5 posts tagged “china”
Show us a cityscape.
shanghai by night.
photo #1 was taken from the top observatory of the crazy tower called The Oriental Pearl Tower, the third largest T.V. tower in the world, on the left side of the second photo.
photo #2 was taken from The Bund, the shopping and hotel district along the river in downtown Shanghai, which can be seen in the first photo.
so, yes, these two areas in Shanghai are directly across the river from each other. pretty amazing.
Photo #1: notice how quickly it gets so dark in the distance...this is a city of 15 to 18 million people depending on who you talk to. If this were in the states, you would be able to see the curvature of the earth revealed by streetlights to the horizon. And, the lights would not be as beautiful. Under the circumstances, the people are very good at conserving energy as much as they can in China. I think it's interesting how we use lights in the name of safety here in the states, and most of the time rightfully so. But, I'm not sure that there is another western country that worries as much about safety as we do here in the U.S. As a matter of fact, when presented with the option of travelling to the east or anywhere in the world for that matter, the first thing that people from the states that I talk with about travelling ask about safety...why are we so defensive about safety I wonder? Maybe because deep down we know that we need to feel safer at home? Although, there is no other place in the world that serves as a melting pot of cultures the way the U.S. does, and that creates quite a different and immeasurable level of tension which may have a lot to do with countless areas here which are unsafe. Oh yeah, and conserving energy in the states??? wouldn't that grossly effect the economy in a negative way??? we couldn't have that!!! (sensing a little sarcasm there?)
Photo #2: This is a photo of the area east of the river also known as the Pudong Financial District. I think the most amazing thing about this is that the entire area you see was a marshy, completely undeveloped farmland 15 YEARS AGO!!! It now contains the third highest t.v. tower, the fifth highest building in the world and another being built next to it will be even higher...development in china...so insane that it's scary.
now that I'm here I have to mention the tourist tunnel that takes you from Pudong to The Bund under the river. Absolutely hilarious...definitely worth the $4. It's called The Sightseeing Tunnel. It's set up a bit like a gondola ride at a ski resort...except you just go under a river versus up a mountain. It lends itself to be inviting...so inviting...for the passengers to be in a different state of mind other than completely sober, don't you think? oh, and I think I remember techno trance music being played. Fitting.
...You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension - a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You've just crossed over into the Sightseeing Tunnel Zone...
This will be the first of several in the series of China photos I will be posting. These photos and the video were taken during a performance the locals of Yangshuo call "The Light Show" otherwise known as 'Impression on Sanjie Liu'. It's a story held dear to the Chinese depicting a man and woman falling in love. It was absolutely the most amazing performance I have seen in my entire life...truly touching. Here is a link with a more thorough but short description of the performance, its history and meaning. The director, Zhang Yimou also directed House of Flying Daggers (I thought this film was fantastic) and The Curse of the Golden Flower.
The fifth and 11th photos are actually videos. There are so many things I could say about each photo...I'll just mention a few...so,1) the early photos are just outside the venue. talk about setting the mood right? 2) the photo with the white lights across the middle of the screen...each light is a woman in a dress. Each woman came from complete darkness from right to left, one by one. amazing. 3) the woman on the moon? absolutely stunning.
I just explained this performance to my roommate, the only thing I've tried to explain to him about the month. When I finished explaining, I realized that of the 32 days, this was merely an hour and a half.
So pervasive is the U.S. hunger for cheap imports, experts said, that the executive branch itself has repeatedly rebuffed proposals by agency scientists to impose even modest new safety rules for foreign foods.
John C. Bailar III, a University of Chicago professor emeritus who chaired a 2003 National Academies committee that recommended major changes in the U.S. food safety system -- which have gone largely unheeded -- said he has become increasingly concerned that corporations and the federal government seem willing to put the interests of business "above the public welfare."
an article in the Post written today digs a bit into what the root of our problem is with an ever powerful Chinese export system and the consumer being forced to buy what is cheapest now only to pay more on so many levels in the long run. Not a very interesting topic really. But the implications are huge. Meanwhile, countries like Norway with an even higher standard of living on average than the U.S. forces the consumer to buy local raspberries at $12 per package (that is if you want to eat raspberries). I doubt cancer causing substances are involved in Norway's raspberries. So, are they more expensive in the long run? Maybe, maybe not...
we, as the U.S. has become more and more fearful in general, say you can't put a price on safety. Well, if cheap imports that are vastly underregulated because of the bottom line are unsafe, personally, I don't think $12 is very much to spend to help to ensure my safety...and I don't even wear a helmet when I'm riding my bicycle.
makes me wonder why Wal-Mart sells helmets.
"A journey of a thousand Li begins with the first step."
