I agree with previous commenters about the gorgeous photos. This really gives us a sense of the place. It strikes me that on a macrocosm, this is what a lot of Substack writers experience on a microcosm: how we write about something that we authentically care about...presented in a way that speaks to our audience. My mother just mentioned that she thought my comments were very good, but they went on too long. Do I change to adjust to her ideas of how I should express myself? The central tension of expression, along with the desire to connect to an audience (and their dollars) seems unavoidable. What recommendations would you have to this city for how to manage these tensions?
You’ve drawn a powerful and insightful parallel that I hadn’t considered; the universal tension between authentic expression and audience expectations is something so many of us navigate, whether as writers, artists, or even cities like Xiahe.
Please, never cut your comments short on my account. It’s readers like you, who care enough to share such thoughtful reflections, that genuinely power me through the long hours of research and writing. It means the world to know the work resonates.
As for your question, my humble advice for the city and for any of us trying to share our work with the world would be to focus not on changing the core of what you express, but on mastering the how and the when.
The monks in Xiahe didn't stop their deep, private rituals; they still hold them sacred. But they also created a shorter, more accessible version for visitors. They layered their offerings. Maybe that’s the key for writers, too. Some pieces can be the short, vivid postcard for a broader audience, while others can be the deep, long-form letter for those who want to stay and explore. Your voice is your greatest asset. Nurture all its facets.
I'm so glad you found my comments helpful! I will continue contribute my thoughts. Thank you for your advice about layering offerings. I think that is a very wise approach. My parents and I had a fascinating discussion about some of the tensions described in this article. Thank you for giving us such good fodder for insight. My mom has done some consulting in China, and my father accompanied her. So they have some up close and personal experience with this.
Hearing that my work sparked a fascinating discussion with your parents is one of the greatest compliments I could ever receive. That's the entire goal, to provide a lens for deeper conversation and insight.
The fact that they have up close, personal experience in China makes their perspective invaluable. They've seen the landscape I'm only able to decode from a distance. Please extend my genuine respect to them.
I'm truly grateful to have you as part of this community. Looking forward to your future thoughts.
With my background on the travel side, this data and analysis jumps out to me as something that could be sold to the tourism business, especially for companies that travel to China. The Adventure Travel Tourism Assoc. has prepared papers on various countries' tourism offerings and has consulted with many countries around the world on developing their tourism.
This story is a modern version of what anthropologists and tourism scholars have been writing about for a long time. One French anthropologist writes about how tribes in New Guinea had to adjust when and for how long they did their traditional dance performances for the tourists' morning schedules and adjust the lighting for tourist photos. It's a conundrum. Indigenous folks can eke out a nomadic life or adjust a way of life for tourism dollars. Or maybe like the younger Tibetans use technology to keep more control over their culture and profits.
You've done a great job capturing this challenging leap, with the monks burned out from overperformance, yak herders live-streaming yak milking, and the profits going to the big money people. I see an attempt to preserve but also make money from spiritual and cultural tourism. It would be interesting to compare this with what Bhutan has been doing for decades, charging a big fee per head to enter the country and keeping them from being overrun.
One thing that would be helpful: Can you provide a linked list of all the 9 cities so far? There needs to be an easier way to access these stories. Thank you! And again, I'm blown away how you can crank this stuff out. More than 40 cites for this piece? You are blowing my mind.
Thank you, as always, for the incredibly insightful comment. You've perfectly framed the modern, high-tech version of that classic anthropological dilemma, the negotiation between authenticity and economics is exactly the core of the story.
Your point about the Adventure Travel Tourism Association is brilliant and something I'll definitely look into especially linking with those interested in China in such a way that when i focus on a Tourism city we can collaborate. After Xiahe i have covered Qiandongnan and Qinghai who have a tourism backbone. You will read about them later they are city 8 and city 9.
