Thinking BIG!

To understand China, you have to think big. How big? Here’s some number form the recent weather-related and other news reports in China this week.

1. “hundreds of millions of people return home annually during [Chinese New Year].” Hundreds of millions—that’s at least the entire population of the US, if not more, all traveling at the same time. EVERY YEAR!

2. Because of the snow in the north more than “600,000” people are stuck at a single train station in Guangzhou city (an hour or so north/west of where I live in Shenzhen). Have you ever seen 600,000 people in one place at one time—ever?! The largest stadium in the US hold just over 100,000. The million man march in DC a few years ago had less than 600,000 people and it filled The Mall.

3. China will build about 100 new airports in the next 12 years! Yes, that’s about 8 complete new airports a year every year for the next decade!

4. China will have about 250 total airports to service 1.6 billion people when these new 100 are finished. The US, with only 300 million people, has more than 3,300 airports! If you’re keeping score at home, that’s 6.4 million people per airport in China and about 900 people per airport in the US.

China is like no place on earth! Ever.