I have had the privilege of visiting Shanghai 3 or 4 times in the past year, and have come to love the city. This time-lapse video produced by Maurice Dusault of Tiny Carousel captures well it’s greatness. Enjoy. (tip: Shanghaiist)
Hu Was the Leader of China. Now Xi Is.
Two weeks ago, the Communist Party of China (CPC) completed it’s 18th National Congress, at which a new set of leaders was appointed. The nine-member Politburo Standing Committee (PSC) that sits at the apex of Party power and thus effectively rules the country was reduced to 7 members, and all but 2 of the out-going […]
Guarding Tiananmen Square
On Sunday afternoon, I and a friend did something we hadn’t done in a long time — took a stroll around Tiananmen Square, the closest thing that an atheist nation has to a sacred space. Because the Party Congress meetings had concluded a few days previous, security was still very much heightened. There were policemen […]
A Nap in the Living Room
Happiness is a nap in the living room, especially when the living room is outside and it’s a gorgeous fall day and you’ve just had your fill of scraps from the tables of the ‘hole-in-the-wall’ restaurant that your owners run.
Chinese Bumper Stickers [3]
With grannies wearing red arm bands stationed every few hundred yards throughout the city to watch for and report on any suspicious activities, I feel a bit self-conscious walking around snapping pictures of bumper stickers. After all, what could be more suspicious? Never mind….here are this week’s installments of Chinese bumper stickers. Enjoy. Until next […]
Manchurian Catholics
In the course of my research on church bells in Beijing, I have been learning a lot about the history of the Catholic churches here. One thing I have learned is that, even though the Jesuits had favor at the imperial court and were often on friendly terms with the emperor and his family, who […]
