Blade Runner's New Jews – China, the diaspora, the future Hollywood won't show

terminaldrift.substack.com

7 points·boopity2025··6 comments

> ...maglev trains that hit 430 km/h

That's only one short track, connecting a major airport not even straigth to downtown, but rather the outskirts of that.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_maglev_train

And it isn't doing well, economically.

> Our movies should be set in Neo-Beijing.

Try 'Prodigy' corporate owned (one of the big five) New Siam, out of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien:_Earth

edit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobius_(TV_series) probably, too. But haven't watched that, so far.

No further complaints ATM. Just shrug?

The maglev is 20 years old, and the Shanghai metro has greatly expanded in that time. It's cost effectiveness has come down since taking the subway directly is only 6rmb compared the 50rmb price of the maglev.

However, the whole point of the maglev when it was built was to be a new model of innovation for transit. 20 years ago HSR didn't really exist in China, and now most of the trains run at nearly the same speeds.

So where the hell is our Chinese dystopian future? Where are the Hollywood blockbusters set in Neo-Beijing? Why does every sci-fi movie still fetishize the same tired Tokyo aesthetic that peaked when Reagan was president?

The answer involves Japanese porn, dying neon signs, and why the Chinese are basically the Jews of Asia.

Israel is in Asia, so I'm pretty sure that makes Jews the Jews of Asia.

Lol, very good.

Actually at least re: the first part of your odd comment, there is this recent video which does a great job explaining it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nA1NJf6bw0M

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