Artificial Poverty

From a visit to Macau and mainland China a couple of years ago. I don't think I had much idea of what I was looking at when I took the ...


From a visit to Macau and mainland China a couple of years ago. I don't think I had much idea of what I was looking at when I took the last picture in Macau but now I realise how incredibly ironic it is that the streets lining the areas close to the most extravagant hotels and casinos are still full of shabby, almost toppling units and houses. I suppose it really represents Macau the way I saw it- this place with a really odd mix/contrast/clash between old and new.

We stayed at the Venetian (pictured) the short time we were there and of course it was super fancy and gorgeous (I swear the water in the giant foyer fountain was scented) but it was so unnerving being in a massive, artificially created world. Once you're in there, your sense of time completely vanishes. You no longer even need to step outside to see the sky because hey, it's painted on the ceiling for you!

I find it weird how the alternative reality created for you within luxury hotels and the like is so completely different from the outside world; the real one. I think that's why I prefer wading through a dirty packed market with raucous street vendors pulling at me (the obvious tourist) than, you know, jumping on my freshly made king-sized bed with the embroidered silk pillows.

Am I the only one who finds staying in nice hotels a bit stifling?

I'm not sure if I'm just being overly idealistic but I could go on and on about why I find things like this make me very uncomfortable. Socrates says it ten thousand times better:

"Contentment is natural wealth, luxury is artificial poverty."


Until next time!

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7 COMMENTS

  1. my parents are from macau. i've never been to china, so this is eye opening. i had no idea there was such a huge contrast of poor and rich in the city. this leaves me feeling uneasy and sad.

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  2. What a lovely place.. and these photos are sensational
    lee x

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  3. oh.. so nice post.)
    Love your blog.))

    I now spend a survey of bloggers with such questions.
    1. Why did you create a blog?
    2. For whom you taking him? Want to be popular?
    3. How long will it keep going?

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  4. Those photos are really stunning.

    I feel the same way about staying in fancy places. I'm much more comfortable in a modest environment. Even my own house feels too big and grand, at least compared to the house I grew up in. :/

    Thanks so much for the comment. <3

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  5. Stunning photos! My family's from Mainland China, and when I go back to visit, I'm always taken aback by how large the gap is between the wealthy and the poor.

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  6. That is so true, I always find the true reality and indeed soul of wherever I'm visiting far more interestng than the manufactured luxury of hotels and resorts. Why bother visiting different places around the world only to stay in hotels that all look the same the whole time? Lovely photos too btw x

    http://modernlegacy.blogspot.com

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  7. so meaningful, for what it matters i'm with you, i think the same!! and i'm sure i will not change my mind in any case, this time!!

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