Dear Beijing, It’s been two weeks since I dumped you. I haven’t regretted that decision one bit. Even more than New York, we had a real love/hate relationship. quirkyBeijing started because I wanted to like you a little bit. Other people instantly fell in love with you, but I just couldn’t see it. I could [...]
Category > beijing
beijing in vintage postcards from images of asia
Street cleaners wash down a city street in old Beijing. Chinese Lunch Counter on the Streets of Beijing Chinese Water Carrier The Images of Asia stock image website combines two of my favorite things: vintage postcards and historic China. These evocative postcards, some with their original stamps, are organized by cities and by studios. [...]
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. [...]
a life displayed: song dong’s ‘waste not’
From the New York Times is this wonderful slideshow and related article of a thought-provoking exhibition in New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Created by the artist Song Dong, the exhibition displays the accumulated everyday possessions from the life of a Beijing woman, the artist’s mother Zhao Xiangyuan. Even the most ordinary and inconsequential items [...]
To Be Frugal Is Glorious: 7.3 RMB in 3 Days!
(Photo originally from Jalopnik.) After my bad start, I have managed to only spend 7.3 RMB (1.07 USD) in the last 3 days. The only things that I bought on Tuesday were 5 RMB of strawberries (going to make Mark Bittman’s easy sorbet) and 2.3 RMB worth of lettuce, scallions, and bean sprouts. I love [...]
To Be Frugal Is Glorious: The 1000 RMB Challenge
For a variety of reasons that can be filed under Being a Student Without Medical Insurance, Visa Problems, and The Unstable Life of Freelancing, once I’ve set aside my rent, I only have 1000 RMB (146.32 USD) for the month for all of my expenses, including bills. Alas, Beijing is an expensive city, not only [...]
“none holds for me the abiding charm that is peking”
I have just discovered the Travel Film Archive, a collection of travel footage from 1900 to 1970 available on YouTube. If you’re a fan of old newsreels, you’ll probably love this. Complete with serious voiceovers and the slightly patronizing tone of the man on the spot to those funny foreigners, they capture a time when [...]
China via Fodor’s, circa 1979
Now that the Olympics are over, and we in Beijing have nothing to talk about, it’s worth taking a look at how China was perceived through American eyes back in the day. Recently, I was given a copy of Fodor’s People’s Republic of China, published in 1979. Written by John Summerfield, “a long-time resident of [...]
how Beijing is different during the Olympics
1. There’s no street food. This bothers me the most since I’m always hungry before and after work, and even though my commute only takes half an hour, I need to eat something on my way to the subway. The informal vendors who used to hang out by the Dawanglu subway station are no longer [...]
beijing natives – 北京土著
Beijing is changing, Beijing is gone, Beijing will never be the same again. It’s only been a year since I arrived in Beijing. I only know what I know, the Beijing of today which has catapaulted itself into an Olympic city. Even the city that I know now is very different from the city I [...]
