2017 RoboMaster in Shenzhen
United States. 2017. Summer. July. 3rd week of July. We are preparing to take off from SeaTac for a 13-hour flight to Hong Kong for a robotics competition in Shenzhen, China hosted by DJI, a leader in the drone industry.
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Hong Kong. 13 hours later. 11:00 P.M. Leave the airport at 12:00 A.M. Attempt to cross the Hong Kong/Chinese border to reach our apartments in Shenzhen. Unfortunately, we are stopped by Chinese customs guards who mistook our boxes as potential explosives.
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Hong Kong. 3 hours later. 3:00 A.M. We finally pass customs after extensive documentation, a very lengthy explanation by our Chinese team captain, and a very long phone call to some important Chinese officials.
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Shenzhen. 1 hour later. 4:00 A.M. Finally arrive at our apartments in Shenzhen and move all our boxes into the apartments
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1 hour later. 5:00 A.M. Finally get some sleep...for an hour.
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1 hour later. 6:00 A.M. Wake up. Begin reassembling our robots.
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Several days later. Beginning of fourth week of July. Frantically rebuilding/building our robots after encountering several issues.
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Several days later. We are competing in DJI RoboMaster. Approximately 80% of the teams competing are native Chinese teams. The remaining 20% of the teams are international teams, mostly from Hong Kong and Singapore. However, a team from Japan is here. Another team from Germany is here as well. There are only three teams from North America. One from Canada. Two from the U.S. One of them being us. The other from Virginia Tech.
The excitement and tension in the air is palpable. People are working frantically to make last-minute modifications. Teams are competing ferociously; some teams resort to cheating. Yet, there is an atmosphere is ingenuity. Clever competition tactics. Innovative, complex robot design. Our team learned much through observation. The following thoughts go through my head.
"Maybe we should copy that robot component design."
"That design has potential. We should improve it."
"That's a clever tactic, maybe we should use it."
"I have an idea..." (Usually a robotics idea or competition tactic inspired by other teams)
Thinking back, it was a maelstrom of ideas and impressions.
Whenever I had spare time, I would explore Shenzhen with my friends. It amazed me that this city was developed in only 30 years. Thirty years ago, Shenzhen was only a small fishing village. But in the brief span of those 30 years, Shenzhen had become the Silicon Valley of China as Shenzhen is known for its innovative technological startups, including DJI. In this way, Shenzhen is similar to Silicon Valley. Yet, Shenzhen is also quite similar to Seattle. Both cities are relatively small (compared to Silicon Valley) and underwent rapid expansion in a few short decades due to technology. Both cities are wealthy. The streets are clean. The buildings are new. The car models are expensive. Teslas everywhere. The occasional Ferrari or Lamborghini. In fact, it seems that the average Shenzhen inhabitant might be wealthier than the average Seattleite. Both cities have a similar atmosphere. A business atmosphere. A technological atmosphere. A technology entrepreneurial atmosphere. A "get-things-done" atmosphere. Both whisper the same things into my ears.
"Restlessness."
"Faster."
"More efficient."
"Get more things done."
Because of technology, both cities are constantly looking towards the future. There is no past. There is no present. There is only the future. Constantly looking towards the future. In a way, I found that unsettling. Having no past. Not being able to enjoy the present. But I do appreciate the futuristic mindset.
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Approximately a week later, the competition for the team is over. We barely lose the qualifying match. Difficult? Yes. But at least we gained significant experience and have many ideas for next year's competition. Not to mention, we now have a week to explore.
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Hong Kong. 13 hours later. 11:00 P.M. Leave the airport at 12:00 A.M. Attempt to cross the Hong Kong/Chinese border to reach our apartments in Shenzhen. Unfortunately, we are stopped by Chinese customs guards who mistook our boxes as potential explosives.
..............................
Hong Kong. 3 hours later. 3:00 A.M. We finally pass customs after extensive documentation, a very lengthy explanation by our Chinese team captain, and a very long phone call to some important Chinese officials.
..........
Shenzhen. 1 hour later. 4:00 A.M. Finally arrive at our apartments in Shenzhen and move all our boxes into the apartments
..........
1 hour later. 5:00 A.M. Finally get some sleep...for an hour.
..........
1 hour later. 6:00 A.M. Wake up. Begin reassembling our robots.
.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Several days later. Beginning of fourth week of July. Frantically rebuilding/building our robots after encountering several issues.
.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Several days later. We are competing in DJI RoboMaster. Approximately 80% of the teams competing are native Chinese teams. The remaining 20% of the teams are international teams, mostly from Hong Kong and Singapore. However, a team from Japan is here. Another team from Germany is here as well. There are only three teams from North America. One from Canada. Two from the U.S. One of them being us. The other from Virginia Tech.
The excitement and tension in the air is palpable. People are working frantically to make last-minute modifications. Teams are competing ferociously; some teams resort to cheating. Yet, there is an atmosphere is ingenuity. Clever competition tactics. Innovative, complex robot design. Our team learned much through observation. The following thoughts go through my head.
