I spotted this “lovely” scene in Tianjin a few years back. The street cleaner’s trikes lined up waiting to be put to use. China’s mega-cities are still kept clean primarily by workers who peddle around on these and sweep the streets with straw brooms. Gotta love it! Related Posts: Going to Tianjin? Do This! Tianjin […]
Eric Liddell, Running the Last Race
One of my all-time favorite movies is Chariots Of Fire, which told the story of Eric Liddell, a Scot who ran in the 1924 Olympic Games, and who later went on to be a missionary in China (where he had been born). Here’s the official trailer for that 1981 film: (email readers, go here to see the […]
A City the Size of Kansas
Here’s a question — is there a limit to how large a city can be and still be considered a city (as opposed to a province/state or region)? That question popped into my mind when I read an article in The New York Times recently about China’s plans to create a super-city by combining Beijing with some […]
Friday Photo: Tianjin Railway Station
Taken in 2012 — heading back to Beijing after a day spent doing a history walk with friends. Love the palm trees! Related Posts: Going to Tianjin? Do This! A Catholic Bell in Tianjin Tianjin Churches Breakfast in Tianjin Three French Bells
Going to Tianjin? Do This!
I zipped down to Tianjin this afternoon on the bullet train to take part in walking tour of the old city, conducted by Doug Red, of Asia Walking Tours. We started out near the Kiessling, an historic German bakery, then spent the next two hours wandering around the old British and French Concessions. Doug’s knowledge […]
A Catholic Bell in Tianjin
“Why are you so interested in bells?” asked Father Z, the priest at Xikai Catholic Church in Tianjin. “There’s nothing especially interesting about bells.” Until that point I had let my Chinese friend do all the talking, explaining to him that this foreigner from Beijing was doing research on old church bells. This, however, was […]
