RE: The Ruins of a Magnitude 7.8 Earthquake in China
Earthquakes are no joke!
I have yet to experience one, not sure if I want to.
Fun fact: My first job offer was from Tangshan, or so I thought.
I took a train (the slow one, no high speed rail back then) to Shijiazhuang, only to find out the job offer was no longer available. (classic bait and switch strategy)
I stayed overnight, and left the next day. I was showing some pictures of Minnesota to some of the locals there, they were shocked to see such blue sky in my photos.
I hate to admit it, at the time the whole experience had a creepy vibe about it, combined with the worst air pollution I had ever seen in my life, (could not read the street signs on the other side of the street) I wasn't willing to test my luck, not at that time anyway.
I know its much cleaner, and much more modern now. I would probably laugh about my past fears if I were to visit again.
@sjsbikes, the eeriness is still there! I'm not sure what it was but both times I've been to Tangshan, I did feel a little strange. There is something creepy/unsettling about that place. I did enjoy the memorial and what not, but you are absolutely right! I am sure Shijiazhuang would feel the same. Shijiazhuang has the worst pollution in China.
Air pollution is a big problem in Tangshan. The first time I went there, I had a big headache. The air was very clean this time I went. I wouldn't want to live in Tangshan because the air quality usually sucks.
Its a dark place, and not just because of the pollution. It was (still is?) one of those places where you are either a rock star or an alien, almost everyone is always watching you, it can be unsettling if you're not used to it.
Most of it is just curiosity, as the only experience of western culture some of these people have is from television or or what they see on-line. In bigger cities its not too difficult to encounter people from different cultures, so its a bit easier to blend in.