Inarguably, much of it is perplexing.
Arguably, however, it often reveals the actual nature of what is now routinely described – by those not under its yoke – as an “authoritarian” regime.
”Totalitarian” is, I think, a more accurate descriptor.
All signage was photographed in October-November 2019, in “remote” locations in Qinghai and Sichuan, and in Guangdong’s megacity, Guangzhou.
The featured image was taken a considerable and steep walk away from the modest and only nearby road – a road on which retina-recognising surveillance cameras would blindingly flash at two spots, each time any vehicle drove by.
Where else on earth would you come across such a sign, upon reaching the top of a forested ridge in a mountainous national park?
A few steps away, we tried to make sense of this:
There are literally millions of Chinese citizens who know how to write in English that would be readily intelligible to English-speaking visitors.
Countless “English” signs in China show that the regime does not consult said citizens.
Translated competently, the above sign would have said something like “Total fire ban in this national park. Smoking is prohibited”
(in many mythologies, and in some languages, “Mars” and “fire” are connected)
An enormous shopping centre in Guangzhou – complete with its own (appalling) aquarium and “indoor rainforest” – was as soulless and as chock with familiar franchises, and overpriced, “prestige”, brand-named junk as its counterparts anywhere else on 21st century Earth.
The cornucopia of crap was on an uncommonly grand scale, but otherwise drearily familiar to any seasoned traveller.
However, in no other land that I know of are a “prestige” mall’s customers not merely sold crap, but also issued a stern command about crapping.
All but one of the remaining images require no further comment or explanation.
This post’s final sign was not affixed to a sports venue; this was a bar, where alcohol would be very “efficient”.
Nangqian/Nangchen’s high altitude (3,600 metres) is relatively low by Tibetan standards.
The “displacement” of the sign’s letters may be artful…or unwitting.
