Images

798: Weng Fen’s Experimentalism

As I had recently posted, I took a trip to the Beijing 798 Art Distrcit and here’s a selection from one of the gallery shows: An awe striking exhibit with tons and tons of eggs: The crumbling of LehmanBrother’s.

blue skies!

I don’t believe it! This cold winter day was filled with gorgeous blue skies. I wonder if yesterday’s snow somehow cleared some of the smog and pollution. Yesterday: Today:

handlebar covers keep hands warm

It’s cold in Beijing, but the easiest way to get around is still on a bike. Many of the bikes and mopeds have these handlebar covers that keep those hands warm during a cold winter ride. I thought it funny to come across the Canadian company to sell the BarBra. Have they copied the idea from […]

nice to meet you, here’s my card.

I pushed myself to go to the first Ignite Event in Beijing, a few days ago, even though it was all in Chinese and only 1 of the presentations was in English. I can get around with directions and my minimal knowledge of the language, but attempting to listen to the speakers, it’s confirmed that I […]

Beijing bus stop

Crowds of people rush on and off the bus… Once they’re gone, more people line up at the designated spots.. Such a self-explanatory, simple way of organizing and coordinating.

water bottles galore, part 2

I recently posted an image of the many options for bottled water in China. This 4.5Liter bottle is interesting for a completely different reason. There are many bottles, or jugs, blow-molded with the handle as part of the mold, for example: WatsonsWater, on the other-hand, has decided to make the handle from a completely separate piece of plastic, […]

No Littering, Vendors, Begging, Pets

Some interesting notices in the Beijing Subway: No Littering, No Vendors, No Begging, No Pets. Was this instituted because of the Olympics 2 years ago? What would the subway be like if these notices weren’t posted?? Filled with all of the above? And not so clean..

happy lantern festival!

Signifying the end of Chinese New Year celebrations, the Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the new year. I headed over to Qianmen Street, south of Tienamen Square, to see crowds and crowds of people along with beautiful handmade lanterns and not so distant fireworks. See a few more of my photos on Flickr.

fooled by look-alike packaging

Wrigley’s, you fooled me! The green label made me automatically think the flavor would be mint. Instead, I opened the package to find an intensely floral taste in my mouth. Ahhh.. I see, the top of the cap says “herbal” and the side has photos of flowers. Fooled. And not enjoying this gum flavor at […]

another I can’t wait: WorldExpo2010

Have you heard? Shanghai will be hosting 2010’s World Expo from May-October this year. I’ve been looking forward to this event for a couple years now, and luckily, I won’t be too far away with a chance to visit! Check out a couple highlights so far: Glowing UK Pavilion will be used as a “seed bank with […]

photo documentary by Lu Guang: Pollution in China

Lu Guang (卢广) from People’s Republic of China won the $30,000 W. Eugene Smith Grant in Humanistic Photography for his documentary project “Pollution in China.” Sad, depressing, and beautiful. More images via ChinaHush I understand, now. My first day in Beijing was a hazy one:

‘Neighborhood Gem Project’

It’s the last day to submit a contribution for the Neighborhood’s Gem Project at Good in collaboration with Pictory. After arriving to Beijing and being a little homesick, I’m happy to have submitted :) I hope my photo makes the cut! It’s great to see a compilation of local neighborhood sites with emphasis on the importance of […]

culture shock #1: my bathroom stall

I’ve arrived in Beijing about 30 hrs ago.. alive, well, jet-lagged, and culture-shocked. I was more than well prepared for squatting toilets, but had no idea what to expect from my living accommodations. Leaving from the states, I thought that I had no expectations. And after arriving from a long journey to find a cozy, […]

Reclaimed Wine Barrels as Furniture

Not all that environmentally friendly when the Etsy seller StilNovoDesign imports reclaimed materials from France to manufacture furniture in California. Beautiful work, nonetheless. via IDSA Materials and Processes

Shanghai: no pajamas in public

The Chinese are trying to become more ‘Westernized’? Or ‘modernized’? Instead of accepting pajamas in public as part of the culture and allowing foreigners to see a different lifestyle, is Shanghai attempting to suppress the daily living habits of their local citizens? The wearing of colorful, boldly-printed pajamas in public has been popular in the […]

encyclopedia: Chinese contemporary art

ArtSpeakChina is an online wiki of Chinese contemporary art; it’s a collaboratively-authored encyclopedia that launched in November 2009. The guide is bilingual in Chinese and English, comprised of many articles about Chinese artists and the evolution of contemporary art with corresponding timelines of historical and social events. ArtSpeak China now contains well over 300 articles and […]

ice-hockey in Beijing

Canada, where hockey is life.. or something like that. I’m off for my first full day in Vancouver! In the mean time, check it out: Beijing has a hockey league. Too bad it looks like it’s only men’s…? Oh, I do miss skating! Sounds like they’re pretty good, playing in tournaments all over the world. […]

Happy New Year! (Chinese New Year, that is)

Good-bye year of the Cow…Happy year of the Tiger! Coincidently, the Lunar New Year falls on the American Valentine’s Day of February 14th this year. I won’t be spending the day with family; instead, this morning, I’m off to Vancouver with a someone-special to explore and enjoy the Winter Olympics! We don’t have tickets to […]

true ‘fusion’ food: Bánh mì sandwiches

Bánh mì sandwiches, if you’re not familiar, are a delicious Vietnamese sub that come with a variety of different fillings. What makes the Bánh mì unique (and fusion) is the use of French bread and pâté with traditional Vietnamese ingredients of pickled vegetables and meats. It’s interesting to think about how this sandwich came to exist through French-colonial influences […]