The China Hi-Tech Fair

The China Hi-Tech Fair has been held in Shenzhen for several years now, and I never made the time to go see it — until yesterday, when I finally went out of my way to visit. Hall 1, showing the latest in tech trends and visual technology, was a real shock to the senses. The 3D fitting mirror, the free-form laser engraver, the mobile robots… it felt like life will soon be very convenient. I don’t know how big the trade-off is between the pros and cons of this kind of intelligent technology — the more convenience technology brings us, the more drawbacks it produces too. If machines do all the things people used to do, what will people’s lives look like? Seeing today’s smart furniture, green energy and 3D stereoscopic stuff is already enough to make me guess what life in the future will look like. Technology keeps updating and affects everything around us. Maybe before long I’ll be able to stand at the southernmost tip of my country and talk face to face with a friend at the northernmost tip, with his expressions and gestures all shown in full. Next year will be ruled by the internet. With the Internet of Things, the Internet of Vehicles and O2O appearing, it seems only two things will be left in life — the network and electricity. Without them you’d feel empty, helpless, blurry. Gesture recognition technology is maturing again too; perhaps in a few days you’ll be able to see yourself in a real game, as if you were there in person, commanding the entire battlefield.