A different kind of 7/11

Banks and post offices remain open through the weekend in Shenzhen. That’s right, they are open seven days a week.

Back home in Singapore, this level of service is unheard of. Banks, post offices and many other public institutions are open at most six days a week. The funny thing is, some months ago, I had a discussion with a colleague about why people in Shenzhen (at least among city officials) keep harping about how Shenzhen should emulate Singapore and possibly overtake it in the near future.

My thoughts?

其实前些时候在电视上看过相关的评论节目，叫板之声络绎不绝。当时心想，新加坡确实有一些政策值得深圳学习，但一味模仿，未必是件好事。毕竟新加坡的地理条件不同，人民的政治思想容易通过经济政策操控，因此很多时候经济是增长了，但生活素质并没有相对的提高。

老实说，文中所提到的官僚体制的悲哀，并不只局限在中国。新加坡也不乏精于拍马术者，只是层次不同罢了。