The Bhutan comparison is also a fascinating contrast in development models. They implemented a high value, low volume model by design from the start. Xiahe (and much of China) is experiencing a high-volume, moderate value model by organic growth and state acceleration. The outcomes for cultural preservation are strikingly different.
For a full list of all the Articles covered so far, the best place to look is the central hub I've set up:
Your support and expert eye mean a great deal. On to the next one! I am starting City 10 and its such a different city that focused on their Gaokao exam system. I am looking forward to its outcome.
Sounds good. I also think that you have economic, startup, and industrial data that would be super-valuable for financial advisors. You’re digging into details few of them are aware of that are relevant for investing in Chinese companies and the stock market there.
That's an incredibly sharp insight, and I truly appreciate you seeing that potential. You're absolutely right the granular data and value chain analysis I'm compiling is exactly the type of grounded operational intelligence that traditional financial reporting often misses, yet has real implications for investors focused on China's regional economies.
I would definitely love to connect with professionals who might find these insights useful, though I’m still navigating the best way to reach that audience. If you have any suggestions, whether people, forums, or platforms I’d be truly grateful for your advice.
Thanks again for the thoughtful and encouraging feedback. It means a lot.
I think a good place to start is to reach out to some of the folks on Substack who are in the financial advisor business. I can think of one right now that I could ask to see who needs this data and how it's delivered. I will send him a note tomorrow.
That would be absolutely incredible, thank you. I genuinely appreciate you even considering making an introduction. That kind of insight into how this data is best packaged and delivered for financial professionals would be invaluable.
I'm ready to adapt the format however would be most useful. Please feel free to share my email: lile@chinain5.org or Substack: chinain5.substack.com or the website: chinain5.org with them, whichever you prefer.
Thanks again for this. I don't take it for granted.
I'll have to come back and read this but just skimming and checking out the beautiful photos is also amazing.
Thanks so much for your kind response. It just fired me UP. I really enjoyed this article. I felt it was totally different BUT still forging ahead.
I agree with previous commenters about the gorgeous photos. This really gives us a sense of the place. It strikes me that on a macrocosm, this is what a lot of Substack writers experience on a microcosm: how we write about something that we authentically care about...presented in a way that speaks to our audience. My mother just mentioned that she thought my comments were very good, but they went on too long. Do I change to adjust to her ideas of how I should express myself? The central tension of expression, along with the desire to connect to an audience (and their dollars) seems unavoidable. What recommendations would you have to this city for how to manage these tensions?
Thanjs Robin.
You’ve drawn a powerful and insightful parallel that I hadn’t considered; the universal tension between authentic expression and audience expectations is something so many of us navigate, whether as writers, artists, or even cities like Xiahe.
Please, never cut your comments short on my account. It’s readers like you, who care enough to share such thoughtful reflections, that genuinely power me through the long hours of research and writing. It means the world to know the work resonates.
As for your question, my humble advice for the city and for any of us trying to share our work with the world would be to focus not on changing the core of what you express, but on mastering the how and the when.
The monks in Xiahe didn't stop their deep, private rituals; they still hold them sacred. But they also created a shorter, more accessible version for visitors. They layered their offerings. Maybe that’s the key for writers, too. Some pieces can be the short, vivid postcard for a broader audience, while others can be the deep, long-form letter for those who want to stay and explore. Your voice is your greatest asset. Nurture all its facets.
Thank you again for the gift of your perspective
I'm so glad you found my comments helpful! I will continue contribute my thoughts. Thank you for your advice about layering offerings. I think that is a very wise approach. My parents and I had a fascinating discussion about some of the tensions described in this article. Thank you for giving us such good fodder for insight. My mom has done some consulting in China, and my father accompanied her. So they have some up close and personal experience with this.
Hearing that my work sparked a fascinating discussion with your parents is one of the greatest compliments I could ever receive. That's the entire goal, to provide a lens for deeper conversation and insight.
