Calligraphy writing tricycle machine

How cool is this!
Some guy invented a tricycle that works in a similar fashion to those old Chinese men writing calligraphy with just water in large public parks, ...

Just Because: Tricycle Calligraphy 水书法器 from Jonah Kessel on Vimeo.

China's Fastest Changing Cities

Link from Forbes

China's fastest changing cities

1. Shenzhen, Guangdong
2. Guangzhou, Guangdong
3. Hong Kong
4. Shanghai
5. Beijing
6. Dalian, Liaoning
7. Nanjing, Jiangsu
8. Xiamen, Fujian
9. Tianjin
10. Chongqing

Olympics opening ceremony

Yeah I know this post is a bit late but how AMAZING was the Opening Ceremony?! I was totally blown away. It seems that with each games the bar is raised higher and the quality just gets better and better. I can't wait to see what London has in store for us, they will have a hard task to beat this one.

6 days until the Olympics!!

OMG... where did the time go?!!! I can't believe it. It's gonna be here so soon.

IOC's internet censorship deal with China

The international Olympic committee (IOC)'s not-so-secret deal with China about internet censorship. Read all about it here.

Beijing Olympic Mascots parody

This is one of the funniest things I've seen in ages where people give their own interpretations and designs of the Olympic Mascots.

Some examples:

Beijing Olympics silly comic

China.. Tibet.. Boycotting the Olympic Games in Beijing

It seems like every man and his dog has an opinion on this big news event, as so I may as well add my 2 cents.

First of all I'll start by saying that I agree that what China did to Ti-bet is absolutely appalling, as well as their hideous track record/history of issues relating to hum-an rights. For me, a few years ago, I saw some posters in Hong Kong (Tsim Tsa Tsui) of what the Chinese government did to people who were found to be practising F-a-lun-G-o-ng (writing it like that in case my blog gets blocked). Those images will stay with me for life. I actually started crying (in public, at the ferry terminal!) because I was so shocked, saddened and disgusted at their treatment of fellow human beings. Every time I think about it I feel really really SICK.

Anyway, back to the topic.. how will boycotting the Olympics achieve anything? I'm more than certain the games will go ahead no matter what, and if it didn't all it would achieve is to disappoint the athletes who spend their whole lives training for this big event.

Oh, and I love how all these high and mighty people from Western countries think that THEIR country is so great and perfect, and don't have a shoddy history as well. And if you're going to boycott anything Chinese - hey, you may as well walk around naked because I'm sure as anything the clothes you are wearing are made in China, and stop eating Chinese food and going to Chinese restaurants, and associating with Chinese people (rolleyes).. OMG.. when will this lunacy end?

I'm sorry to say I think it's just pathetic and childish.

China's/Shanghai's new mid-range traditional Chinese style hotels

Link for full article

JUST a couple of years ago, travellers to China had two options: high end, high-rise chains or grimy youth hostels with squat toilets and snarling service.

But as China booms, so does its hotel industry, and there has been something of a revolution in Beijing and Shanghai, driven in the former's case by the Olympics in August and, in the latter's, the 2010 Expo.

Shanghai

This go-ahead city has more than its fair share of five-star lodgings but, to experience a taste of old Shanghai, avoid the futuristic skyscraper hotels of Pudong and stay in the city's most attractive district, the tree-lined former French concession, or in Jing'an, which is not (yet) as gentrified as other parts of the city. In Shanghai, you won't find hutongs but lilong, or converted alley houses, which date back to the city's glamorous golden age of the jazz-filled 1920s and '30s.

Old House Inn:
A delightful converted lane house, this inn has brought a breath of fresh air to the local accommodation scene, thanks to its small selection of beautifully renovated and stylish rooms at reasonable rates. The hotel's restaurant, A Future Perfect, is one of Shanghai's funkiest.

From 700 yuan; www.oldhouse.cn.

Urbn Hotel:
Shanghai always has an eye for the latest trends and the new 26-room Urbn Hotel ticks the environmentally friendly box as well with its carbon-neutral status and recycled materials (the building was once a factory). Guests walk through a bamboo-lined courtyard and past a reception area decorated with antique suitcases; corridors on the four floors are lined with bricks taken from demolished factories, and the wood used on the floors and in the rooms is recycled Chinese mahogany.
One of the two expat owners is from Sydney and they have tried to make the rooms as different from a standard hotel as possible; there are sunken baths, low Asian-style beds and wrap-around couches that are great for lounging and watching a massive TV.

From 1400 yuan; www.urbnhotels.com.

No.9:
If relentless trendiness isn't for you, try staying at No.9, which is more like being in a friend's beautiful and surprisingly rustic '30s house than in a hotel. The Taiwanese owner has converted his grandfather's home and, with only five rooms, it's a world away from most anonymous hotel experiences.
You'll find this delightful B&B, with its walled garden, down a lively back lane where life continues in much the same way it has for centuries. But be warned: taxi drivers can struggle to find No.9 as it doesn't announce its existence and there's no website.

From 700 yuan. 9 Lane 355, Jianguo Xi Lu; phone + 86 21 6471 9950.

Lapis Casa Boutique Hotel:
Guests here couldn't be closer to the action: the hotel is a block away from Shanghai's main entertainment complex, Xintiandi.
This small and elegant place opened in May 2007 after its brother and sister owners spent two years converting the unassuming building into an antiques-filled hideaway. Guests enter through large wooden doors before reaching the stone-floored reception area and corridors lined with lovely stained glass. The 18 guestrooms have different themes, though all are from the past; the favourite (and most expensive) is the corner suite with its 1900s traditional Shanghainese decor, wooden floors, soft lighting and red carpet.

From 1500 yuan; www.lapiscasahotel.com.

Jia Shanghai:
Describing itself as a residence rather than a hotel, the 55-room Jia Shanghai opened at the end of 2007 and has seen a host of stars through its doors (although presumably someone escorted them in as there isn't anything as boring as a sign).
The original structure was built in 1926, but few traces of the past remain inside; instead, like its original sister hotel in Hong Kong, it is cutting-edge design all the way.
The corridors are dark and mysterious but open on to bright, white guestrooms equipped with the latest entertainment systems and small kitchens.
There's a complimentary breakfast served in the arty lobby as well as free afternoon tea and cocktails all evening.

From 1395 yuan; www.jiashanghai.com.

1 year till the Olympics!

Today is 08.08.07 and on 08.08.08 the Olympics in Beijing will start. I can't believe it's been almost 7 years since my beloved Sydney Olympics (which I went to and absolutely adored) and in one year's time I will be tagging along with hubby and getting free accommodation and tickets to watch the games - yippee! :D

While I'm in the mood for talking about big events in China, in 2010 the World Expo will be held in Shanghai. And as a local resident - don't we know it! There is chaos on several main roads with construction fast tracked for the expansion and building of more subway lines. The end result will be fantastic though, I'm sure. In 3 years time there will be 3 new lines. In comparison, it takes Sydney about 10 years just to build 1 new rail line, sorry half a rail line (I'm talking about Chatswood to Parramata which they are only building up to Epping at this point).

The Expo's logo looks a little freaky though, don't you think?