Category > travel

Pimp my ride, China-style!

Cars are a symbol of modernity and luxury, and particularly so in China, the largest car market in the world. Everyone is in on this: the government, auto companies, and of course, the sacred cow of the international economy, the rising Chinese middle class. As a country and a generation goes wheels up, one of [...]

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walking the legation quarter

Earlier this week, I decided to take a walk from the Beijing by Foot series. (One of my goals, before I leave Beijing, is to go through all 40 of the walks. They are like doing a giant treasure hunt.)  I chose the Legation Quarter walk as I’ve meandered through the Qianmen area many times [...]

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mapping beijing, isometrically

  Google Maps are pretty cool, but if you ever wanted to know what Beijing and other Chinese cities would look like if they were in Sim City, check out these maps created by Edushi.com.  Not only can you “walk” around a cartoon version of the city, you can also search by streets and landmarks.  [...]

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The fish named Paul

When my friend came to visit, she was staying at one of the Orange Hotels. Her room was not empty when she arrived, however. There was a little tenant already there. Paul the Fish was clearly a very clever fish, since he was armed with a Rubik Cube. Ever the polite houseguest, he even came [...]

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The World At Your Fingertips

The setting of the highly recommended Jia Zhangke film The World 世界, World Park brings the world’s greatest monuments in miniature straight to residents without ever having to leave China. As even obtaining a passport is an excercise in bureaucracy, never mind trying to get tourist visas, it’s easy to see why World Park would [...]

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