"Maybe we should copy that robot component design."
"That design has potential. We should improve it."
"That's a clever tactic, maybe we should use it."
"I have an idea..." (Usually a robotics idea or competition tactic inspired by other teams)
Thinking back, it was a maelstrom of ideas and impressions.
Whenever I had spare time, I would explore Shenzhen with my friends. It amazed me that this city was developed in only 30 years. Thirty years ago, Shenzhen was only a small fishing village. But in the brief span of those 30 years, Shenzhen had become the Silicon Valley of China as Shenzhen is known for its innovative technological startups, including DJI. In this way, Shenzhen is similar to Silicon Valley. Yet, Shenzhen is also quite similar to Seattle. Both cities are relatively small (compared to Silicon Valley) and underwent rapid expansion in a few short decades due to technology. Both cities are wealthy. The streets are clean. The buildings are new. The car models are expensive. Teslas everywhere. The occasional Ferrari or Lamborghini. In fact, it seems that the average Shenzhen inhabitant might be wealthier than the average Seattleite. Both cities have a similar atmosphere. A business atmosphere. A technological atmosphere. A technology entrepreneurial atmosphere. A "get-things-done" atmosphere. Both whisper the same things into my ears.
"Restlessness."
"Faster."
"More efficient."
"Get more things done."
Because of technology, both cities are constantly looking towards the future. There is no past. There is no present. There is only the future. Constantly looking towards the future. In a way, I found that unsettling. Having no past. Not being able to enjoy the present. But I do appreciate the futuristic mindset.
.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Approximately a week later, the competition for the team is over. We barely lose the qualifying match. Difficult? Yes. But at least we gained significant experience and have many ideas for next year's competition. Not to mention, we now have a week to explore.
Guangzhou. The capital city of Guangdong, located in the same province as Shenzhen. It is only an hour train ride away from Shenzhen. Like Shenzhen, Guangzhou has gone through extensive modernization. However, the atmosphere is different. It feels sleepier. Slower. Like moving from a fast river current to a slower one. There is no longer that enormous sense of pace that I felt in Shenzhen, which, while exciting, was beginning to wear me down. I visited the Ancestral Temple of the Chen Family that was constructed in the late 1890s. However, within it contained artifacts that dated back several centuries. The Ancestral Temple of the Chen Family feels like a symbolic link to the past, indicating that Guangzhou still have its roots in the past, something that seemed absent in Shenzhen. Pulling the traveler into the past. Yet, skyscrapers surround the Ancestral Temple of the Chen Family, pulling the traveler back into the present and maybe into the future. Unfortunately, I was in Guangzhou for only several hours before heading back to my apartment in Shenzhen.
Hong Kong. Can't visit Shenzhen with visit Hong Kong. After all, it's only a short subway train ride away to the border. And from the border, an hour train ride to Hong Kong. If there were ever a cultural collision of the East and West, Hong Kong is one possible result. Influenced by China. Influenced by Great Britain. However, in certain sections of Hong Kong, the atmosphere feels more Western. Western city layout. Double-decker buses. Western brands everywhere. A significant number of Caucasian or people of Caucasian descent. Western business attire. A significant amount of English. Yet, in certain sections of Hong Kong, the atmosphere feels more Eastern. The people. Chinese Mandarin. But even more Cantonese. Layout is like an early 20th century Eastern city layout. Instead of a smooth blend of Eastern and Western culture, the Hong Kong cultural atmosphere is more like a composite of Eastern and Western culture, with distinctive Eastern and Western cultural elements. If Shenzhen had a older, more Western brother, it would be Hong Kong. Hong Kong also has that sense of pace, like a city that never sleeps. However, instead of an emphasis on technological entrepreneurship, Hong Kong has many diverse types of businesses, both traditional and modern. I visited Hong Kong two times during my time in China. And my impression is that it's probably one of the most modern Western cities in Asia.
Early August. Our time in China is over. We dissemble our robots and prepare to head back to the U.S. Part of me was ready to go home, but another part of me wanted to stay and explore more. I want to visit several ancient Chinese villages dating back centuries even millennia, several cities in China such as Beijing, visit some mountains and do some hiking. There is still much that I want to do. After all, it's not everyday (or every year) that I get to visit another country. I remember on the morning we drove back, I took as many pictures as I could. So I would remember. So that memories would not fade away with time. Hopefully, I will be able to explore Chinese culture and history in the near future.
Early August. Our time in China is over. We dissemble our robots and prepare to head back to the U.S. Part of me was ready to go home, but another part of me wanted to stay and explore more. I want to visit several ancient Chinese villages dating back centuries even millennia, several cities in China such as Beijing, visit some mountains and do some hiking. There is still much that I want to do. After all, it's not everyday (or every year) that I get to visit another country. I remember on the morning we drove back, I took as many pictures as I could. So I would remember. So that memories would not fade away with time. Hopefully, I will be able to explore Chinese culture and history in the near future.