This article comes from WeChat public account: Nine Elements (ID: jiuxing_neweekly) , author: old artists
A recent oil price war has brought global oil prices back to the “5 yuan era.”
Oil-producing countries have followed Saudi Arabia’s rapid price cuts and increased production. According to legend, Middle Eastern countries that are rich in oil and oil seem to be able to come to a “shareholder earthquake” just by agitating the oil depot.
The natural advantages of oil-producing countries appear to be at stake.
Especially the UAE, which is almost everywhere in the eyes of outsiders, has always seemed to be a kingdom living in another dimension of people’s eyes.
A majestic building plunging into the sky, but underneath it is a Middle Eastern style of a white robe and turban riding a camel, just like the Arabian mythical empire of “One Thousand and One Nights”. Ambition.
What kind of real faces are hidden behind this flashy and extravagant veil?
△ Mysterious Middle East country-UAE / Tuto creative
What is the proportion of foam in the UAE, which is a local tyrant?
As the saying goes, poverty limits our imagination.
If you arrive in the UAE, you will feel the exaggeration of this imagination nakedly, and you will not even be able to distinguish between true and false.
In the movie “The Richest Man in Xihong City”, Wang Duoyu, who has so much money to spend, has invested 5 million in a big project that sounds whimsical-transporting icebergs from the Arctic to the Alxa Desert.
This sounds like a fictional plot that may only appear in movies, and there are really rich people doing it in the UAE.
A businessman named Abdullah Al Sheikh prepared for 6 years, and wanted to use a modified ship to tow an iceberg from Antarctica to return to the country to solve the long-standing water shortage problem in the UAE. The cost is estimated Or up to 1 billion.
Netizens can’t wait to see how they slap.
Whether it is successful or not, the key is that this kind of wild project doesn’t seem to feel any money pressure and operation difficulty for them.
They are showing off their riches, except you can’t do more than you think.
There are always exaggerated marketing on the Internet that make people addicted.
“All supercars are on the road”-the real situation is not exaggerated to the extent that luxury cars are rotten on the street.
It’s just the fact that all taxis are equipped with supercars, even police cars.
Especially in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, they have successively purchased a series of luxury cars such as Tesla Pickup, Lamborghini and Ferrari, but it is difficult to see in the case of formal cases.
△ Crazy police car luxury car group
“The locals all use lion eagles as pets”-the legendary UAE people are so awesome and hardcore than lion eagles.
In the Middle East, flying with a raptor is no longer an anecdote. The badger is a manifestation of wisdom and wealth in the Arab countries. A good hunter can only sell for $ 1 million.
△ The pets of the Middle Eastern tyrants are hardcore / unsplash
The members of the local royal family, as well as many wealthy chambers of commerce, raise lions and eagles and other wild animals, but such people are very few.
In 2017, the local government has banned anyone from trading and raising wild animals. This phenomenon is almost invisible.
“In Dubai, beggars can earn tens of thousands a month”-In 2016, Dubai police arrested a beggar and found that his monthly income exceeded Dhs270,000 (equivalent to RMB 476,000) .
In other words, rounding up Dubai beggars can earn about 16,000 yuan per day.
But the truth is that begging in the UAE is illegal and has been explicitly prohibited. Especially beggars from outside the country, once caught by the police, were immediately repatriated.
In the UAE, if the government is generous, losing weight can give away gold.
In order to encourage people to actively lose weight, the Dubai City Government has launched a “Slimming and Sending Gold” campaign. Participants are not limited to their nationality status, and each gram of weight is reduced to 1 gram of gold.
△ How many fat people want to go to Dubai to lose weight / news screenshot
In the impression of many people, the UAE is always breaking real and illusory perceptions:
The UAE is best at building the “world’s best”: The world’s most luxurious seven-star “Sailing Hotel”, the world’s largest artificial island Palm Island, the world’s largest indoor ski resort, the world’s highest Building of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s largest Ferrari theme park …
△ Burj Khalifa and Sailing Hotel / unsplash
It barely reveals its ambition to the world, and never avoids showing off its richness.
How many people at the same time, outside this golden castle, smell a nasty foamy smell?
Dubai’s ambitions cannot be afforded by the UAE
Due to Dubai’s too high profile, many people have reduced the UAE to Dubai. But the ambitions of Dubai cannot be afforded by the UAE.
The United Arab Emirates has seven emirates. Abu Dhabi is the capital and the world’s top oil seller.
