A New Essential Guide to Electronics by Naomi Wu explains a different Shenzen

“Hong Kong has better food, Shanghai has better nightlife. But when it comes to fashion – no one can beat Shenzen.”

Many things about the Hua Qiang market in Shenzen, China, are different in 2016, while Andrew “bunnie” Huang’s Essential Guide to Electronics in Shenzen first published. But the importance of the world’s first electronic market, and the need for help to run it, remains. That is why the book has received an authorized review, crowdfunded, the New Important Guidewritten by the famous writer and Shenzen citizen Naomi Wu and should be sent in April 2024.

Huang said on the crowdfunding page that Wu “has the strength to go around my weaknesses.” Wu speaks Mandarin, lives in Shenzen, and is more familiar with Shenzen, and China, as it is today. Shenzen has grown to over 2 million people, the central road of Huaqiangbei has been transformed into a car-free road, and the metro system has more than 100 new kilometers and many new stations. As with anything, marketers have changed locations, payment and communication systems have changed, and culture has changed.

Content in the updated guide is set to include familiar visitor guide items, such as “Taxis,” “Tipping,” and, new to this edition, ” LGBTQ+ Visitors.” Then there are several Shenzen-specific guidelines: “Sing?,” “Don’t Burn Your Connections,” and “Type It, Don’t Faiy It.” The first strategy consisted of plastic business paper bags, but “They’re getting worse now,” Wu wrote; the removal allows the 2023 guide to be sold for the same price as the original.

The first and updated guide is cleanly bound and focuses on quick and “Point to Translate” guides, with clearly defined text boxes. English and Mandarin for things like “RGB,” “Common anode,” and “LED ribbon.” “When searching parts, speed is very important, and it is faster to search physical pages,” Wu wrote. “The market is full of visitors who struggle to navigate mobile communications in order to convey their needs to busy customers. It’s not as effective as walking up and pointing to large, clear Chinese characters.” you want.”

Then there is another notable difference between the two guides. Wu, a Chinese, instrument maker, and former technologist, has has been quiet since the summer of 2023, following interactions with state security agents. The guide’s installation page states that “offering an app or download specifically for British engineers to install on their phones would be … iffy.” Wu said, “If I ever offer you something like that, I suggest you don’t use it.”

Huang, who previously helped prosecute the government over DRM laws, designed and sold the Chumby, one of the first. Xbox consolesopen the original Important Guide on Crowd Supply rights under a Creative Commons license (BY-NC-SA 4.0) restricted commercial content without express permission, which he gave to Wu. The cost of the book is $30, and the shipping cost in the United States is about $8. Credit to Gavin Zhao, who Huang considered a mentor and furthered his desire to publish the original guide.

List image by Machinery Enchantress/Crowd Supply