DesiGuy
SENIOR MEMBER
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2009
- Messages
- 4,138
- Reaction score
- -3
- Country
- Location
(CNN) -- For anyone who's lived in China, one of the most striking aspects of the country is the pace at which it changes.
"I'm just stunned by everything happening there," says 36-year-old Marten Strassburg, who up until a few months ago was living in Beijing.
Strassburg is one half of the duo behind Chinfographics, a website that creates graphics that visualize the rapid transformation China is undergoing.
Covering everything from China's booming real estate market to the country's newfound passion for cars and efforts to qualify for the World Cup, the graphics are designed to be thought-provoking.
One illustrates the skyrocketing price of housing in Beijing; another depicts the fondness the Chinese have for cars.
Many people are interested in China, but "if you just travel there once or twice, you don't really see what's going on there," says Strassburg, who lived in Beijing for three years before moving to Stockholm in the summer.
Chinfographics started as a way for him to keep in touch with friends like David Wang, his partner on the project, after the move, and stay current on trends in the country.
But the main idea is to get people thinking about China.
Strassburg says they want the graphics to strike people and get them to ask questions like, "Is China really that big? Is this fact really true?"
Chinfographics is a side project for both Strassburg and Wang, who divvy up duties. Strassburg handles design while Wang collects data from statistics branches of China's government and institutions.
They both come up with ideas and also consider requests that people send in via a contact form on the site. So far, they've done a series on population, property and autos.
What's next?
"Do you know how many people travel between Shanghai and Beijing on plane?" Strassburg asks, adding "we want to show the size, the power" of the travel and transport industry in China.
China's changes get graphic treatment - CNN.com
"I'm just stunned by everything happening there," says 36-year-old Marten Strassburg, who up until a few months ago was living in Beijing.
Strassburg is one half of the duo behind Chinfographics, a website that creates graphics that visualize the rapid transformation China is undergoing.
Covering everything from China's booming real estate market to the country's newfound passion for cars and efforts to qualify for the World Cup, the graphics are designed to be thought-provoking.
One illustrates the skyrocketing price of housing in Beijing; another depicts the fondness the Chinese have for cars.
Many people are interested in China, but "if you just travel there once or twice, you don't really see what's going on there," says Strassburg, who lived in Beijing for three years before moving to Stockholm in the summer.
Chinfographics started as a way for him to keep in touch with friends like David Wang, his partner on the project, after the move, and stay current on trends in the country.
But the main idea is to get people thinking about China.
Strassburg says they want the graphics to strike people and get them to ask questions like, "Is China really that big? Is this fact really true?"
Chinfographics is a side project for both Strassburg and Wang, who divvy up duties. Strassburg handles design while Wang collects data from statistics branches of China's government and institutions.
They both come up with ideas and also consider requests that people send in via a contact form on the site. So far, they've done a series on population, property and autos.
What's next?
"Do you know how many people travel between Shanghai and Beijing on plane?" Strassburg asks, adding "we want to show the size, the power" of the travel and transport industry in China.
China's changes get graphic treatment - CNN.com
