Definitely one of my favorite trips: Our trip to Hangzhou was oddly perfectly (un)planned… trying to save money on one nights lodging, we decided to take a slow train (7 hrs) and get sleepers on the train instead of taking the typical 3 hour ride from Nanjing to Hangzhou. We arrived Hangzhou at 4:30am… just […]
Back in May, I mentioned taking a trip… and have finally uploaded photos! Nanjing was once China’s capital and from the visit to the lovely garden in the Presidential Palace to the Nanjing Massacre Museum there was a lot to take in for a short 2 day stay. Even when I’m in Beijing, I’m constantly […]
There’s been remarkable change of the Shanghai skyline in 20 years. I wonder what city life was like in Shanghai 1990… 1990: 2010: via BusinessInsider
An insightful collection of photos that a friend emailed, “Skills found in China”: Thanks Cyril!
I loved the traditional Chinese architecture inspired bus stops of Suzhou! It really does emphasize and tie together the historical significance of the gardens in this city. Lovely :)
I love seeing these maps on the streets, most likely aimed specifically at tourists. Yet useful even if you’re not a tourist. We can see a big difference between the old version of these street maps and the new version…I’m particularly found of how a story is told with the worn out section of the […]
My friend Sally, a Master’s in psychology exchange student from Taiwan, is studying at Peking University (Beida) this semester. I’ve been happy to help her with some translations and she’s kind enough to contribute one of her stories here: “北大洗澡記” 每天晚上校園都有不少人手提著塑膠袋或是小提籃，裡面放著盥洗用具，在寒冷的夜晚裡，走向公共浴室洗澡。我則是和室友走向更遠的浴室，因為那裏洗澡的地方有門可以關上。我來到北大最讓我驚訝著的兩件事，第一件事宿舍裡沒有洗澡的地方，第二件事是洗澡的地方沒有門可以關上。我聽我室友說在公共浴室洗澡，大家彼此可以看到對方的裸體。不過後來拿到港澳台學生用的洗澡證，我的心情好許多。因為港澳台辦公室知道台灣、香港和澳門的同學不習慣這樣的洗澡方式。有了這張卡，我們可以被允許進入留學生公寓的浴室，保全人員會先檢察我們的證件才讓我們進去洗澡。 我的大陸朋友說，這樣的洗澡方式都常在北方比較常見，所以南方人到北方求學，常常會很不習慣。不過她說，她們得習慣環境，因為這樣的生活習慣在北方已經很久了，即使跟行政單位反應也是沒有用的。我聽完不能理解為什麼反應是沒有用的，於是我只好點點頭。 “Taking a shower at Beida” Every evening there are many students walking through campus, bringing their plastic […]
A look into the interpretation of “public space”…. There’s one thing with hanging laundry outside one’s window out in the open; it’s certainly another to hang laundry to dry from public lamp posts! Love these silly Chinese.
During the long weekend of QingMing back in early April, I camped and hiked on the Great Wall (长城, Chángchéng) with schoolmates. Yup, camped. We stayed overnight in one of the barracks/watchtowers which is rented out by a local businessman from the Great Wall. He provided us with a delicious feast for dinner cooked by his wife, […]
I’m used to the squatting toilet by now, but on the train is a different story. That hole goes strait outside… to the train tracks underneath. There’s still flushing water though, to wash down anything that may have gotten left behind..
I was just reflecting on a recent trip I took with some schoolmates to Hangzhou during the May 1st holiday. And here’s one of many photos from the trip, though as always, looking to find the time to edit and post the remaining photos… Our trip to Hangzhou was oddly perfectly (un)planned… trying to save […]
Eating his noodle-lunch and checking his cell phone… at age… 7-ish? Adorable.
These old men just set up shop anywhere for their games of Chinese Chess: Love it! Nanjing, China
The US’s Dunkin Donuts looks like it has a Chinese counterpart “Sweety Donuts”. Same color scheme, same font! It’s too bad we had just finished dinner before coming across this shop, otherwise, I would have tried the donuts for a comparison as well! Suzhou, China
Randomly strolling through a neighborhood, I found some old men playing Chinese chess, as they often do in parks. I’m amazed at how active the Chinese are at old age, from dancing groups, martial arts, and card or chess games…all done in the local parks. I wonder about the stories they have to tell and […]
A visit to NanLouGuXiang was great to see with all the small independent and creative shops. From the pottery to Tibetan yogurt and craftmanship items. It’s a shame to come across this article in the Beijinger noting the change in environment from an authentically developed ‘tourist attraction’ to one that will potentially be artificially enforced. […]
I thought my room was small; this is a very different lifestyle…! With space pressures increasing in Beijing, the first “capsule apartment” complex has now opened in China’s capital – and according to China Hush it’s found at least one tenant. China Hush reported the opening of the capsule complex in Liulangzhuang, Haidian, earlier this month. According to […]
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 […]
A few photos from YuYuanTan Park (玉渊潭公园) this weekend:
Founded in 2005, a local Chinese graphics and t-shirt company called thething has some unique streetwear graphics. I like. Our goal is to design clothing and products that are innovative and aspirational, yet affordable. The inspiration for our designs comes from our daily lives and we try to infuse each product with a unique sense of style and […]