[flymaipie]

Validating the ruble's stability by checking restaurant payment policies is like measuring global warming with a backyard thermometer. The attempt to link economic strength to 'masculine energy' is so absurd that I'm starting to wonder if this entire article is sophisticated trolling. Either this is brilliant satire or we're witnessing peak think tank theatre.

[yorwba]

Keep in mind that this article was originally written in Chinese and published on WeChat, where it presumably proved sufficiently popular that OP decided to translate it into English. So the author isn't just not trolling you, he isn't even writing to you.

All the object-level descriptions of other countries are unlikely to provide you with fresh insight if you're already familiar with them, but you can still learn something from the meta-level implication that this kind of content resonates with a Chinese audience.

I don't actually know much about Russia or its masculine energy, but I can speak to the author's observation that "on weekdays, the streets of Berlin were nearly empty, with few people and few cars," which he interprets as a sign of economic depression. Presumably, in his mind the capital of a major economy should also be an economic center, highly dense, full of people and cars, just like Beijing.

But Berlin violates all these assumptions and would look basically the same during a boom. It's a political center, but economically speaking just an average German city; the population is below the WWII peak, so density is low; public transport is popular and car ownership the lowest in Germany. Berlin definitely isn't Beijing.

(On the meta-meta level, this is also what it looks like when an article about China reaches a large audience on the English-speaking internet. All the actually accurate analysis just isn't entertaining enough to get widely read.)

[realhanwenbo]

Certainly, our views on an unfamiliar society are all based on our own cognitive systems formed over the past few decades, which are bound to deviate from those who are well-acquainted with the environment. However, it does offer us a fresh perspective, and sometimes it's beneficial to listen. Moreover, when it comes to views on Russia, most Westerners do not have the opportunity, as people from China do, to get somewhat closer and more personal contact with it.

[yorwba]

The author heard Putin speak in person, didn't get everything due to translation issues, and the part he remembers is when Putin made a joke about the US presidential election... The reliance on English as an intermediate and the overshadowing power of the US-China rivalry rather limit the typical Chinese person in their ability and motivation to learn about Russia in ways unavailable to Westerners.

Of course there are scholars who're fluent in Russian and have a deep understanding of Russian society, and if you look hard enough you can probably find some with a WeChat official account where they post insightful analysis, but their readership can be expected to be rather small in comparison.

[sedan_baklazhan]

Keep in mind that he is comparing a Russian province with the German capital city, much larger in size.

[realhanwenbo]

I believe this is not theater, but rather his genuine thoughts. I think his conclusions drawn from employment rate indicators are quite optimistic about Russia's economy. However, as you mentioned, it could also be like blind men touching an elephant, leading to incorrect conclusions.

[Arnt]

Seems honest to me too, but really: When you're spending your savings and reserves as fast as the Russians are, the situation should look great, no matter how good or bad it really is.

[chvid]

The masculine energy stuff is funny and certainly political incorrect but comparing Germany to Russia I can see how some might say that.

Russia has a surplus trade balance due to its oil exports - so they can keep the value of the ruble up. But the numbers mentioned - 500,000 rmb for fighting in the war and a covid test for 1,000 rmb - must seem excessive to the average Chinese.