Gated Neighborhoods

People here live in tall apartments which are in gated neighborhoods. Each neighborhood has its own shops, markets, schools, daycares, etc. We have a swimming pool downstairs along with lots of tropical vegetation and gorgeous landscaping.

I went to visit my little cousin’s daycare.

The kids eat breakfast in the morning there. Today they had noodles and little hardboiled eggs. I think they might be quail eggs? They are taught to finish their food before they play. Apparently the daycare workers are very attentive and actually will sit with the kids and feed them and encourage them to eat.

This next building is housing for workers and household help of the neighborhood such as security guards and housekeepers. It seems like everything is enclosed within this gated community like a mini-world. On the lower floor of the building is an exercise room.

Notice the rooftop garden! I wonder if this is for attractiveness or for environmental sustainability.

Here’s a squad of security guards doing exercises. Shenzhen seems like relatively safe city, so I’m not sure why there is a need for so much security.

My uncle lives on the fifth floor. He is definitely better-off than the average Chinese citizen. His apartment is relevantly large and nice, with three bedrooms, a kitchen, two bathrooms, and a living room. However, there are also eight individuals living here currently – my aunt, her mother, her brother, my uncle, my two baby cousins, my grandmother, and me. Additionally, there is a cook and a person that washes clothes. It makes for very cozy living! Unless you are extremely wealthy, square footage is scarce.

Here’s a sign of the spreading western culture.

Sumi, I hope you’re reading this. I found a “tree!”

See you soon!