Jottings from the Granite Studio

 ”100 Years of Humiliation.“ It’s a phrase so common, I think most people have unfortunately stopped listening.   An essay by author Lijia Zhang in The Guardian contains this quote from 67-year old Beijing resident Xie Fengzhi: “I want foreigners to see what China has achieved. We were called the ’sick man of Asia’. Now we are [...]

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I haven’t read the book in years, so memory might fail, but I seem to recall a line (perhaps the opening line) from William Gibson’s novel Neuromancer: “The sky was the color of a tv set turned to a dead station.”
Such is Beijing.
Beijing has announced ’special environmental measures’ that can be implemented on an ad [...]

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Well after one week of odd/even traffic restrictions, I stood on the pedestrian overpass on Chao Nei Dajie and looked west.  On a good day, you can see Xiang Shan and the Western Hills.  Today you could see about 200 meters and then the street dissolved into a smog bank so thick it was positively [...]

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Author Kerry Brown has an essay up at OpenDemocracy looking at China’s tumultuous 2008 and the cycles and contingencies of history.  Brown reminds us that despite China’s rise, the unity of the modern PRC nation-state is something which can’t be taken for granted, as China’s leaders are all too well aware: the PRC, as heir [...]

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Many, if not both, of my regular readers know that I am both a history geek AND a bit of a sports nerd, and one of the biggest events of the year for sports nerds was last night…the NBA draft.  As part of the tradition, ESPN columnist Bill Simmons does an annual ‘running diary‘ which–if [...]

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And it has come down from on high…the Beijing municipal government today unveiled its long anticipated if not especially eagerly awaited Olympic traffic plan. Odd number. Even number. It won’t matter. What does matter is that we can forget about getting a cab on a weekday downtown. Just start walking now, you’ll get to where you’re going eventually.

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I’ve written a post over at The Peking Duck on the BBC’s decision to broadcast protests should they occur during the Beijing Olympics.  Feel free to join in the free-wheeling discussion/online shouting match which is sure to ensue.

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I like sleeping with the windows open. Summer. Winter. Whatever. I guess I am a bit of a fresh air freak. Which begs the obvious question: Why oh why do I live in the perpetual haze and permanent dust storm that is the Chinese capital?
Last night was windy and this morning [...]

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Some notes from Saturday’s Dodgers/Padres game here in Beijing.

Overall, we had a great time. It was a beautiful day for baseball. A little chilly and windy perhaps, but nice sunny skies.

Wukesong Baseball Stadium was not particularly impressive, but suitable for the purpose. It has an obvious “won’t be around in 2009″ feel with temporary [...]

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There’s a new essay at OpenDemocracy by Kerry Brown, author of the book Struggling Giant: China in the 21st Century. Brown argues that while the Olympics currently dominate both the headlines and the attention of Chinese government officials, the twin problems of corruption and inflation will remain once the spotlight has been turned off, [...]

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