‘Living in future...’: Bengaluru startup founder’s China visit sparks debate on India’s development gap

Dania Faruqui, a Bengaluru-based startup founder, has sparked a wide-ranging conversation on LinkedIn after sharing her first-hand experience of visiting China’s lesser-known city of Shantou. What began as a research trip into wearable electric tech turned into a deep dive into China’s urban innovation, infrastructure, and public planning — far beyond what she had anticipated.

“My mind got totally blown away in China,” wrote Faruqui, reflecting on her 29th day as a full-time entrepreneur without a salary. The founder said she had initially been exploring China’s advancements in wearable tech, where it ranks as a global leader in high-quality production. A spontaneous decision led her to travel to Shantou — a city the locals described as “small,” but which, by Indian standards, felt anything but small.

“I expected it to be like a small town in India — maybe underdeveloped, slow-paced — but Shantou shattered every stereotype,” Faruqui shared.

She described:

• EV cabs zipping through city roads at 120 km/h
• Meticulously planned roads with separate lanes for pedestrians, two-wheelers (all electric), and four-wheelers
• Clean streets, visible greenery, and an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 5 despite it being an industrial hub
• Seamless urban planning, high-rise buildings, and flyovers at every turn
• Surprisingly affordable travel and accommodation (including a Sheraton at ₹5,000 a night)

Flights within China, she noted, were astoundingly cheap — with bookings between major cities available for under ₹5,000 just days in advance. Even the 120-km airport commute took only 75 minutes.

What left the deepest impact, however, was the sense of societal mindfulness and inclusion. “From restaurants to shopping malls, there were activity areas to engage children — Lego tables, clay corners, even small fish tanks for kids to play. Most children weren’t glued to screens. That level of planning doesn’t happen by accident,” she noted, hinting at possible government mandates or strong public policy behind such integration.

Despite being a solo woman traveler who didn’t speak Mandarin, Faruqui described her experience as “safe, respectful, and surprisingly welcoming.”

The viral post struck a chord with netizens, many of whom echoed her sentiment that China’s domestic infrastructure has long outpaced public perception — especially in India.

“Absolutely eye-opening… when you block out the external noise, you can focus deeply on nation-building,” said one user.

Another commented, “They had this scale and quality even two decades ago — what we see now is just the compound effect of consistent focus.”

A third added, “Anyone who’s been to China knows the shock. It’s not just a step ahead — it’s a different game. India has the potential, but we need speed, scale, and sharper execution to bridge this gap.”

Faruqui concluded her reflection with a sharp contrast: “I went to China thinking I’d find something similar to India. But China is living in the future. We just don’t know it yet.”