic
design. Toronto especially. You guys
love the glass square.
>> This is what Apple should have done.
>> What What do we Where are we going? I
think we should go straight to the top
trim.
>> Yeah, that one.
>> You said that that's actual gold.
>> Yeah, all the topline spec ones will
have real gold.
>> How much is it?
>> I think you can get the top line spec
one for like 70k. All these attachments
are ones you can actually buy. Even like
those rows of buttons on the bottom. If
you want it very clean, you don't need
all those things, but you just buy and
attach them on.
>> So, those are just like snap-on pieces.
Like that's pretty crazy. So apparently
now you can like type in something here
and it will like project some lights. So
like whatever words you type here, it
will show up in front of you too. So if
you want to surprise another person be
like, you know, happy birthday
something, you should think.
>> Do not let the Dominicans in New York
City get a hold of this.
>> Well, they're they're not going to
>> Yeah, but if they did, they flooding the
road with messages.
>> Here we go.
>> Oh, no. I thought
>> Oh, I know. Okay.
>> Oh, look look look. Can we go a Yeah.
>> Oh wow. This is like a karaoke
controller.
>> Oh my gosh. All right. They got Tik Tok
in here.
>> No, I'm just saying.
>> I mean, is that surprising to you?
>> But they got Tik Tok with the scrolling
comments.
>> Well, that's how it is.
>> Well, you didn't expect that.
>> Come from the US. Okay. Can't stand it.
I GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE.
>> This was like their Max one. So, I I
think when Apple launched their new
phone, they had these and they were
like, "Oh, we're going to release the
one with the screen at the back."
>> That's crazy. Wait, what's that for?
What's that for?
>> Selfie camera.
>> A selfie camera. Wait, but so you can
see yourself from the back.
>> Yeah.
>> Oh, that's pretty cool.
>> Oh, man.
>> Oh, girl tag. Girl tag.
>> The only one I have seen so far.
>> The only thing that got you excited.
What?
>> Oh.
>> Oh my gosh. Motion sensor.
>> Dude, it's crazy.
It's so Listen, I'm speaking English.
It's putting the English in and then
Crystal's speaking Chinese and it's
putting the Chinese in.
>> So, this is AI glasses. Apparently, you
can change the color of the Oh my gosh.
color.
>> Yeah. So, like I actually like it lit up
when I was changing the color.
>> No, we can see the lens changing.
>> Yeah.
Oh, I was uh I was asking this AI
assistant the you know weather of
Shenzhen today and there's like a
speaker so I can hear everything is
saying to me. So now it's translating.
>> Okay.
>> Shut up.
>> So now it's translating this paragraph
to me. I just saw and then took a
picture and it tells me in Chinese what
this means.
>> That's cool. Oh,
>> the underwear and the socks.
>> What?
>> Wait. So, you're saying that you're
you're you're separating it by garment.
>> Yeah.
>> Actually, I want to get one of these.
>> So, you can like put whatever into
either this or this or this and you can
then select the mode.
>> So, three different modes.
>> Yeah. So, it can be underwear. This can
also be underwear. But like the thing is
like I think for Chinese is that we
always want to like wash our underwear
like separately
>> separately just because there's a lot of
bacteria on it, right? If you're like
washing with other clothes, it's not
very hygienic.
>> So that's why
>> that's a good point. I actually didn't
even think about that.
>> That's why they have this function
because otherwise you're going to hand
wash all this stuff.
>> The Xiaomi store in terms of just like
integration across product lines. 10 out
of 10. Where are we headed?
>> So we're going to before we head to the
cultural center and get a drone
delivery, I'm going to take you into
this store. It's called ENO 100
>> and has like all the Shenzen based
gadgets are all sold in this like one
place. There might be a robot in there.
>> Okay. So, a little bit um for tourists
that come to Shanzan might be a little
bit more of a unified way to see
everything.
>> Yeah. Yeah. Exactly.
>> This is what we came to see, guys.
>> You can walk the
>> Are you going to pet the dog?
>> Hello.
>> Yo,
>> the robot hawk is very aggressive.
>> It's a pet.
>> Yeah.
Dude,
>> this is the future.
>> So, first you'll walk and then you'll
run.
>> Oh, shoot.
>> Wait a second.
>> Oh my goodness.
>> Whoa.
It's moving for me, guys.
