Jottings from the Granite Studio

Facing increased pressure from tourists with flashlights tramping through the Dunhuang caves in search of frescoes and murals, officials in Mogao have begun a project to digitally scan 54,000 square yards of fresco and 10 statues. The digital images will be used to form a multimedia display so that visitors can see the full detail […]

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I was lucky enough to be tagged by a meme from a fellow PhD student also residing here in Beijing. She writes the blog Yogademia and frankly I’m damn impressed. I can pull a muscle just tying my shoes, she’s trying “side crane #482 with a half-twist” or something. Kudos+ and thanks for the […]

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It’s enough to make you want to go kosher. Or halal. Or vegetarian for that matter. A mysterious illness is decimating Guangdong’s pig population causing pork prices to spike and the former head of China’s FDA was just convicted and sentenced TO DEATH for taking bribes. I’m not implying there is a causal link, […]

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Summer has arrived. I keep posting that and the next day it gets hotter. Yesterday, walking from the archives (west side of the Forbidden City) to an appointment on Jianguomennei Dajie was akin to hiking through an industrial dryer. The best part? It’s still only May. Welcome to Beijing: God’s own […]

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Without question one of the best (living) gonzo travel writers around is Brett, who writes the Big Trouble in Little China blog. He has just returned from his May holiday in Southeast Asia and–as usual–he has stories to tell and photos to share.

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Following a wave of negative reaction from local residents and coverage of the controvery in the state and foreign media, Dongsi Batiao has been granted a temporary reprieve. “Redevelopment” of the area is suspended pending further negotiations with residents over compensation and with preservation authorities over the nature of the proposed development. Sometimes you […]

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Thought that would get your attention. Last week I suggested that a certain Italian-American play Mao in an upcoming movie. Now it seems you don’t even need to be a dude to impersonate the Great Helmsman. A 51-year old woman from Sichuan named Chen Yan has been amusing crowds with her Chairman…er….woman impression.

Her biggest challenge? […]

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Last night YJ and I went to the Forbidden City Concert Hall for the Nine Gates Jazz Festival, running in Beijing through next weekend. It was one of the only nights we had free, and–turns out–we picked a good one. I like jazz but I really haven’t explored the, uh, Beijing scene. I […]

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I’m pissed.
From today’s Guardian:
Endangered, hunted, smuggled and now abandoned, 5,000 of the world’s rarest animals have been found drifting in a deserted boat near the coast of China.
The pangolins, Asian giant turtles and lizards were crushed inside crates on a rickety wooden vessel that had lost engine power off Qingzhou island in the southern province […]

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I’ve spent my entire adult life trying to understand Chinese history. Confucius himself once said: “To know that you know what you know and that you don’t know what you don’t know, that is true knowledge.”
Later scholars in China’s history wrote insightful commentaries on this passage to assist future lao wai historians. Insight that could […]

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