Most Americans know nothing of China. Living in a fog of misconceptions they imagine an Asian “Gulag” peopled by mindless robots, living in poverty. They see images of North Korea, and visualize China as it’s twin.

I was quite surprised by the reality of China, from my first visit in 2015. Surprised by its people, and surprised by its prosperity. There are some aspects of China that are far more modern than America.

Although in some ways China is at a stage of industrialization characterized by “growth at any cost”, there is a clear sense of concern about pollution.

This is not the place to go into great detail about life in China. But since it is night time here I want to mention the garish light displays that awaken after the sun goes down. Modern high-rise building become colorful canvases for messaging or just artistic light shows. Businesses lure customers with bright lights.

All of this comes at a cost. Light-pollution is itself a disruption to the tranquility of the night. And all those lights require electricity. Generating electricity almost always involved pollution of one sort or another.

Some subway systems here project bright messaging or advertisements on the walls of the underground tunnels so they can be seen by passengers.