A few thoughts on Xi'an
Our taxi ride from the airport to our hotel Saturday afternoon took us past some fairly recent developed real estate outside the old city walls that included some high-end apartment complexes at least luxury-brand shopping mall with stores for the likes of Louis Vuitton. Later walking around the city near the Drum and Bell Towers, we could not help but notice even more Western luxury products (real ones) being sold in that same area.
It's long since I've been amazed at the propagation of luxury retail spaces in China. I am not shocked that the largest Gucci store in Asia is in Shenzhen, or that luxury car sales in this country outpace the rest of the world by unbelievable numbers. Wealth and showy wealth in China no longer surprise me in most of China. However, in Xi'an I was, I must confess, a little taken aback by seeing labels like Chloe. It isn't that I resent the rich people of Xi'an, or that there are enough rich people in Xi'an to support so many Western luxury stores. It is just that with all of its connections to ancient Chinese history and culture, one could hope that the people of Xi'an might have a different priorities than much of the rest of the country. Yes, I am judging a book by its cover, so to speak, and it is quite possible that if I actually spoke to Xi'anese I would learn something different.
In Beijing there has been a constant debate and a lot of controversy about the redevelopment of many of the old neighborhoods. Most recently the hutongs around the Drum and Bell Towers of Beijing have been slated for demolition and new construction will be underway. Beijing has long since lost the city walls and gates, the kinds of which still stand (albeit restored) in Xi'an. Many believe that the loss of these old neighborhoods of Beijing will mean further deterioration of anything good that could be considered traditional values. While that may be true, in Xi'an the preservation of the ancient may have done little to stem the progression into conspicuous consumption.
It's long since I've been amazed at the propagation of luxury retail spaces in China. I am not shocked that the largest Gucci store in Asia is in Shenzhen, or that luxury car sales in this country outpace the rest of the world by unbelievable numbers. Wealth and showy wealth in China no longer surprise me in most of China. However, in Xi'an I was, I must confess, a little taken aback by seeing labels like Chloe. It isn't that I resent the rich people of Xi'an, or that there are enough rich people in Xi'an to support so many Western luxury stores. It is just that with all of its connections to ancient Chinese history and culture, one could hope that the people of Xi'an might have a different priorities than much of the rest of the country. Yes, I am judging a book by its cover, so to speak, and it is quite possible that if I actually spoke to Xi'anese I would learn something different.
In Beijing there has been a constant debate and a lot of controversy about the redevelopment of many of the old neighborhoods. Most recently the hutongs around the Drum and Bell Towers of Beijing have been slated for demolition and new construction will be underway. Beijing has long since lost the city walls and gates, the kinds of which still stand (albeit restored) in Xi'an. Many believe that the loss of these old neighborhoods of Beijing will mean further deterioration of anything good that could be considered traditional values. While that may be true, in Xi'an the preservation of the ancient may have done little to stem the progression into conspicuous consumption.
Comments