Smart Cities and Smart Societies: The Shock, or the New Paradigm for a Smart Society

“How Many Things are Here...! “

An element contributing to mark a part of contemporary European culture from the Chinese culture is the number of things that one can meet in restricted, bounded spaces. In the western perception, harmony, beauty, quality, are often associated to essential, almost empty spaces: few things of high aesthetic value that come into harmony with spaces and qualify them. So far, “minimalism” has emerged in the western world to suggest the quality of such essence. In China, it seems to be different, there is a search for excess, for a high number of things that are brought into spaces and determine a diverse harmony. When a Chinese enters a hotel’ room he must be able to say: “nice! How many things are here...” Objects, furnishings, knick-knacks, mirrors, stuccos, large and small containers, decorations. “How many things are here” is not only the standard, it is a quality indicator. Perhaps, this different perception of the “number of things” is not limited to the use of spaces, but expands to the whole Chinese imagination, through which economy, development and quality of life are measured.