The stress of a wedding dress
Peering through the window of the wedding store, past the orgy of exploding sequins, glossy taffeta and cheap lace, a gaggle of middle-aged and young women hurried around a young…
中国
What I am reading: Party propaganda, slogans and posters
Long-time readers may recognize the above Ruihua Lane (瑞华坊) which I have written about, particularly the mosaic-tiled public service posters that grace the walls. I had anticipated that the entire lane…
Toiling in the heatwave: whither thy subsidy?
His world was a three-block radius. Each day before the sun rose, he would wake from his dormitory bed which creaked from rusty springs. The mattress was thin…
Melancholic tang poetry on shikumen walls
Somewhere in the labyrinth of shikumen lanes between Jinan Lu (济南路) and Hefei Lu (合肥路), the soundtrack of longtang living was underway: the clanging of spatulas against sizzling…
A Xinjiang Trade Fair in Tashkent
I shared earlier that I was in Uzbekistan doing some documentary work on Chinese influence in Central Asia. Some of my photography has been appearing on the project…
Book Review and Giveaway of “Shanghai Shikumen” (上海里弄文化地图)
UPDATE: Congratulations to Patrick, the 10th commentator! Random.org picked you out of 18 commenators. Drop me an email via the contact sheet and I will dispatch the book to…
Hunger pangs at Da Fu Gui (大富贵)
The discovery of Shanghainese snackhouse/ restaurant Da Fu Gui (大富贵) was an accidental delight. As adverse I am to crowds, hungry hordes are hard to ignore when delicious (hence popular)…
Winter walking
It was only a few weeks ago, the cold and dampness of Shanghai’s winter had gotten to me in the worst possible way. Hibernation swiftly took over and…
And the dragons come aflutter …
The din of nearby crowds rivaled the incessant car honking as I alighted by the main road. Mustering great vigor, I dove into the busy pedestrian area around…
Grappling with Street Photography
I’ve been sitting on this series for a while. Well, not just this, there are a dozen others, but let’s talk a little about this one in particular….