[Weekly Update] Oh, my favorite topic: Chinese working class people

Reminder: Apple Store will soon implement their surcharge onto Patreon pledge. If you are pledging your support via the Patreon iOS app, your next pledge onward will cost extra. To avoid this fee, please pledge through the Patreon website.

CHANNEL UPDATE

Hope you enjoy our last video about solar eclipses. This video has been on the back burner for so long, releasing it was kinda a relief. I'm truly honored to see so many positive comments about a side project. Once again, side projects like this one are unfavorable by the algorithm, and are only made possible by your direct support of this channel. For that, I want to extend my sincerest thanks to you all!

If you are interest in the photos I took or the timelapse of the eclipse, you can find it in a previous update, and script previews. Although it has been a while, so it's pretty far down.

Up next is our video on Journey to the West adaptations. Many have requested a video in JttW for a long time, but I never knew what to say about it. I still don't. Obviously, I don't want to simply do a story recap, as OSP has been doing that for years and doing it much better than I can. So, instead, I'll just track it's on screen cultural foot print, and offer you something other channels might not be able to provide.

There will be a small gap before we post our second November video, which will be about Wong Kar-wai's film locations. I'll have to wrap up my trip before returning to office. Luckily I have filmed everything I need, and editing should be quick. I'll keep you posted!

CULTURAL TALK

Let's continue our chat about the random tidbits of my current trip! I did try to go to the cinema so I can have a media talk but... Yeah there's not a whole lot to see right now. Instead, let's talk about another small thing I noticed in China.

One thing that I saw this year is the significant increased in electric vehicles. I'd say about 1 in every 5 cars are electric, which is a crazy number to think about. It's not just Chinese made EVs either, there are plenty of Tesla and Japanese EVs.

Though I have to say, the tiny Chinese EVs, like the one in the title image, is cute AF.

From what I understand, the Chinese government has provided a lot of tax incentives for purchasing EVs, making it significantly cheaper than traditional ICE cars. Petro also costs an arm and a leg in China, so EV saves money in the long run anyway.

The way Chinese cities are build, there are never enough parking spaces. Luckily, most people can get around town via public transit. This includes buses, high-speed rails, and intercity metro lines. This means vehicle mileage is rarely a concern, giving EVs yet another advantage.

But, as all worlds, there is a darker corner of this system. Despite the comprehensive transit network in major cities, a lot of locations remained inconvenient to reach without a car. In this situation, most people would call an Uber (or the Chinese equivalent of it). Chinese gig drivers don't get paid a whole lot. And unfortunately, their low income becomes a kind of transit safety net for the middle class, providing coverage to locations where government run transits failed to reach.

This layer of low income labor appears to be the fuel that keeps China running at its extreme efficiency. 24h convenient store, fast food delivery, quick medical assistance, China runs like a dream, if you are middle class.

Right now, as allured to multiple times on our channel, the Chinese working class is at a turning point. There is an atmosphere of frustration from the working class, as prices of everything rises. The government has responded with various social welfare reforms, including universal health insurance, and introducing benefits for child raising. The goal, if I have to guess, is to transform China into a society similar to Singapore or Japan, balancing welfare and social efficiency. It's a race against the economy, as Chinese labor cannot stay cheap for long. Whatever happens next, China will not stay the same in another 10 years or so.

And that's our update this week. We'll have another proper video coming in a few days. I'll see you soon ok the channel!