The fact that they have up close, personal experience in China makes their perspective invaluable. They've seen the landscape I'm only able to decode from a distance. Please extend my genuine respect to them.
I'm truly grateful to have you as part of this community. Looking forward to your future thoughts.
With my background on the travel side, this data and analysis jumps out to me as something that could be sold to the tourism business, especially for companies that travel to China. The Adventure Travel Tourism Assoc. has prepared papers on various countries' tourism offerings and has consulted with many countries around the world on developing their tourism.
This story is a modern version of what anthropologists and tourism scholars have been writing about for a long time. One French anthropologist writes about how tribes in New Guinea had to adjust when and for how long they did their traditional dance performances for the tourists' morning schedules and adjust the lighting for tourist photos. It's a conundrum. Indigenous folks can eke out a nomadic life or adjust a way of life for tourism dollars. Or maybe like the younger Tibetans use technology to keep more control over their culture and profits.
You've done a great job capturing this challenging leap, with the monks burned out from overperformance, yak herders live-streaming yak milking, and the profits going to the big money people. I see an attempt to preserve but also make money from spiritual and cultural tourism. It would be interesting to compare this with what Bhutan has been doing for decades, charging a big fee per head to enter the country and keeping them from being overrun.
One thing that would be helpful: Can you provide a linked list of all the 9 cities so far? There needs to be an easier way to access these stories. Thank you! And again, I'm blown away how you can crank this stuff out. More than 40 cites for this piece? You are blowing my mind.
Thank you, as always, for the incredibly insightful comment. You've perfectly framed the modern, high-tech version of that classic anthropological dilemma, the negotiation between authenticity and economics is exactly the core of the story.
Your point about the Adventure Travel Tourism Association is brilliant and something I'll definitely look into especially linking with those interested in China in such a way that when i focus on a Tourism city we can collaborate. After Xiahe i have covered Qiandongnan and Qinghai who have a tourism backbone. You will read about them later they are city 8 and city 9.
The Bhutan comparison is also a fascinating contrast in development models. They implemented a high value, low volume model by design from the start. Xiahe (and much of China) is experiencing a high-volume, moderate value model by organic growth and state acceleration. The outcomes for cultural preservation are strikingly different.
For a full list of all the Articles covered so far, the best place to look is the central hub I've set up:
chinain5.org/#articles
Your support and expert eye mean a great deal. On to the next one! I am starting City 10 and its such a different city that focused on their Gaokao exam system. I am looking forward to its outcome.
Sounds good. I also think that you have economic, startup, and industrial data that would be super-valuable for financial advisors. You’re digging into details few of them are aware of that are relevant for investing in Chinese companies and the stock market there.
That's an incredibly sharp insight, and I truly appreciate you seeing that potential. You're absolutely right the granular data and value chain analysis I'm compiling is exactly the type of grounded operational intelligence that traditional financial reporting often misses, yet has real implications for investors focused on China's regional economies.
I would definitely love to connect with professionals who might find these insights useful, though I’m still navigating the best way to reach that audience. If you have any suggestions, whether people, forums, or platforms I’d be truly grateful for your advice.
Thanks again for the thoughtful and encouraging feedback. It means a lot.
I think a good place to start is to reach out to some of the folks on Substack who are in the financial advisor business. I can think of one right now that I could ask to see who needs this data and how it's delivered. I will send him a note tomorrow.
That would be absolutely incredible, thank you. I genuinely appreciate you even considering making an introduction. That kind of insight into how this data is best packaged and delivered for financial professionals would be invaluable.
I'm ready to adapt the format however would be most useful. Please feel free to share my email: lile@chinain5.org or Substack: chinain5.substack.com or the website: chinain5.org with them, whichever you prefer.
Thanks again for this. I don't take it for granted.
This is a great piece! So beautiful and fascinating.
I really enjoyed the research as well.
It was really fascinating especially the whole engineering BUT the whole fiction about losing the soul is still at the back of my mind.