The smallest monetary unit of “globalization” in Allan Sekula’s photographic exploration of maritime work, Fish Story, is the container. World trade takes place to the rhythm of container shipping. ->read more

Over 30 big cars are parked in the church courtyard in front of the Cathédrale du Sacré-Coeur-de-Jésus in Guangzhou, which was constructed by French Catholics in the historic center of the Chinese port metropolis Canton. ->read more

“Today, two big mountains lie like a dead weight on the Chinese people. One is imperialism, the other is feudalism. The Chinese Communist Party has long made up its mind to dig them up. We must persevere and work unceasingly, and we, too, will touch God's heart. Our God is none other than the masses of the Chinese people. If they stand up and dig together with us, why can't these two mountains be cleared away?“ ->read more

As a now-historic model for development, the almost 2000 kilometer TAZARA train line was planned and realized by China. Built from 1968-1975 in the spirit of post/colonial solidarity, a liberated Zambia was thus able to transport its copper inventories from the Copperbelt to the Tanzanian port city of Dar es Salam. ->read more

Most of the companies operating the largest mines for natural resources in Zambia’s Copperbelt have their headquarters in Europe, North America or India. Bit by bit, Chinese corporations are taking over largely depleted mines or those that can only be developed in long terms. ->read more

In a fairly well hidden factory workshop in Hong Kong, we attended an Evangelical church service. A Ugandan pastor preached to a few Cantonese women. Marriage between African traders and Chinese women can lead to an improved residency status. ->read more

In the Weihai International Economic & Technical Cooperative Co. Ltd compound in the Eastern-Congolese city of Lubumbashi, Ms. Li Ou immediately re-directed us to her colleague Serge Mulumba. He is a perfect example of a complex Chinafrican web: ->read more

Serge Mulumba, the translator and mobile phone dealer from Lubumbashi, introduced us to his Pakistani business partners. They were previously active at the Chungking Mansions in Hong Kong – once a central location for African traders, which we visited during our trip to China. ->read more

In the cul-de-sac between the highway that leads through the Zambian Copperbelt and the NFCA mine under Chinese management near Chambishi lies a lonely memorial plaque for the victims of an accident. ->read more

The Chambishi ZCCZ Zone was established as a Zambian/Chinese joint venture at the heart of the Zambian Copperbelt based on and modeled after the Chinese special economic zones. In one of the few buildings already standing, we were led into a large, almost museum-like showroom with a giant A-380 hovering over future factory halls drawn onto the wall. ->read more

In the middle of nowhere amid a land reclamation site in the Chinese metropolis of Shenzhen, we climbed out of a lonely subway station and landed in the midst of a construction site. ->read more

The new city of Shenzhen with its approximately 15 million inhabitants affirms itself of its recent history in a large city museum. In the courtyard stands a model of the city with meandering veins of development extending to all sides. The metropolis continues to grow where mountains are leveled or ocean floor reclaimed. ->read more

In the middle of nowhere, on reclaimed land outside of Shenzhen, a new city district is in development. Traffic is blocked at the junction of “old” and new. ->read more

Established as “factory of the world” just decades ago, parts of Shenzhen are already being torn down again. Fordism – i.e. combining mass assembly line production, welfare state and standardized consumer goods – has entered into a new phase. ->read more

In a discussion with a Chinese translator, the contradictions of Chinese involvement on the African continent become very clear: like many foreigners, he employs racist stereotypes (lazy workers, who demand weekends off to go to church and spend time with the family, etc.). ->read more

Close to the Zambian miners’ settlement Kalulushi near Kitwe, a completely new settlement is being created, built by Chinese companies. In the midst of what seems like nowhere, an wide-ranging complex of single-family homes is forming. ->read more

The train trip with the TAZARA train from Dar es Salaam to Zambia ends in the provincial city of (New) Kapiri-Mposhi. This is where copper plating is loaded from trucks onto trains, to transport them from the Zambian Copperbelt towards the port. We too used the city as a transit point and interchange station – ->read more

The TAZARA railway line is still operative today and continues to play an important role in the fabric of relationships between China, Zambia and Tanzania. Shortly before our trip, the Chinese state president and his delegation visited a large cemetery close to Dar Es Salam for Chinese railway workers, who died during construction. ->read more

The graffiti on an elevator door at the Chungking Mansions calls for open borders and an end to nation states. Hong Kong’s visa policy was known for its pragmatic approach to business migration, while China formerly imposed restrictive immigration policies. ->read more

After visiting the Refugee Union, an NGO for the rights of refugees in Hong Kong, we traveled with an employee to a flat shared by refugees from the Central African Republic. ->read more