Life in China: Photos
December 14, 2004 8:24 AM Subscribe
Life In China: A Series of Photos Without Words, For The Mysterious Beauty and Contradictions of China. By EastSouthWestNorth, via Simon World, Asia by Blog.
Having just returned from 3 weeks in China I saw many of these pictures. China is a country that is very alive. It has a feel that is now lacking in the US. One thing that I did not expect is the over done Christmas decorations in every store. I expected to see none. As I have been splitting time between the US, Mexico, and China the linked pictures captures China quite well and many could be Mexico.
posted by mss at 9:03 AM on December 14, 2004
posted by mss at 9:03 AM on December 14, 2004
great, thanks monju. there's also the always excellent James Whitlow Delano. his China work is here
posted by matteo at 9:27 AM on December 14, 2004
posted by matteo at 9:27 AM on December 14, 2004
I've been away from China for almost five years now, after spending 50% of my life there from 1996-2000, either in the cities or out in the villages (archaeology leaves you in some pretty interesting places).
I went from using Lynx on an amber terminal to check my email in June 1996 to a browser in October 1996, to a full web cafe experience in 1998 and its subsequent fall to government limits in 1999, if that's any indication of the rapid change I experienced there.
Beijing changed the most. I walked out of an old airport and six months later walked into a new one.
These are all good. But there are a few things I regret though understand their passing, such as Beijing's classic alley system (hutong) and the dangerous but exciting taxicab ride in a miandi (breadbox).
There are a few things that changed for the worse, however you look at it, such as the expulsion of the Uyghur and other minority populations and reduction to rubble of their neighborhoods to make way for shiny new malls and other Olympic-inspired feats of architecture and commerce.
I don't know -- maybe I will go back. But probably not just yet....
Aw. Those pics got me all nostalgic.
posted by linux at 10:30 AM on December 14, 2004
I went from using Lynx on an amber terminal to check my email in June 1996 to a browser in October 1996, to a full web cafe experience in 1998 and its subsequent fall to government limits in 1999, if that's any indication of the rapid change I experienced there.
Beijing changed the most. I walked out of an old airport and six months later walked into a new one.
These are all good. But there are a few things I regret though understand their passing, such as Beijing's classic alley system (hutong) and the dangerous but exciting taxicab ride in a miandi (breadbox).
There are a few things that changed for the worse, however you look at it, such as the expulsion of the Uyghur and other minority populations and reduction to rubble of their neighborhoods to make way for shiny new malls and other Olympic-inspired feats of architecture and commerce.
I don't know -- maybe I will go back. But probably not just yet....
Aw. Those pics got me all nostalgic.
posted by linux at 10:30 AM on December 14, 2004
Thank you monju. I just sent off application to study in Hokkaido and while China and Japan are remarkably different, these pictures get me very excited about leaving the west for a while. Thanks again monju.
posted by RobertFrost at 10:40 AM on December 14, 2004
posted by RobertFrost at 10:40 AM on December 14, 2004
They've got Starsbuck over there too? Great!
Nice post.
posted by yossarian1 at 10:44 AM on December 14, 2004
Nice post.
posted by yossarian1 at 10:44 AM on December 14, 2004
Hell, five years ago there were three Starbucks within walking distance in downtown Beijing, and the number of McDonalds went from 20-odd in '96 to over 50 in '99.,
posted by linux at 11:08 AM on December 14, 2004
posted by linux at 11:08 AM on December 14, 2004
Yeah but read the caption for the picture. That's NOT Starbucks!
posted by xammerboy at 11:13 AM on December 14, 2004
posted by xammerboy at 11:13 AM on December 14, 2004
yup... that's what I meant... thanks for ruining my joke attempt.
posted by yossarian1 at 12:06 PM on December 14, 2004
posted by yossarian1 at 12:06 PM on December 14, 2004
Here's a couple more blogs with pictures about life in China. 21mm.net
Ziboy (careful, it has some strange app that sometimes tries to download and install something in IE) but is still a cool collection of pictures.
posted by jim-of-oz at 12:43 PM on December 14, 2004
Ziboy (careful, it has some strange app that sometimes tries to download and install something in IE) but is still a cool collection of pictures.
posted by jim-of-oz at 12:43 PM on December 14, 2004
can anyone explain all the flooding? (freak thing, common occurence, no drainage, doesn't last long, etc)
posted by evening at 1:00 PM on December 14, 2004
posted by evening at 1:00 PM on December 14, 2004
Nice photos!
(re: the walmart pic in Part 3) Damn, the prices must be really low there, what with not having to ship everyhting internationally.
posted by pmbuko at 1:28 PM on December 14, 2004
(re: the walmart pic in Part 3) Damn, the prices must be really low there, what with not having to ship everyhting internationally.
posted by pmbuko at 1:28 PM on December 14, 2004
Yes, evening, flooding is common throughout the history of China. I was going to regurgitate parts of my high school geography lessons, but google came to the rescue.
Great link, monju! Those pictures bring me back...
posted by of strange foe at 2:10 PM on December 14, 2004
Great link, monju! Those pictures bring me back...
posted by of strange foe at 2:10 PM on December 14, 2004
Great photos, I visit China each month and they inspire me to take some of my own.
posted by ciaracat at 8:09 PM on December 14, 2004
posted by ciaracat at 8:09 PM on December 14, 2004
excellent monju_bosatsu - I really enjoyed this - thanks!
posted by madamjujujive at 9:34 PM on December 14, 2004
posted by madamjujujive at 9:34 PM on December 14, 2004
i must have received this image a dozen times in email forwards with the caption "Iraqi Taxi".
posted by quonsar at 10:43 PM on December 14, 2004
posted by quonsar at 10:43 PM on December 14, 2004
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posted by homodigitalis at 8:58 AM on December 14, 2004