>> Yeah, I like that. You get a get a
little hip movement, too. You can kind
of jump in it and go like real. Oh man.
Whoa.
If you don't like feel tech, you know
what I mean? Because if you don't
understand UIUX, which is
understandable, you'll feel this. Run,
Boris. Run.
Oh my god.
This is the best thing I've tried in
Shanz. This is crazy.
>> Like what a place to grow up.
>> Mhm. Like you can go to the park and
actually enjoy. You don't have to worry
about needles.
>> Look at this drone just sitting here.
>> Oh my gosh. Is that a drone?
>> This is only in Shenzhen. Randomly come
across this.
>> Can Can anybody explain to me cuz I
don't know anything about drones? Like
why is this so big?
>> No, you can do first impression flies in
it.
>> Oh, but like is that going to be super
dangerous? Like you're going to be up in
the air, right?
>> Yeah. I'm sure you put a helmet on.
>> Yo, look at just how modern this stuff
is. Like what the heck,
dude? Are we in a Kanye
concert? Cuz I know he uses a lot of
these like organic movements.
>> Yeah.
>> Crystal, what do you think Chinese
people feel when they see these uh I
guess really hyper modern structures?
>> Well, I think they're like super proud
of, you know, what we have achieved in
the last few decades. Like I think that
Chinese people actually know that they
have a very very good compared to the
rest of the world. You know, even some
of them like they don't go abroad and
stuff like that, they still know. Yo,
listen guys, look how intellectual this
is. Neither love nor terror makes one
blind. Indifference makes one blind. I'm
not going to lie. You couldn't even have
it in the US. You James Baldwin is a US
author and thinker, but you just
couldn't even have it in the US.
>> Joe, what do you think, Crystal? Can Ho
really measure up to Shenzhen after what
we've seen?
>> No, I think it's very different. We have
like a ton of influencers in Ho. A lot
of pretty girls. I haven't seen any
here. Oh,
>> I mean, yeah, technology. I I admit yes
but then you know yeah sure I heard that
there's a lot of museums being built in
Shenzhen as well but they're going to be
like newer museums you know this is like
a Dubai Abu Dhabi kind of thing but Hjo
we are like the ancient city you know we
have the literature like painting I
don't know just different
>> I I think what it is is this is like a
massive melting pot of different parts
of China all coming together all with
the singular goal of
>> making money
>> well no the singular goal of pushing the
world forward part
>> really or making money
>> making money at the same time.
>> But we're going to where?
>> It's called uh I think Manuel Ancient
City.
>> So we're we're so we're going from like
the newest part to the oldest part.
>> It's one of the oldest places in Shenzen
and you can get a little bit of a
breather like
>> away from the tech and a little bit more
like mom and pop little shops.
>> Yeah. To the old ways.
>> This is uh 1700 years old.
>> Okay. And what was it 1700 years ago?
>> 330 CE.
>> Okay. And what did they do there at the
time?
>> Lived
>> something important. Maybe not as
important as HJO was 1700 years ago.
>> Oh, I don't know. It's probably just
like some Cantonese people making
trades. That's just
>> Where are we? We are at a 1700year-old
ancient city here in China. Apparently
not as old as uh
>> some of it. Yeah. No, no, it's not. But
it's old enough.
>> But it gives you a little like uh
contrast between the bright shiny new
Shenanzen and what it used to be back in
the day. Uh, I'm getting a little bit
more like lifestyle vibes. I'm seeing
people with the little stylish, you
know, hipster shoes and uh little photo
shoots and not the tech vibe.
>> Yeah, definitely. Yeah.
>> So, it goes to show you guys Shanzan
still got some of the old, you know,
gongdong haka. Man, what a contrast.
>> Like we going this looked like the set
of Mulan. If you guys look ahead real
quick, you can see this is like an
ancient guard tower from Mulan.
>> Listen guys, we got to do some girl
coded stuff. I mean, you work in
fashion. You know both sides, Crystal,
this is more your zone. We Is this So,
what do we think in here, guys? I I need
it cuz you guys both know more about
fashion than I do. So, this is like
really cultured clothing. I think
actually it's a little hot to wear stuff
in Shenzen,
>> but this is just shows you like what's
what's really available. The
craftsmanship like everyone everyone
thinks of China like Shien, but it's
like no, they can make really crazy
stuff here.
