Jonathan Xavier Weinert 2008

A few week ago, my friend brought me to her grandpa's house (see picture below) in the countryside, a +1000 year old settlement where the roads are barely wide enough for one car. From there, the wealthy uncle of the family then drove me in their (brand-new!) Buick sedan to their beautiful new villa in one of Shanghai's new suburban developments (satellite cities). From the roof, I could see hundreds of identical houses being constructed, each separate, though packed tightly together. Two very different extremes in one day.

In one of my "Expression Sessions" with my classmates (see below), I asked them hypothetically what they would like to do if they had enough money that they did not have to work. I thought they'd say something like, join a punk-rock band or study poetry (kidding =)). Actually, 2 out of 3 said they would first buy a car and go drive somewhere! Yes, I think impending car growth is definitely on it's way to China!

Qiao Wenxuan (Jonathan)