The dragon and the bear on the roof of the world
A young foreman from a construction site queues at the SIM-card desk of the glitzy Tcell shop in Tajikistan’s capital, Dushanbe. He’s well-dressed, drenched in perfume, and trailed by three Chinese men, all eager to lay hands on their phones again.
‘I’ve learned Chinese to communicate with the construction workers,’ he says. ‘Most of them are from China.’ His nod to his colleagues is politely returned, but they seem more interested to learn about the status of their Tajik SIM cards.
‘If you don’t pick up a few sentences, you’ll have no idea if they’re badmouthing you behind your back,’ the foreman adds.
They are handed back their cell phones and immediately launch a frantic search for a WIFI connection. The foreman herds them out of the store and across the street to one of Dushanbe’s numerous construction sites.
Urban makeover
It’s obvious the city is shedding its skin and undergoing a rapid urban facelift. The previous one started at
