Neal Stephenson's article on Shenzhen Special Economic Zone ("In the Kingdom of Mao Bell," Wired 2.02, page 98) immediately caught my attention. Being a Chinese American working in Hong Kong as an architectural computer animation specialist, I feel a strong resonance with Neal's observation on Hong Kong and Shenzhen's views on the computer culture. The people here don't, and never will, view the computer as an important element in the culture.
A note on Shenzhen: My prediction is that many SEZs, especially Shenzhen, will transform into many Hong Kongs in just a few years. But none of them will quite match the level of sophistication of Hong Kong - not even close. The mainland Chinese still lack the education, the mentality, and the openness to become global citizens.
Leticia Lau
100314.1225@compuserve.com
I greatly appreciated Neal Stephenson's "In the Kingdom of Mao Bell," but I'd like to correct him on a point of etymology. He is a bit off when he states that overseas Chinese with foreign passports seem so remote that Shenzhen locals call them "spacemen." He is interpreting the expression as in "men from Mars."
The expression is a Hong Kong metaphor for the space-shuttling activities of these Pacific Rim businesspeople and might have been translated better as "astronaut."
Henry Steiner
Hong Kong
RANTS & RAVES
DMV: Department of Monitored Vehicles?
Hong Kong's Computer Dynasty