>> Yeah. Yeah. What do you think about
Chinese fashion? Do like how do you see
it in I don't know the world stage? I I
think when you actually look at Chinese
brands now again like Song Yeah.
>> is a brand where it's all about quality.
It's about heritage and it it it's
priced at a price point where they don't
care about the psychological aspect of
fashion cuz law fashion is
psychological. You you buy luxury brands
because how it makes you feel
>> social status
>> and social status.
>> Now people in China,
>> they're confident in who they are
>> now. They're just willing to buy things
that don't need to project who they are.
>> Yeah. Oh my gosh. Like that's my dog.
There's a whole cafe. We got to go. We
got to go. This
>> about pads.
>> Girl coded.
>> Hello.
>> The Dachshund's got a perpetual puppy
eyes.
>> Yeah.
>> Oh my god. So Dachon's apparently in
right now in China. Like they're getting
really popular and that's why they have
this like dachshund store apparently. Oh
my gosh. So this is also big in China
right now.
>> What the heck is fragrance this? Listen,
you can't smell it through the camera,
but this would be like the most premium
spa type smell you would want in a
getting a massage. You want to go to
sleep, chilling in a bathtub.
>> Not perfume.
>> Let's come. Let's come. You got to see
>> like perfume culture is huge right now.
So, one thing I noticed about Chinese
perfume is that they're very emotional.
The name and everything is all about
like memory. It's all about I don't know
like certain kind of emotions about
evoking you. And they use a lot of like
Chinese ingredients that you don't find
in the west or
>> I want this one. I would like this one.
I
>> heartbeat.
>> Like a girl, she's smelling this way.
>> Heartbeat. Okay.
>> But um it's it's interesting because it
says heartbeat, but then the Chinese
says um addiction
>> down and slow down.
>> Okay.
>> Yeah. So it says emotions of Shenzhen.
>> It's
>> Wait, is it dead?
>> No, it's breathing. So Joe, what was the
final verdict? The cat's alive.
>> The cat's alive. Oh my god, look at this
cat.
>> They look like a fake cat. It kind of
goes to show you how just safe it is for
animals, right? This animal that has no
uh defense mechanism like
>> like versus like a bodega cat.
>> What is this? What is this?
pretty good.
>> You feel the energy?
>> It's really resonating for quite a long
time.
>> Yeah.
>> Yo, you were just saying something
interesting when you moved here with
your family.
>> Your wife is actually Italian.
>> My wife is Italian. I You know what it
And I think that just goes to show you
how much China is changing. I don't even
speak Chinese. My wife doesn't speak
Chinese. But
>> you speak Kanto though.
>> I speak Kto.
>> That's still Chinese, man. Don't listen
to her. They still
get anyway.
>> But like even with that language
barrier, the pull to move to China was
still worth it for us. And
>> was that an additional consideration?
>> Yeah, it was definitely it's like how
are we going to communicate? But I think
5 years ago would have been difficult.
Now with like with our our phones with
Google Translate, it makes it like
>> it's not impossible. It might be
inconvenient,
>> right? But it's not impossible.
>> How does she like it?
>> She loves it. It's to not have to worry,
especially as a woman, to not have to
worry about your safety. You've been in
Singapore, so you're good.
>> Yeah.
>> But as a woman, to be in in a country to
not have to worry about your safety is a
massive stress reliever.
>> Uh
>> it allows you to dedicate that sort of
cortisol spike that would go to staying
alive to something else.
>> What do you think about the food? Like
the noodles, you know.
Well, I always tell her, you know,
noodles, pizza,
pretty much all the great Italian stuff
came from China because Marco Polo.
>> Exactly. Hong Kong at some point.
>> All road,
>> I guess. Crystal,
this is your first time spending
significant time touring Shanzan.
>> Yeah, for sure. You're a very proud HJO
person. HJO p uh people in Shenzen
people have a little bit of a rivalry,
but what what you what did you take
away?
>> I mean, I think Shenzhen is cool, right?
Like the tag is insane. Like I think
that if you're a T person, uh especially
consumer t, I think this it like this is
a place. And it just seems like I don't
know, not just today, but like
yesterday, you know, every day, like if
you wanted to do business and you want
to make money fast, uh come to Shenzhen,
you know.
