 |
| Splashing around with water with two of my little cousins. (Picture courtesy of Maia & Raymond Siu) |
To see more photos of those two hard at play, see their blog at http://rayandmaia.blogspot.com/
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Ah, the things I much rather be doing
..instead of taking midterms.
To see more photos of those two hard at play, see their blog at http://rayandmaia.blogspot.com/
To see more photos of those two hard at play, see their blog at http://rayandmaia.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Oh, hello again study bunny.
Yes, it's midterms again. That means radio silence on this blog until at least Friday, when that black midterm cloud stops hanging over my head.
Wish me luck!
Wish me luck!
Friday, April 15, 2011
Ducklings and Chicks for Sale!
You can almost anything you need being sold on the streets of Beijing, including---but hardly limited to---fruit, notebooks, DVDs, and T-shirts. In the spring, this apparently also entails puppies, chicks, ducklings, baby rabbits and small gerbils/guinea pigs/hamsters.
I have to confess though, the chicks and ducklings are quite adorable. Not enough for me to buy one though (not to mention that I have no place to keep it).
 |
| Yes, in the box are live chicks & ducklings being sold. Haidian District, Beijing |
I have to confess though, the chicks and ducklings are quite adorable. Not enough for me to buy one though (not to mention that I have no place to keep it).
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
There are a lot of things I can't find in China,
but Groupon apparently isn't one of them.
 |
| Taken at the Jishuitan Subway Station, Line 2 |
Now if only they had groupons for flights home...
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
The Return of the Horses
For those of you who were afraid that horse transportation was slowly disappearing, don't fret. The horse-drawn wagon selling industry is still alive in Beijing.
It's a sign that the weather's warming up again and spring has returned when the horse-drawn wagons return to the streets selling fruit.
 |
| Haidan District, Beijing, China |
It's a sign that the weather's warming up again and spring has returned when the horse-drawn wagons return to the streets selling fruit.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Spring has arrived!
While I still despise winter, the best part of living in places with a 'real' winter (meaning a place with daily below freezing temperatures and snow), is joy of walking outside one day in March/April/May and realizing that spring has finally arrived.
Well, that day arrived sometime last week in Beijing. Instead of the sad, barren, empty trees I'm used to see lining the streets, now there are trees with little specs of green dotting the branches and others have even blossomed overnight.
Since this weekend is a long weekend (I have Monday & Tuesday off for Qingming Festival, the festival during which you traditionally pay your respects to your ancestors), today I went over to Yuyuantan Park to view their famed cherry blossoms. These cherry blossom trees, like the ones in Washington, D.C., were a gift from Japan to China as a offer of peace and friendship. Looking at the blossoms, it undeniable spring is here, and hopefully to stay for a bit.
I hope an equally pretty spring has arrived for all of you as well. And if it hasn't, I hope it comes soon!
Well, that day arrived sometime last week in Beijing. Instead of the sad, barren, empty trees I'm used to see lining the streets, now there are trees with little specs of green dotting the branches and others have even blossomed overnight.
Since this weekend is a long weekend (I have Monday & Tuesday off for Qingming Festival, the festival during which you traditionally pay your respects to your ancestors), today I went over to Yuyuantan Park to view their famed cherry blossoms. These cherry blossom trees, like the ones in Washington, D.C., were a gift from Japan to China as a offer of peace and friendship. Looking at the blossoms, it undeniable spring is here, and hopefully to stay for a bit.
I hope an equally pretty spring has arrived for all of you as well. And if it hasn't, I hope it comes soon!
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Shikumen Houses
In case I gave you the wrong impression of Shanghai in my last post, Shanghai, despite being a very modern city, does have older parts as well. Aside from the instantly recognizable Bund, another characteristic of Shanghai's by-gone years are it's shikumen houses.
Shikumen houses are a specific style of housing built in the latter half of the 19th century in the foreign settlements to accommodate the influx of refugees from the neighboring Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. Literally translated, the term "shikumen" (石库门) means "stone gate," which refers to the stone gates and black doors that were the cornerstone of shikumen architecture.
From the exterior, many of the shikumen houses look very Western in the sense that many incorporate architectural elements more traditionally found in Western cities into the buildings, such as it's namesake stone gates, and verandas. However, behind the gates most of the homes are still laid out in a more traditionally Chinese style that revolves around the central courtyard. In some ways, this mix, at least in my opinion, is the perfect mix of the blended Western and Chinese cultural atheistic that is so very unique to Shanghai.
While we were in Shanghai, Leslie & I spent a decent amount of time wandering around the shikumen houses in the older part of Shanghai. Although the shikumen houses (like the hutongs in Beijing) are constantly under the threat of a wrecking ball, there are still some areas with shikumen houses left, which I strongly believe need to be preserved. While the shikumen houses may not be glamorous or stunning like the Bund, they are also a vital part of Shanghai's heritage that is worth preserving.
Now for some pictures:
For more information on Shanghai's shikumen houses: http://www.shanghaiholiday.net/shikumen/
Shikumen houses are a specific style of housing built in the latter half of the 19th century in the foreign settlements to accommodate the influx of refugees from the neighboring Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. Literally translated, the term "shikumen" (石库门) means "stone gate," which refers to the stone gates and black doors that were the cornerstone of shikumen architecture.
