My plan was to move to Beijing and score a home in one of the hutongs, the densely packed laneways in the center of the city that contain clusters of traditional courtyard dwellings. They’re known in Chinese as siheyuan (四合院). The idea of being able to hang in the private courtyard during summer with a […]
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Besides the once ironic but now overly clichéd soviet socialist realism often used in propaganda, post Cultural Revolution China has had a dearth of decent art. Only in the past decade or so have people started to rock out with their cocks out when it comes to art. Still, innovation and artistic ability are not […]
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Anyone seen my coke stash? I’ve got some art to create and I need to be in the right state of mind…
798 was a former military industrial complex, used by the commies in the 50’s with some help from the East Germans and their Russian comrades. What’s fascinating is that several of the factories within […]
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A part of my excursion to the nation’s capital during the Labour Day weekend was a little side trip to the recently refurbished Qianmen Street. Qianmen means front gate, cause the street runs right in front of the front gate to a certain infamous square and the Forbidden City.
Naturally I picked a day of the […]
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After a quick flight from Beijing to YYZ I’m back in Canada for the first time in 8 months. It feels like even less. A few notes on this little trip so far.
If you’re flying from Toronto to Beijing, make sure to get on the direct flight. The airplanes are the most modern in the […]
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The train from Beijing to Lhasa leves Beijing West (Beijingxi huochezhan) Station at 9:30pm. For some reason we were recommended to arrive like 2 hours early because it was such a big station and we would need it to find our way around and all that bullshit the travel people tell you. Realistically, you could […]
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If you go to China, the one thing everyone will ask you about is if you saw the Great Wall. It is definitely China’s most famous landmark and 100% awesome. But visiting it isn’t as easy as you would think for something that’s 4000 miles long. Unless you’re a hardcore backpacker type, or you’re out […]
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Although I don’t really like Beijing all that much, it does have a few things you definitely have to check off that list of things to do before you die. If you don’t mind being harrassed by the all too familiar “looka looka, tshirt, wata, best price” they are definitely worth the $2-$5 it will […]
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Well I made it to Beijing alright, and it’s exactly how I remember it. Current forecast is smoke with a high of 9 degrees centigrade.
Filed under: just photos
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