Witnessing China’ s modernisation through cultural currents and AI algorithms
TEBOHO KHATEBE MOLEFI
My journey to Beijing, China, began amidst the crisp, high-altitude air of Maseru and leaving the vibrant patterns of my traditional blanket felt like stepping out of a deeply rooted cultural tapestry into the unknown.
On the second night, I landed in Beijing where I began to see the most profound engine of Chinese modernisation, and the one that truly felt revolutionary, was Artificial Intelligence.
Its presence wasn’t subtle; it was woven into the fabric of daily life with an intensity unimaginable back in Lesotho.
My first encounter was at immigration – facial recognition gates processed arrivals with eerie speed and silence, a stark contrast to the often lengthy manual checks I was accustomed to. This efficiency, powered by vast datasets and sophisticated algorithms, became a constant theme.
The sheer pervasiveness of AI-driven convenience was staggering. It felt less like using tools and more like inhabiting an intelligent ecosystem designed for frictionless living.
This AI integration profoundly impacted cultural exchange. Translation apps, while not flawless, dissolved immediate language barriers, allowing for spontaneous conversations with vendors or fellow travellers that would have been impossible before. Platforms like Douyin (TikTok) expose Chinese youth to global music, dance, and trends at lightning speed, while simultaneously exporting Chinese pop culture worldwide.
AI algorithms curated my news feeds and shopping suggestions, subtly shaping my perception of China – suggesting local experiences based on my searches, promoting documentaries on Chinese history alongside international content. It was a powerful, personalized form of cultural dissemination.
Yet, observing this as someone from Lesotho, a nation rich in oral traditions and communal values, sparked complex reflections. The efficiency was undeniable, the convenience seductive. But I couldn’t help but wonder about the human cost.
The elderly street vendor struggling with a smartphone payment system, the potential for algorithmic bias reinforcing cultural stereotypes within China, the sheer volume of personal data feeding the AI beast – these were shadows beneath the dazzling surface.
China’s AI drive, heavily supported by the state for social governance, presented a model of modernization prioritizing societal control and efficiency, sometimes seeming at odds with the more individualistic or community-focused values prevalent elsewhere, including in parts of Africa.
In my exploration of the South Central Axis International Culture and Technology Park in Beijing I interacted with experts who gave me on-site explanations on the development history and the construction of the Metaverse Industry Service Platform of the South Central Axis – experiencing metaverse industry application scenarios and intelligent products such as the digital human bionic construction system, motion capture system, where I gained immense understanding of the forefront of the media technology in China – and appreciated it.
My trip became a journey through layers of time and technology. From the ancient serenity of the Great Wall, whispering tales of dynasties past, to Hangzhou’s tech world, China showcased its unique trajectory. Its modernization isn’t just high-speed trains and skyscrapers, it’s a deliberate, state-directed project leveraging both openness to global culture and dominance in AI to forge a new kind of superpower identity.
Watching the practice of calligraphy using water and brushes – a centuries-old tradition – at museums showed me that while advancing through technology, China isn’t discarding its culture for modernity; it’s attempting to digitize, streamline and project it with unprecedented force, using AI as both the engine and the amplifier.
The cultural exchange was vibrant and real, but increasingly mediated, facilitated, and perhaps subtly directed, by algorithms.
Stepping off the plane in Hangzhou, after the whirlwind of Beijing’s ancient majesty and imperial scale, felt like entering a different dimension of China. Beijing awed me with its history – the Forbidden City’s silent power, the Great Wall snaking over mountains, a testament to millennia of ambition.
But Hangzhou…Hangzhou whispered a different story, one woven with threads of breath-taking natural beauty and the shimmering pulse of the future, especially in technology and artificial intelligence. As someone visiting from the serene mountains of Lesotho, the contrast and the convergence here were profoundly striking.
Hangzhou’s beauty isn’t just skin deep, it’s a philosophy. West Lake is its soul. Watching tourists glide across its misty waters on a traditional boat, past willow-draped banks, ancient pagodas, and meticulously landscaped gardens, felt like floating through a living painting. The tea terraces of Jingshan village, vibrant green cascading down the hillsides, offered a tranquillity reminiscent of the highlands back home, yet distinctly Chinese in its cultivated perfection.
But this isn’t a city trapped in the past. The modern skyline, particularly around the Qianjiang New Town area, reflects dazzlingly in the Qiantang River – sleek towers of glass and steel reaching confidently skyward. It’s a harmony I hadn’t fully grasped before…ancient serenity cradled by bold, contemporary ambition.
And that ambition is most vividly embodied in Hangzhou’s embrace of technology and AI. Coming from Lesotho, where technology adoption is growing but often faces infrastructure hurdles, the sheer seamlessness here felt like stepping onto another planet.
Forget fumbling for cash, everything is paid for with a tap of your phone (Alipay/WeChat Pay). Street vendors, hole-in-the-wall noodle shops, luxury boutiques – all seamlessly integrated. But it goes far beyond payments.
Hangzhou is a pioneer in the ‘City Brain’ project, powered by Alibaba which is headquartered right the same city. It’s an AI system processing massive real-time data from traffic cameras, sensors, and public transport. While I couldn’t see the AI itself, I felt its effects. Traffic flow, even during rush hour, seemed noticeably smoother than in many megacities.
Public transport apps predicted bus arrivals to the minute. In malls, smart screens offered personalized recommendations. Facial recognition streamlines entry almost everywhere – though this also sparked thoughts about privacy, a conversation we don’t often have at scale back home.
The most poignant moment during my walks across the city was seeing elderly locals in a park, practicing Tai Chi in the shadow of a giant screen displaying complex real-time city data visualizations. It captured Hangzhou perfectly, deep-rooted tradition existing comfortably alongside a relentless drive towards an AI-powered future.
For me, from Lesotho, it highlighted both the immense possibilities and the significant challenges. The efficiency, the convenience, the sheer smartness of the city is intoxicating. It shows what’s possible when technology is woven into the urban fabric with significant investment and intent.
Yet, it also underscored the digital divide. The infrastructure requirements, the investment needed, are colossal. Witnessing this level of integration made me think deeply about how Lesotho can harness technology – perhaps starting with more accessible mobile solutions for agriculture or healthcare – to leapfrog certain challenges, even if we don’t replicate Hangzhou’s model exactly.
Hangzhou offered me, a visitor from the Maseru, a powerful vision. It’s a city where the tranquillity of West Lake coexists with the humming servers of the tech giants, where ancient tea-picking traditions meet algorithms optimizing traffic flow.
It’s a beautiful, modern metropolis showing that the future isn’t just about steel and glass, but about intelligently weaving data and AI into the very soul of a place, aiming to enhance life while striving to preserve its spirit.
It was a glimpse of a potential future, both inspiring and humbling, leaving me with much to ponder about our own path in Lesotho.
Flying back towards the mountains which are home to me, I carried not just souvenirs, but a profound sense of witnessing a civilization hurtling into the future on its own terms. China’s modernization offers a compelling, albeit complex, vision, a world where ancient wisdom coexists with cutting-edge AI, and cultural exchange flows as rapidly as data packets across a 5G network.
It presents both immense opportunities for global connection and significant questions about privacy, equity, and the very essence of human interaction in the age of the algorithm. Lesotho, with its own deep traditions and developing tech landscape, has much to observe, learn from, and perhaps cautiously integrate, as the currents of Chinese modernization continue to reshape the world.
The journey between our two lands felt less like traversing distance and more like traversing the evolving landscape of our shared, technologically mediated future.
