On my last few visits to China, I have noticed an interesting phenomenon — the conversion of 3-wheeled motorcycles commonly used by the elderly and handicapped into what I can only describe as fake cars. Someone is making serious money converting these 3-wheeled motorcycles into vehicles that look like they want to be cars when […]
And So It Begins
Last week, while making the trek to Tiananmen Square through multiple layers of security, I spotted this display in a souvenir shop: The return of the exalted-political-leader-on-a-plate souvenir, something we haven’t seen for a very long time. Two weeks ago, the current leader of China orchestrated a change in the constitution that will allow him […]
The 11th Foreigner
The National People’s Congress was meeting in Beijing for the past few weeks, and whenever that happens a new wave of silliness breaks out in the form of random (and mostly meaningless) “security measures,” ranging from bans on purchasing knives, flying kites, or rolling down the backseat windows of taxis. The silliness seems to have […]
