This afternoon I went to Wujiaochang again at about 4.30 p.m. I stood in front of the tatty screen on the Orient Shopping Plaza and just pressed the shutter over and over until I was convinced, after perhaps 15 minutes, that the circuit was repeating itself. When I got home I discovered I had taken 232 pictures. Given how much text is on many of the ads on this screen, it seemed to me this might be the only way to deal with it. However, it is going to take some time to analyze all this and see what I’ve actually got.

What are my immediate observations? First, in a strange kind of way it reminded me of the local ads you used to get at the cinema in the UK, i.e. cheaply produced slides for local restaurants, with photos and text. I can’t tell if it was because of the poor condition of the screen itself or the low production values involved, but the advertising seemed cheap. Second, it seemed impractical. Lots involved phone numbers and email addresses to chase up on. How many people in Wujiaochang (except maybe me!) are even paying attention, let alone ready to whip out a notebook and jot down numbers? Third, a lot of the ads were for the Orient Shopping Plaza itself, and there were no ads for international or (I believe) even national brands.

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