From the exterior, many of the shikumen houses look very Western in the sense that many incorporate architectural elements more traditionally found in Western cities into the buildings, such as it's namesake stone gates, and verandas. However, behind the gates most of the homes are still laid out in a more traditionally Chinese style that revolves around the central courtyard. In some ways, this mix, at least in my opinion, is the perfect mix of the blended Western and Chinese cultural atheistic that is so very unique to Shanghai.
While we were in Shanghai, Leslie & I spent a decent amount of time wandering around the shikumen houses in the older part of Shanghai. Although the shikumen houses (like the hutongs in Beijing) are constantly under the threat of a wrecking ball, there are still some areas with shikumen houses left, which I strongly believe need to be preserved. While the shikumen houses may not be glamorous or stunning like the Bund, they are also a vital part of Shanghai's heritage that is worth preserving.
Now for some pictures:
For more information on Shanghai's shikumen houses: http://www.shanghaiholiday.net/shikumen/
Friday, April 1, 2011
Shanghai, Take 2
Stop number three (number four for Leslie) on my winter break travel itinerary was Shanghai. Although I had been to Shanghai previously (see posts here and here), I was excited to return and explore it on my own more thoroughly.
Upon arriving in Shanghai and making our way over our hostel, it was immediately apparent that we were back in the big city. Instead of the more laid-back, quiet(er) pace of Qingdao and Hangzhou, in Shanghai we were immediately greeted with giant crowds, honking cars and a large rush of people going in all directions. I distinctly remember turning around and saying to Leslie "We're definitely back in the city now."
Though it's apparent immediately that Shanghai is a very metropolitan city, I think after spending several months in Beijing it's much more striking just how modern and cosmopolitan it actually is. In comparison, Beijing looks like the older, more worn-down sibling of the younger, more polished Shanghai. While the best phrases to describe Beijing probably are historical and politically significant, the words cosmopolitan and modern probably best describe Shanghai.
In some ways, the difference between Shanghai and Beijing almost remind me of New York and Washington, D.C. It's undeniable that politically, D.C. is a very important city. The decisions made in D.C. affect not only the people of the United States, but often the lives of many people outside of it's borders. That being said though, Washington, while it does have it's own local scene, does not have the cultural pull in the United States that New York does. Washington makes the laws, but arguably, New York is the cultural (not to mention financial) capital of the United States.
Likewise, in China, Beijing is undoubtedly the political and historical capital of the country. However, if you look at art and lifestyle trends, I'd say the majority of the taste-makers are centralized in Shanghai. Not to mention that like New York, Shanghai is also the financial capital of China. So while Beijing dictates the rules by which Chinese people abide by, Shanghai tells them how their lives should look, feel, hear, taste and probably even smell.
Of course with that being said, not all of Shanghai is the modern, glitzy city that most people think of right away when think of Shanghai. There are definitely old parts as well, but I'm leaving that for another post. So stay tuned.
More pictures on Angela Photo Musings
Upon arriving in Shanghai and making our way over our hostel, it was immediately apparent that we were back in the big city. Instead of the more laid-back, quiet(er) pace of Qingdao and Hangzhou, in Shanghai we were immediately greeted with giant crowds, honking cars and a large rush of people going in all directions. I distinctly remember turning around and saying to Leslie "We're definitely back in the city now."
Though it's apparent immediately that Shanghai is a very metropolitan city, I think after spending several months in Beijing it's much more striking just how modern and cosmopolitan it actually is. In comparison, Beijing looks like the older, more worn-down sibling of the younger, more polished Shanghai. While the best phrases to describe Beijing probably are historical and politically significant, the words cosmopolitan and modern probably best describe Shanghai.
In some ways, the difference between Shanghai and Beijing almost remind me of New York and Washington, D.C. It's undeniable that politically, D.C. is a very important city. The decisions made in D.C. affect not only the people of the United States, but often the lives of many people outside of it's borders. That being said though, Washington, while it does have it's own local scene, does not have the cultural pull in the United States that New York does. Washington makes the laws, but arguably, New York is the cultural (not to mention financial) capital of the United States.
Likewise, in China, Beijing is undoubtedly the political and historical capital of the country. However, if you look at art and lifestyle trends, I'd say the majority of the taste-makers are centralized in Shanghai. Not to mention that like New York, Shanghai is also the financial capital of China. So while Beijing dictates the rules by which Chinese people abide by, Shanghai tells them how their lives should look, feel, hear, taste and probably even smell.
Of course with that being said, not all of Shanghai is the modern, glitzy city that most people think of right away when think of Shanghai. There are definitely old parts as well, but I'm leaving that for another post. So stay tuned.
More pictures on Angela Photo Musings
Guess what today is...
Opening day for the MLB! (That's the United States Major League Baseball for those of you not in the know.)
Okay, okay, technically opening day was yesterday (March 31st) but since China's a day ahead of the US, it feels like today is opening day.
I may not be a huge baseball fan or the most knowledgeable baseball aficionado, but even I'm excited for a new season of baseball. Plus the beginning of baseball season signals the start of warmer weather and (eventually) summer, two of my favorite things. I can't wait to get home and hopefully go to a Giants game soon.
So on that note, GO GIANTS!
Okay, okay, technically opening day was yesterday (March 31st) but since China's a day ahead of the US, it feels like today is opening day.
I may not be a huge baseball fan or the most knowledgeable baseball aficionado, but even I'm excited for a new season of baseball. Plus the beginning of baseball season signals the start of warmer weather and (eventually) summer, two of my favorite things. I can't wait to get home and hopefully go to a Giants game soon.
So on that note, GO GIANTS!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)