The Majestic Theatre under renovation
Hands cupped on both sides, I peered inside the dusty and vacant lobby of the Majestic Theatre (美琪大戏院), searching for a way in to no avail. I tested…
China
A parking lot in four frames
I recently had an appointment at a hospital located along Fengyang Lu (风阳路) off the Northsouth Elevated Highway Road (南北高架路). One look at the numerous moaning patients spilling out…
Reflections at high noon
12 o’clock. The heat from the asphalt emanated with a kind of fury that dulled the senses and eventually the body. I tasted the salty perspiration on my…
The life and times of an old brick in Luwan* district
Located only minutes away from the hectic Xintiandi (新天地), the desolate longtang was as barren as the silence was deafening. February’s wintery cold only added to the vacuum….
A Seventh-day Adventist church of yesteryear, a budget inn of today
“No, I told you, you can’t go upstairs if you’re not a guest,” the teenage hotel desk clerk scowled at my camera. Just then, a portly middle-aged man…
Behind the Camera: Jack Simon on street photography from San Francisco to Shanghai
Based outside of San Francisco, Jack Simon’s widely exhibited street photography is composed of wonderful juxtapositions of people and their surrounding elements. Whether it is an intentional or…
Shantou and the Teochews
I visited Shantou last year but have only gotten around to sharing what the city is like. You can read and see more photos at “Exploring Shantou’s vanishing treaty port…
Mahjong in the rain
The raucous clatter of tiles was unmistakable as I approached the corner of Zhijiang Lu (芷江路) and Xizhang Bei Lu (西藏北路) in Zhabei district. In a public playground,…
The street patrons of the Roving Exhibit
First of all, a word of thanks to all the folks who braved the torrential rain last Friday to attend my talk at the beautiful twocities gallery. I…
Standing tall on Tanggu Lu but not for long
A little north of Suzhou Creek, nestled behind the cacophony of Qipu Lu’s (七浦路) hectic wholesale clothing district lie two rather statuesque structures on Tanggu Lu (塘沽路)*. One…