public toilet map

So smart to orient the map the same way the street is laid out! Proof that community living and communal bath houses and toilets are still used and needed, even in a ‘developed’ city like Beijing: I do wonder if this map is for locals or tourists, since it’s placed on a main street that currently […]

Beef Noodle King

It’s funny and insightful that the USA is used for reference when beef noodles are an original Chinese dish. California is apparently home to the beef noodle king. And here’s a Beijing location:

Cherry Blossoms

A few photos from YuYuanTan Park (玉渊潭公园) this weekend:

haircut in the park

3RMB for a haircut in the park! Outside of YuYuanTan Park (玉渊潭公园) there are barbers-on-bikes giving haircuts and shaves:

flagged umbrella

A tour guide with her flag and umbrella.. clever and inventive way of combining the use and function of 2 products:

shrink wrapped table setting

Each table setting was shrink-wrapped… to provide a sense of sanitation? This technique does ease the process of setting tables when customers are waiting hungrily for their seats. Each table setting is pre-kitted after washing the dishes and can be handed out easily to seated customers. And the shrink wrap, does somehow give the notion […]

tourists posing

It’s always a funny site to see tourists posing with monuments :) And I’ll be first to admit that I do the same. Even more entertaining is that the 2 couples were nearly on top of each other, attempting to take the same photo!

photography: ordinary Chinese laborers

Documentary photos of the life and work of ordinary Chinese laborers are exhibited by Jiang Lingda, a freelance photographer in Shanghai over the span of nine years. Coming to China as a foreigner, many times we overlook the standard way of life here (or as you may see in some of my posts, finding the ordinary […]

parking sign: bikes

Yup. Designated area for parking your bike: “zi xing che cun fang chu” A utilitarian sign:

water Bobble

I’m admittedly a little water obsessed right now since I can’t (or rather, am afraid to) drink the tap water here in Beijing. I may give tap water a try if I had the nicely designed Bobble… via Swiss-Miss

China pavilion – shanghai expo 2010

I previously posted my excitement for the Shanghai Expo. And here’s another pavilion that looks amazing! The china pavilion at Shanghai Expo 2010 is designed in the shape of an oriental crown, showcasing the spirit of traditional chinese culture. its main structure includes a six layer, 30 meter high roof made of  56 traditional wooden brackets. the brackets symbolize the […]

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.

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..

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 […]

‘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 […]

Why travel? It makes you smarter.

Jonah Lehrer wrote a thoughtful article in the San Francisco Panorama about the cognitive benefits of travel. Travel is not only for business or pleasure; travel allows people to think differently about problems and enhances creativity. Why do we travel? It’s not the flying I mind–I will always be awed by the physics that get a fat metal […]

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 […]

Moleskine’s Beijing City Notebook

I got a little going away gift in preparation for my Beijing departure from my good friend over at Moto and Design. Can’t wait to put it to good use! There are a variety of useful references included among the blank pages for note-taking or journal writing. I’ve always been a fan of Moleskines, and usually […]

Looking forward to Vancouver!

With a nice list from the NYTimes and DesignWeek Vancouver, I’m sure that I’ll wish I had more than a week to eat my way through the city! I had heard that there’s a great deal of Asian food in Vancouver, but I had no idea that it was to such a great extent. I’ll let you […]