Joe, this is not the first tour you've
done,
>> but I mean, I guess what do you take
away every time? Like, cuz you know,
you're showing people on camera, off
camera,
>> your new city, right? I
>> I I think like when you meet you like
this and you go through the tours,
obviously there's so much stimulus in
Shenzhen, you can only take in so much
at a time.
>> I think every time I come there, it's
like I notice new things and I get to
appreciate it a lot more every time.
>> Wow. Do you miss Toronto?
I think I miss my my friends and family
in Toronto.
>> Um, but I I think
>> there's just so much to do here. There's
so much to see.
>> Um,
>> you don't really think about it.
>> I don't really think about it. Like
>> there is a little bit of the Toronto
food culture that we don't have.
>> Haven't found good jerk chicken here.
>> Yeah.
>> But, uh, the benefits far outweigh the
the negatives. I mean, I got to say, you
know, like as a Chinese person on
mainland China, like I just wish more
people could see Asia like for what it
is right now, then you can probably sees
more opportunities for for yourself.
>> What do you think about China maxing?
And how come China maxing seems to
include Chongqing, Shanghai, maybe some
gula, like old school parts of China,
but not Shenzai?
>> I think what it is, it's like any, this
is just social media in general. people
will see a video that does really well
and then that becomes the tourist world
and that's just kind of driven how
tourism happens now these days. It's
like you know
>> it's all online it's all online. So I
think that's why like Chongqing has
gotten so much attention,
>> right? People are like, "Oh, I'm on this
building on this top floor."
>> I was going to say like, you know, as a
Chinese person, uh, seeing Chongqing to
be so popular amongst foreigners is just
like a mind, you know, because Chongqing
is not that po like it is. I mean,
obviously all of us know Chongqing,
right? But it's not like the big fish,
you know? Like there's so many
>> I think you got like all of Canada's
population in one city.
>> So there's so many places like that in
China, right? Not just Chong. But where
else can you make it look like you're
eating a Subway?
>> Yeah. I mean,
>> yeah. Well, yeah, exactly. So, that that
just tells you like how I guess like,
you know, there's so many other places
to explore in China and then people are
so fixated on certain things online,
which I don't blame them cuz that's just
how it is. But then they're just I wish
people are more openminded. They can,
you know, like discover more places in
China. That's just as cool, if not more
cool. I
>> I think one part of it is when you see a
lot of people do stuff around Shenzen. I
think like people see the drone shows
and how massive they are and the point
where it's like everyone just thinks
it's AI cuz it's so far
>> out of people's reality of what is
possible
>> that it's like oh it's fake. It's like
it's propaganda.
>> It's like no it's not how people make a
living.
>> Yeah. Yeah.
>> I mean even me I have to admit so I saw
the palm scans for WeChat but I didn't
feel that until I saw why my guy wearing
you know the yellow outfit do it. And
then I was just at the store today and
they're like, uh, you know, scan your
hand. They're telling me to scan my
hand.
>> It's so easy because you just go in the
store, you grab whatever, and just go
like and you sleep.
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. China has 1.4 billion
people. We have all these provinces, got
all these cultures, they're all very
different from each other, right? So
it's like that's not China. It's like a
part of China. There's this old saying I
remember uh anything that they say about
China is true somewhere but probably not
true everywhere.
>> Everywhere.
>> It is a gigantic uh game map, right? And
it's almost like a continent really in
and of itself. And to your point, I
actually thought that was a great
insight. Like it's so far ahead that
until you come and see it and feel it
and almost participate in it, it almost
feels fake. until you come here, until
you experience it, it's very
unbelievable because it's so far out of
the realm of what's possible.
>> Those are the two things. I guess my
final takeaway is before we we just got
to do the palm scan cuz I got to see it.
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
>> I think the kids are super happy. Maybe
the happiest kids I've ever seen in my
life.
>> They're living life here.
>> And then this is the most futuristic
city in the world. But it makes sense
that the most futuristic city would also
be the happiest for kids.
>> That's true. Cuz kids are the future.
>> Yeah. Then
you go like this.
>> That easy.
>> Just walking out.
>> Oh my.
>> I don't even know if I ever saw that in
a sci-fi. I want to say it's like you I
think a lot of people especially in
North America are always like oh no but
they have biometrics. Like if you travel
to any airport they already have your
biometrics anyways anywhere.