August 6 - 7, ‘stuck’ in Shenzhen
The next two days were pleasant if uneventful.
I stayed in a cheap but clean hotel in a random street of Luohu District, Shenzhen. The hotel was only 130 yuan (£13 approx) per night, but it had a powerful hot shower, good a/c and functioning internet connection. I don’t really need more than that.
I spent my time in Shenzhen wandering around speaking Chinese, eating, and exploring the biggest electronics market on the planet. China is often referred to as the workshop of the world. Shenzhen and Guangzhou are two of the key cities where manufacturing takes place, along with the rest of the Pearl River Delta area. Electronics are just one of the many types of goods bought, sold and assembled. You can buy anything in this place.
Except for the one thing I wanted. A projector mobile phone. 投影手机。
This unusual phone can project films onto any surface from a lens on its top end. It also has all the usual features of a standard smartphone. According to Taobao, they are easy to find in China. But when I asked around in the world’s largest electronics market, no-one could show me even one. The reason was, apparently, that the government had put restrictions on the sale of such devices in the run-up to the Shenzhen Summer Universiade 2011. This international university sports event is due to start in the next two weeks, and is a big deal for Shenzhen. I guess the local government don’t want people projecting footage of the games to all and sundry. At least this was the excuse given by some of the phone vendors. They NEVER miss a chance to make a sale, especially to foreigners, so it must contain some element of truth.
I’ll buy one on Taobao.com
