What happens when global thinkers explore modernization through 5,000-year-old Liangzhu jade carvings and AI-powered smart cities? 🤖🏯 CGTN’s Yang Xinmeng is leading a cross-cultural squad through Zhejiang Province this week, revealing how Hangzhou became the ultimate ‘time machine’ city.
‘It’s like Doctor Strange meets Confucius,’ laughed Kenyan archaeologist Mumbi Kariuki, comparing Liangzhu’s hydraulic systems to Hangzhou’s new quantum computing labs. The group visited the UNESCO-listed Neolithic ruins where advanced water management thrived millennia ago – then zipped to tech hubs where startups are coding the metaverse.
Spanish urban planner Carlos Ruiz told NewspaperAmigo.com: ‘Hangzhou shows modernization isn’t about erasing history. Those Song Dynasty pagodas? They’re WiFi hotspots now. Even street vendors accept digital yuan.’ 💸📲
The journey comes as China accelerates its ‘modernization with Chinese characteristics’ vision. But as Yang notes: ‘When Brazilian poets debate AI ethics with Japanese engineers here, you realize – the future isn’t just being built. It’s being remixed.’
