The history of a Shanghai villa
Update: The Atlantic has published “The Elegant History of Shanghai’s Rundown Communal Villas” which I wrote based on this post. But I had the luxury of adding more…
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The Posture of Youth
“Youth is easily deceived, because it is quick to hope.” ~ Aristotle I had unintentionally trailed the two young girls for much of the block. One walked with…
If a Tree Falls in a Forest*
A purposeful pathway slices through Wuding Lu (武定路）(formerly known as Wuting Road) and Kangding Lu （康定路）(formerly Conaught Road), parallel to Xikang Lu (西康路) (formerly Ferry Road). On the…
Mosaic-tiled public service posters in Ruihua Lane
I wasn’t quite sure how I landed in Ruihua Lane (瑞华坊) which is nestled between Fuxing Middle Lu (复兴中路) and Hefei Lu (合肥路). It wasn’t the most direct…
The happiest man in Shanghai
“Come along, come along!” he enthusiastically motioned me to catch up. For all his 60 years, he walked with a spring in his step while wheeling his bicycle….
The tale of a skaterboy
My first encounter with 万成（Wan Cheng), he yelled at me to mind my manners. The second time I spoke with him, I had asked him to remove his…
On street photography in China
Update: Thanks to Jonah, Jens, Imansoe and budak for your comments. Blogger Ren Yue, whom I mentioned in the post has also responded via her blog (in Chinese)….
Small town Shanghai: Who’s left?
You don’t have to wander too far from Shanghai to find interesting small towns, that is, ones that have not converted into tourist villages of Disneyland proportions. An…
Lessons from shooting 2010 我在上海 世博特刊 (Part 2)
I’ve been wanting to share stories from a photo shoot I did for <<2010 我在上海 世博特刊>> “2010 In Shanghai: World Expo edition” but preferred to wait until the…
Malchik*
“The tanks are coming! The enemies are surrounding us!” he screamed, dodging bullets from the machine guns spraying from all sides. “Fatty! Quick! Hand me the grenade!” Fatty,…