Category Archives: Places of Significance

Beijing – Jonathan Shaller

Jonathan Shaller, a fellow traveler from the Red Lantern Hostel in Beijing, rendered this pavilion using Autodesk Maya. Jonathan is a professional 3D Environmental Artist with an impressive background. Notably, he’s worked on the graphics for The Chronicles of Narnia, more »

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Beijing – Forbidden City – Museum

The Imperial bedroom was the most popular scene in the Forbidden City. Crowds of tourists pressed their lenses up to the glass and peered in to see where the Emperor slept. The symbol on the far wall is “double happiness,” more »

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Beijing – Forbidden City (Gu Gong)

The Forbidden City served as the Emperor’s Palace in the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1644, 1644-1911). It’s the most impressive place I’ve seen in China and happens to be the world’s largest palace complex. To enter the Forbidden City, you more »

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Beijing – Days 2 & 3

Pictures & videos coming soon. I’ve spent the past two days at The Forbidden City, Tienanmen Square, Zhongshan Park, Silk Street Market, and a family music shop.

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Beijing – Day 1

In addition to the traveling,  hostel life is very interesting. I room with a Frenchman who was originally here to study calligraphy, an Englishman in the video game industry, an American w0man who volunteers for the Peace Core as an more »

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Beijing – Landing

I just arrived in Beijing and will be here until Feb 21. The only trouble I had was at security. The airport staff unloaded my backpack while asking me if I had an “organ.” Wondering if they really thought I more »

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Hangzhou – Hefang Old Street – The Glass Blower

Hefang Jie feels like an extraordinarily realistic live museum. While strolling down the old street, you can see artisans showing off their skills to the curious tourists. A glass blower works at a table covered with his creations in the more »

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Hangzhou – Hefang Old Street – Intro

Hefang Jie, a famous pedestrian street off the southeast shore of Xi Hu, is the heart of old Hangzhou. Also known as the South Song Dynasty Imperial Street, it is lined with a variety of artistic souvenirs and snacks from more »

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Hangzhou – The Bike System

Biking is by far the best way to explore Hangzhou. In fact, a bike is needed to see everything in the tourist town. There is a trail around the perimeter of Xi Hu (West Lake) as well as on both more »

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Hangzhou – Boating on Xi Hu

From the moment I laid eyes on Xi Hu (Xi = West, Hu = Lake), I yearned to take a boat ride on it. While Suzhou is called the Venice of China, Hangzhou’s Xi Hu has a more palpable Venetian more »

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Hangzhou – Music Fountain

VIDEO Music Fountain The Music Fountain in Hangzhou is located near Hubin Lu, the most modernized street on the lake with shops like Armani and Dulce&Gobbana. Click on the link above to see Chinese tourists watching the fountain rise and more »

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Hangzhou – Intro

This weekend I traveled to Hangzhou, capital of the Zhejiang Province. Hangzhou is known, among many things, for its long leaf tea, Longjing. The city’s famous two-square-mile West Lake, Xi Hu, is surrounded by cultural and historic sites. An entire more »

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Old City Antiques

These markets have a liberal definition of the word “antique,” ranging from authentic red Mao soldier books to items made last year.

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Wusong Estuary

Wusong is a port town in the Baoshan District of Shanghai where the Huangpu tributary flows into the Yangtze River. Ken and Aili, along with their friend from Wusong, brought me along to a waterside park in Wusong that preserves more »

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Pu Jersey

The Huangpu River bifurcates the metropolis into Puxi and Pudong (“xi” means west and “dong” means east). I live in Pu Dong, or Pu Jersey as the expats on the other more eventful side call it.  In the 1990′s, the more »

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Suzhou, the Venice of China

Suzhou (pronounced Sue-Joe) is a water town west of Shanghai known for its beautiful traditional gardens, the largest being The Humble Administrator’s Garden. The town was right out of films: red lanterns, silk, gardens, and canals. To get there, a more »

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Haggling – Calculator Games with Old Ladies

On my way to Yuyuan Gardens in the Old Town, Puxi, I found many interesting small streets on the other end of the urban spectrum from the financial district where I live. Dajing Lu, pictured above, was by far my more »

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Yuyuan Gardens

Yuyuan Gardens is a peaceful retreat in the Old Town, costing  3o rmb to enter, or about $4.40. Though the garden was not designed for the multitude of international tourists who explore its bridges, rocky paths, and wooden interiors every more »

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The Old Town – My Introduction

The Dajing Pavillion contains the last remnants of the 1553 city walls. It is located on the middle of an urban block and looks quite out of place. An old man and his daughter were trying to get a little more »

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Yuyuan Gardens – Preview

MVI_4502 The wind managed to die before I could film these red lanterns on the crooked walkway to the Yuyuan Garden Palace.

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The Company Apartment, Shanghai

12.31.09 – Ying Mei, an HEC employee, picked me up from the airport and gave me keys to the apartment. Aside from the chill – space heaters are the only sources of heat – the apartment is very comfortable. Being more »

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