Musings: Thinking outside the box

Thinking outside of the box is still really hard to do in China. The education system still encourages a great deal of rote memorization. The authoritarian culture discourages people from challenging the norms. The legal system doesn’t provide much protection for intellectual property. At the same time, China’s ongoing success depends on its ability to be innovative and creative. Can the country pull it off? It’s a huge question. Last week, when I was walking around the Shanghai Bike Show, I kept looking for a booth set up by a local company that had a new mind-blowing product, something that would stop me in my tracks and force me to say, “Wow!” I never saw that product. Maybe I overlooked it. But most of what I saw was derivative stuff churned out by OEM companies.

I swear that I didn’t ask this guy to ride around with a box on his head so I could snap a funky photo. We had just finished a climbing workout on War God Hill and were pedaling to Niutou Mountain when we passed this guy. After I starting taking pictures, he took off the box and wouldn’t put it back on. There’s always something bizarre to be seen on Chinese roads. That’s what I really love about them.