Illegal fruit

I had something happen to me twice this week that I haven’t had happen to me before. In this area there haven’t been too many street vendors on the main roads since the Olympics, something about beautifying the city and whatnot.  They’ve been popping up more and more lately, although they aren’t as commonly seen [...]

Only one? Family planning in China

We hear a lot of rumors, and rumors of rumors, about China in the US.  Some of them are true, some of them are half-truths, and some of them aren’t valid at all.  China does have a one-child policy, although how it’s painted in the West may not always be how every city and cadre [...]

Things I’ll miss about Beijing

In case you forgot, or never knew in the first place, 同一个世界 同一个梦想 (tong yige shijie, tong yige mengxiang) or “One World, One Dream” was the motto of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.  I won’t miss seeing and hearing that all the time, but this post is about things I will miss.  “Things I’ll miss least [...]

National Firecracker Holiday aka Spring Festival

I arrived back in Beijing on the 21st, right smack in the middle of China’s biggest holiday – Spring Festival.  It’s a lunar holiday that fell on Valentine’s Day this year, and lasts until the Lantern Festival which is fifteen days later.  Its name might seem odd, since northern NJ seems to be getting snow [...]

Foot binding: excruciating beauty

In the 10th to early 20th centuries, small feet on women were considered beautiful in China.  The foot binding started before girls began adolescence, and involved bending the toes under the sole of the foot, then breaking the arch and binding the foot and the ankle very tightly.  Each time the bandages were removed the [...]

The PRC: one big family

What goes into making a coffee table book filled with pictures of China’s many peoples?  1 year, 56 ethnic groups, and 5.7 million photographs went into such a book, which is titled, “Harmonious China: A Sketch of China’s 56 Ethnicities.”  Each ethnic group is shown through a family portrait, its young and old positioned amongst [...]

PRC 60th Anniversary & National Day Parade: timelapse and slow motion video

I linked to some videos the other day of the parade, but then I found this which is a much better use of your time.  It’s a great 3 1/2 minute video clip of the highlights. Also, here are some magazine covers from this week, commemorating the anniversary, by Danwei: