Jottings from the Granite Studio

From Reuters: Two passenger trains–one heading north and one heading south–will cross the last frontier of the Cold War later today. It will make the first time North and South Korea have been linked by rail in 56 years.
While the ‘train exchange’ is mostly symbolic (the trains are going only about 15 miles [...]

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After ranting yesterday on the parking situation in Beijing, I came across an article in this week’s Economist on how the new property law will affect the competition for parking spots in the city.
In March this year, despite vocal opposition by party conservatives, the leadership ensured passage of a new property law in parliament. This [...]

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Not exactly a newsflash to anyone who has been to Badaling lately, but a nice overview of the situation along the Wall. From the purposeful destruction of the 1950s and 1960s to the “killing through kindness and commercialization” of today, the Wall has been through a lot in the last few years. It [...]

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h/t CDT: A hutong not too far from the Granite Studio is going under the wrecker’s ball (er, hammer) to make way for a new residential development. Gentrification marches on, if you like your nice hutong home, be very nervous about the yuppy with the espresso, the laowai with an expat package, or the Taiyuan [...]

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Tea & Gossip reports on a recently discovered 4000-year old stone workshop in the Lam Dong province of Vietnam. Over 100 tools–including axes and hoes–made of opal have been uncovered. The material presents researchers with an interesting mystery as opal mines are apparently rare in Southeastern Vietnam. An indication perhaps that the area was part [...]

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There are two ways to dress like an emperor. One is to go down to the Summer Palace and try out the touristy photo booths. It’s kitschy but cheap. Now the Hong Kong branch of Christie’s is offering another–much more expensive–way.
From May 27-31, a ceremonial robe worn by the Qianlong emperor as well as a [...]

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There’s been quite a lot going on over the past month in the news and in the blogosphere and it’s a real honor to be this month’s host for the 14th installment of the Asian History Carnival. If I hadn’t spent the last month scouring the internet for worthy entries (seeing as I received exactly [...]

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As part of the facelift for 2008, Beijing’s star attraction is getting a much-needed makeover. CCTV reports (with video) that the Palace Museum (better known to laowai as “The Forbidden City”) is undergoing its “biggest renovation in 600 years.” While the palace has withstood the Boxers, 1911 Revolutionaries, Imperialist armies, Japanese troops, Red Guards, and [...]

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Something has to be done about the traffic situtation in Beijing and the idea of raising parking fees seems at first glance to be a good start. But the increase is only from 2 RMB to 5 RMB per hour which begs the question: That’s it? This means you can drive your US$80,000 BMW downtown [...]

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Glad to see that longtime Granite Studio favorite Anna “Su Fei” Loewenberg and the gang at Danwei.tv are getting some well-deserved props. CNN.com today has a story on Anna and the “Sexy Beijing” series. I know the whole thing has its detractors (check out the strong responses, pro and con, in the comments [...]

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