…..after I was done exploring lives in rural Tanzania two weeks ago, I bought this book out of curiosity, in hope that it will also take me to rural China, the country that produces the technology we are using, to explore rural lives there as well. However, you don’t have to be interested in technology to be taken in by this vignette travelogue.
This book is about initiatives to use e-commerce, mobile payment, and broadband as part of Rural Revitalization in China. It is an engaging collection of stories that you will find out, aside from cultural differences, lives in rural Tanzania and rural China have similarities.
I really enjoyed reading this book. Apart from exploring the ideologies that drive companies to build technologies, the author, Xiaowei Wang, also confronts the question: “What does it mean to live, to be human right now?” This question paves her way to explore briefly the plans to industrialise China. First is Mao Zedong’s economic plan (The Great Leap Forward) in 1950s in which he attempted to collectivize farming, with disastrous results. Then Deng Xiaoping’s economic plan in 1980s in which he combines free market strategies and socialism and laid the foundation that foster technological companies like Huawei and Alibaba.
When I read about Rural Revitalization and The Made in China 2025 plan, I couldn’t stop thinking and start comparing them with Tanzania Poverty Reduction Strategy and Tanzania’s Development Vision (Vision 2025). Finally, when I read about China’s inability to innovate due to its culture, I couldn’t stop wondering and question: Is Tanzania still poor because of its culture? This book is really thought provoking and recommended.
