Part One: The Patrons
A Chinese museum is a fascinating place. Not because of the exhibitions of history. No, in a country with a heritage longer than that of Jesus the ubiquitousness of artifacts is less impressive than expected. Nowadays, with a proliferation of middle class Chinese people embracing all forms of...
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Totally Awesome Picture of the Week 67
When it’s 90 plus degrees with 100% humidity and your neighbor’s coal smoke is pumping along with the encephalitis mosquitoes through your broken window screen and down on the street the men who actually wear shirts have them rolled up past their nipples, while inside your apartment the...
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THE RED COATS ARE COMING! THE RED COATS ARE COMING!
Be it a tourist troop or school field trip, you will find these proliferating cherry swarms at most entry-fee free destinations in China. From the youngest shame-free squat-n-shitter to the saggy-jawed, corner-occupying coot, outfits of easy-to-spot-red are all the rage in this country...
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Hey, it looks just like me!
Have you ever wanted a view of the real China? Are you the sort of tourist who loves to dive into the heart of a place and see how it ticks, warts and all? You’re in luck. Inside Communist China’s new Living Museums, otherwise known as...
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Whether your strutting down the ready-made catwalks of “not yet skyscraper” alley or swinging your hips through the fake goods of Fashion Lady Mall: curl, fluff, extend, bleach, set, everything-else-you-can-think-of that hair and claim those extra inches you deserve! More persuasive and direct than a billboard and less money too! Bound to...
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Dear Old Chinese People Who Cheat the System,
Good for you. It’s about time the elderly started sticking up for themselves. So often your age group is portrayed as helpless and dependent. But I suppose you’ve had plenty of experience to teach you how futile it is to just wait around for...
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Dear Man Building a Brick Wall Over a Glass One,
That reminds me of something I once heard, an old Confucian proverb, perhaps: “Don’t build walls in front of windows,” I think it was. Something about possibilities, I suppose, or vision. Sound advice, though a little self-evident. Of course, the building of walls is part...
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