On the Karakoram Highway to Khunjerab Pass in Xinjiang
Following the end of the National Day holidays in October, colleagues returned to the office filled with colorful stories of home stays in Yunnan, shared bus rides through…
China
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…
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…
What I am reading: The Chinese photojournalist
Most major Chinese news sites have adopted the large photo essay format similar to Boston Globe and The Atlantic. But it is rare to encounter photo essays that are well-shot…
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…
A dog’s life
Warning! Some images may be disturbing for readers. The village of Jiangtaiwa (将台洼村) and Dongcuijia (东崔家村 ) are two of several clustered villages between the fourth and fifth ring of…
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…
The bazaars of Kyrgyzstan (part 2): food
This is a continuation of my series on Kyrgyzstan’s trade bazaars, as part of my 3-weeks in Central Asia last October. In my last post, I talked about…
The bazaars of Kyrgyzstan (part 1): layout and structure
(Editor note: It seems that I did not notice the lower resolution when exporting the photos, will sort that tonight. Please bear with me. Resolution sorted, selection of photos altered slightly)…