△ Abu Dhabi relies on oil to become a local tyrant / unsplash
The two emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai alone carry 88% of the UAE ’s GDP, while the remaining five emirates are holding back the two big brothers by only 12%.
The chief of the seven brothers, some people are so rich that some people are so poor that they almost go to the streets for dinner.
The poorest is Ayeman. Not only does it have no oil reserves, one of its main income includes the sale of various stamps. This economic method that is about to be eliminated is obviously difficult to survive.
△ The weakest and poorest helpless Yeyeman / unsplash
Umqawan is slightly better than Ayeman, and can eat by gas and fisheries.
Neither neighbouring Ras Al KhaimahFrance relies on oil to get rich, and can only survive by selling pearls as a primitive way. Fujairah can only rely on tobacco and vegetables to eat.
△ The gap between the rich and the poor in the UAE is striking / unsplash
The poor and helpless emirates have long been drowned by the light of Dubai.
Know that Dubai is not a talented oil capital. It was originally a barren fishing village that was isolated and unknown.
Many people ca n’t imagine how Dubai would look like in the 1950s-the population is only about 15,000, and the land area is 4,100 square kilometers. (that is, not enough in Changsha, Hunan Province) City University) ‘s projectile land.
△ 70 Years of Dubai / youtube
Most of them are deserts that cannot be cultivated. At night, they lose power and fall into darkness. Even toilets belong to western luxury goods.
All their economic activities are just around fishing and pearl collection in fishing villages.
Because of its position as an international oil and gas center, the Middle East has always been in a gameHostile atmosphere.
At that time, Dubai, with its excellent strategic location on the Persian Gulf, was a stable port for fishing and pearl collection activities. It also attracted many Middle Eastern talents to enter Hong Kong due to its low tariffs and stable environment.
△ The initial rise of Dubai is inseparable from the “Father of Dubai” Chief Rashid / wiki
Dubai does not rely on limited natural resources to succumb to the land, as is the case with the small island country Noro. Instead, it puts the money earned by oil on infrastructure such as building dry docks, seaports, aluminum smelters, and so on.
When the “Iran-Iraq war” began in the 1980s, Dubai once again took advantage of the fishermen.
In just 30 years, Dubai has jumped from a poor fishing village to a trading hub in the Middle East.
△ The UAE is now a Middle East trade hub / unsplash
During the next 20 years, Dubai has once again transformed gorgeously to prove to the world that Dubai is not a city that has nothing but moisture, sun and oil.
The aviation industry is the highlight of Dubai. Dubai opens unlimited flights to the world,As a global transfer station, Emirates is now one of the top five airlines in the world.
△ Emirates is already in the top five global airlines / unsplash
Tourism is another signboard for Dubai to attract the rich.
The seven wonders of Dubai, which are well-known in the world, herald the determination of Dubai to capture the world’s attention.
For example, the Sailing Hotel, which holds world-class high-end sports competitions all year round, and extremely luxurious tourism hardware, has attracted the world’s richest people to come here for vacations.
△ Dubai’s tourism industry is famous for its luxurious style
Now Dubai is beginning to be dissatisfied.
Today, the role of this “free trade zone” has also injected elements of the “city of innovation”, such as investing in 3D printing, driverless and so on. With a slight transition, it will quickly dispel the old technology powerhouse Israel Behind it.
You can laugh at the wealthy addiction of the tyrants, but you have to admire the courage and ambition hidden behind it.
Self-creation and self-subversion, don’t leave yourself a slight retreat.
△ Dubai’s tall buildings are calling their ambitions / unsplash everywhere
A person who comes with a golden dream is just self-hypnosis
“Everything is possible in Dubai.” ——
As every leaflet on travelling to Dubai says, Dubai is challenging every impossible in the world.
However, this fanaticism has almost reached the point of self-hypnosis.
The UAE is known for its high professional income, plus housing, medical transportation and travel benefits. Especially Dubai, it has a reputation as a gold sacred place for foreign high-paying professionals.
△ Dubai Street View / unsplash
But in such a golden city, all weak meat and strong food are under the naked rules.
The poor are not welcome here to fight with bare hands. How many people try their best to get an acre of three points, and Dubai is more willing to be the millionaire’s ultimate back garden.
△ Most of Dubai are foreigners living / unsplash
Don’t look at how luxurious the seven-star sailing hotel built in Dubai is. The six Chengdu hotels we live in are tourist groups. The Chinese guest is also one of the newest force of the sailing hotel.
The once-hot Dubai real estate market sped up foam in the wake of the financial crisis.
