Ethnographic dispatches: Spring 2015

Editor’s note: As some of you might know, 88 Bar members Tricia Wang and Christina Xu spent the spring of this year doing research and fieldwork around people and technology in China. Here we’ve excerpted some of the highlights from Tricia’s Instagram account.

 

First stop – a Tencent conference in Beijing headlined by a talk on “user research in the era of big data”:

A photo posted by tricia the wolf (@triciawang) on Dec 26, 2014 at 10:26pm PST

 

Second stop – spotting signs of upward mobility in rural Guizhou:

#bytesofchina – this is the bathroom that I’ve been using for the past few days. It’s an exceptionally clean bathroom compared to the ones in the city slums, where Yang Jie lives most of the year as a migrant worker. This bathroom may appear to be bare, but what I see are signs of upward mobility as the family has moved from the cun (village) to the Xiang (township). This bathroom has a light switch, washing machine, water heater, and shower head. The large dark maroon bucket holds the water that one has to ladle with a pail to flush ones own waste. There are several fish living inside the bucket. The sink is non-functioning. #triciainchina #livefieldnote #guizhou

A photo posted by tricia the wolf (@triciawang) on Mar 4, 2015 at 8:36am PST

 

#bytesofchina – Electric heating blankets is another indicator of upward mobility for rural migrants in China. My host kept the heat on low for the entire night. My host said that she bought the heating blanket a few years ago. She explained that having several beds is very important so that guests can stay overnight. Then she realized that they were still cold at night, so she bought two heating blankets. #triciainchina #livefieldnote

A photo posted by tricia the wolf (@triciawang) on Mar 10, 2015 at 4:02am PDT

 

#bytesofchina – Drinking water coolers are another sign of upward mobility in rural China. The water tank behind these people also has a hot water lever. The household uses disposable, clear plastic cups. My host said that she started buying coolers a few years ago when she heard from everyone that the tap water wasn’t safe to drink. In her village, which is a few hours away from the town, people still drink ground water. My fieldwork partner, @xuhulk noted that their use of disposable plastic cups makes sense given that there is no storage space or easy work flow for cleaning kitchen items. #livefieldnote #triciainchina #guizhou

A photo posted by tricia the wolf (@triciawang) on Mar 10, 2015 at 4:16am PDT

 

Lastly – the rise and fall of an internet cafe in Guizhou:

#bytesofchina – This #internetcafe in rural #guizhou, china is the single source of income for a family. After the husband was injured in a work accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down in 2005, the wife had to find a way to support their two children. A friend suggested she build an #internetcafe. When she first opened it in 2008, she was averaging 3,000¥ ($500) per month. She said they the cafe used to be full of children playing games and people watching movies. But in recent years, mobile internet made it to this region. People now play games and watch movies on their smartphones instead of the Internet cafe. As a result, she is now only able to make around 100¥ ($17) per month on the cafe. The other source of income is her husband’s disability payment of 100¥ per month. Her two kids have borrowed money to study at local technical schools. Since she doesn’t have a permit to run the cafe, her relatives, who work inside the local government alerts her when county police come into town. As mobile internet coverage and smartphone use have rapidly increased over the last 5 years, Internet cafes are slowly disappearing around the country. It’s fascinating to learn that the economics of maintaining a cafe in rural areas are less feasible now as people are spending more time on personal devices. It’s quite possible these spaces will become a relic of the pre-smartphone age in China. #livefieldnote #triciainchina

A photo posted by tricia the wolf (@triciawang) on Mar 10, 2015 at 3:55am PDT