With the precipitous growth of GDP, the wealth that common people are holding also snowballing through the past three decades. And until early 19080s, the word “star city” was no where to be found in China. Now the stars are blinking at the side of major metropolitans in China.
I happen to have a friend whose friend has an apartment in Clifford, a famous housing area located in south Guangzhou, which was developed by a big real estate corporation.
At 1400 hours we, my friend and me, got on the shuttle bus that is also run by the same corporation that presented Clifford. The bus starts from Tianhe Sports Centre and heads directly to Clifford. The journey was not long – only half an hour.
The day was drowsy, cloudy and steamingly hot. And I took a really deep nap. When I opened my eyes and found my thoughts alive again, we were at the gate of Clifford and it began to rain. Firstly small drops, then it was like the sky was wreaking its madness upon the earth out of no reason. – The nature is far beyond what human’s thoughts can reason.
We got our selves out of the buss. I saw, then, a lot of people coming out of a lot of shuttle busses which were started from various places of Guangzhou, Zhuhai, Shenzhen and even Hongkong. The bus station was well organized. I was amazed by its size and scale. This was how a private corporation manages the transportation for its residents.
The rain poured heavily cats and dogs, which made the trees and knolls surrounding the shuttle station looming. The internal shuttle service, which is provided within the Clifford, was free. Visitors can register at the gate and get on the busses without being further questioned. Clifford offers a plurality of shuttle lines, which clearly indicates its coverage of land.
What a city! I thought to myself as I sat in the bus, stopping every 100 meters.
The bus stopped and we got out. The sky kept wreaking its anger upon the earth. I found myself standing between a row of skyscrapers and a lake, both looming in the heavy rain which brought me a little feeling of mystery.
Roaming along the lake, I saw a huddle of swans, black and white, reside on the island centered in the lake. They were free and unbothered and dancing. In my head echoed the rhyme of Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky.
What a city! Again, I thought to myself. And the city is governed as if by a private corporation. However, all things seemed organized and regulated. I did not see governmental agencies there, yet nothing would make you think of the word “mess”.
This should be a star city. And this is a Chinese style star city.