According to media reports, in the past ten years, the vacancy rate of housing in Dubai has reached 50%, and many office buildings are empty.
Currently, in Dubai, the real estate market is in a state of oversupply most of the time, and even investors have withdrawn their capital midway.
Not only can you see the amazing ticket game here, but you can also feel the more obvious gap between the rich and the poor, from outsiders and locals.
In 1980, there were only one million foreigners in the UAE, and today there are more than 9.5 million. Especially in Dubai, 80% of foreign workers support 20% of local nationals.
As long as you are a UAE citizen, in addition to getting married and having children, and paying for health care by the government, the government has also set up a guarantee system for the Arab locals.
Citizens can receive a subsidy of $ 55,000 each year. On the contrary, if the outsider, these benefits will not be available.have.
△ Dubai street shooting, the headscarf is a symbol of local identity / unsplash
The United Arab Emirates’ foreign personnel are also divided into three, six and nine. The lower-income groups are service industry personnel, and there are many workers.
Most of them come from India, Pakistan, the Philippines and other countries, engaged in hard work such as cleaners, security guards, drivers, takeaways.
The most inconspicuous and unfairly treated grass-roots workers, how much hard-earned money they earn, is not as good as a diamond thrown between commanders in the Middle East.
△ You can see many foreign workers in the street / unsplash
Walking through the old quarters and trade areas of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the brutal watershed is obvious.
The high-rise buildings towering to the sky are piled up in the trade area, all of which are covered with glass curtains, and you can see the shopping malls under the sun …
△ The rich and poor areas may also be separated by a wall / unsplash
Just right in the old town nearby, earth-colored low-rise buildings are visible to the naked eye.
Of course don’t have a Middle Eastern flavor, but you suddenly thought you were not in Dubai as you imagined. Just like the desert Middle East countries we saw in the news media.
△ Dubai Old Town / unsplash
The highest appearance rates are very humble Indian restaurants, and affordable shops like “10 yuan shop”.
Most of the products in the store only need “1 to 10 dirhams” or “1 to 20 dirhams” (1 dirham is about 1.89 yuan RMB) , the store is playing a cheerful South Asian dance music.
This hilarious joy seems to have nothing to do with the luxury of this city.
△ 恍惚 在 还想 在 今日 / unsplash
Even so, millions of foreigners are still attracted by tax-free pay and year-round sunshine here.
They still discourage the next group of people who are here to pursue the Golden Dream: “When I arrived in Dubai in 2016, the days of gold everywhere were gone, but now, a little bit of gold can’t be seen.” < / p>
They will tell you, do n’t think that you can pick up gold here. How many people plan to come here to dig for gold, but in the end they ca n’t make ends meet, and they ca n’t even go home.
△ There is a lot of gold here, but it does not belong to outsiders / unsplash
I have heard a story about an Indian who was born and raised in Dubai. He was born in Dubai. The city has raised him for 27 years, but he still does not have permanent residency in Dubai and is no different from the floating population.
For Dubai, he is just a passer, “I love this city, but this city does not love me.”
△ Locals and outsiders have formed an invisible divide / unsplash
As the epidemic spreads in the Middle East, the UAE has become even more lonely.
The impact not only on the oil-producing countries as a whole, but also on direct contact with the UAE giant aviation, hotel industry and overseas real estate investment.
The UAE, which was once rich in oil, seems to be thinking more about how long the signboards built on luxury gold can last in such a rapidly changing era.
Four years ago, they set up an unprecedented “happiness minister” who was responsible for coordinating various policies and improving the happiness of the people. In addition, 60 “chief happiness optimistic officials” were elected.
This may be the first institution in human history to govern “happiness.”
However, if you want to create a real sense of national happiness, you don’t have to throw money like building a “tall building in the world.”
△ The happiness of the UAE, ca n’t throw money / unsplash
Reference:
Amazing Photo of Millionaire Ultimate Paradise BBC
Will this place be the happiest place in the world? BBC
Can you really do anything in Dubai? ──Talking about the systems that are full of discrimination and changing from day to day
How can Dubai jump from a poor fishing village lacking electricity to a world-famous “golden city”? Change the day line
60% of Chinese guests in 7-star hotels in Dubai have amazing spending power. China Radio Network
The world’s tallest building observation deck is looking for buyers, Dubai real estate is under great pressure to destock. Interface News
Many street cars, “local tyrants” … Is this really the case in the UAE? CCTV News
This article comes from WeChat public account: Jiuxing (ID: jiuxing_neweekly) , author: old artists