Comparisons of Urumqi, NYC subways go viral, show prosperity of Xinjiang

Comparison of a subway station in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and one in New York City Photo: screenshot of Twitter

Pictures comparing a clean, bright and modern subway station in Urumqi, capital city of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and an old, shabby one in New York City in the US have gone viral, adding proof of how lives in the remote region in China have improved after effective measures against terrorism and extremism since 2016 have restored stability.

Pictures of pillars with flower-shaped structures and light blue walls are in sharp contrast to the century-old New York City subway, where tainted white tiles are falling off pillars, exposing cement inside.

"Let us take a look at both photos below, and both of them tell us a lot about which country promotes a better life for its people," Twitter user Bosco Dantas posted.

Admittedly, it is unfair to directly compare a recently built subway station with one built in the early 20th century.

But "why can Americans spend $2 trillion in Afghanistan while they don't repair or renovate the subway they ride every day?" a netizen asked.

Some also pointed out that a platform without screen doors is very dangerous. Lines 1 and 2 in Beijing, which started operation in the 1960s and 1970s, were upgraded with screen doors and elevators a few years ago.

The New York City subway system has actually become a cyber laughingstock and inspired many memes due to its age and poor maintenance.

Not long ago, a comparison between that system and the subway in Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong Province, generated similar reactions, but what's different this time is the modern station is in Xinjiang, a region that had to bear too many groundless smears and attacks from the West.

Another Twitter user wrote under the pictures that Xinjiang has modern structures but people live poor lives. That was immediately refuted by a comparison of homeless people on the streets in the US and people strolling through a shopping district in Xinjiang.

Observers believed that netizens' reaction to the comparison demonstrated public discontent over biased Western media and politicians' endless attacks on China's Xinjiang region, which go against the truth.

The Xinjiang subway station also has station names and signs in the Uygur language, according to pictures posted by netizens, unlike the cultural genocide that some Western forces have claimed.

Twitter user Doro Zhang posted sarcastically "good news, they [Western reporters] did not get a chance to take a picture of the subway being built. They would call the site cordoned off with blue boards a 'detention camp'."

"You can always turn a blind eye to the progress that Xinjiang has made and find an angle to attack the region and China. But that will not help clean the New York City subway," wrote another Twitter user, whose profile is said to be that of an international student in the US.