2008: A Year in China

I’ve decided to move everything over to a new site.

www.ednainchina.blogspot.com

The content is and will be the same. However I feel blogspot offers a better layout, and is easier/more attractive to read. I also went through, as I was copying and pasting every single post by hand, and added tags to the posts as well, so the blog is easier to navigate.

Feedback is welcome, and thanks for reading!

Another sight seen all over China. So much so, that every foreigner with a camera in China attempts this shot at one point or another. This one was taken in Suzhou, outside one of the Gardens.

Of the plethora of cards photos I have, this is one of my favorites. Usually they end up being taken from far away, so as not to intrude on people/let them know I’m stalking their game, and the result is either very blurry or grainy as a result of using too much zoom. But this one I quickly snapped as I was walking past and it turned out crisp and clear, has nice composition, tells a story and all that. (In my opinion, anyway.)

A friend of mine came with me to Shanghai for a week in October, and after a couple days felt the need to escape the hustle & bustle of Shanghai. So we planned a daytrip and took the fast train to the water town of Suzhou. We bought a map, rented bikes, and visited the numerous gardens in the city, and had a beautiful day of sightseeing and exercise. Suzhou is definitely one of my favorite cities to visit in China.

And for the record, most of my pictures from that day were taken whilst I was riding my bicycle. Nearly gave my friend a heart attack when he turned around and realized it.

[note: today's potd was chosen as a response to Suzhou's appearance at number 14 on this list: World's Worst Places to Work]

Another favorite sign of mine (the other being this one), also found on the Dongcai side of town. I have no idea what it’s referencing, since you don’t see tractors nor horses in cities like Dalian. Or cities in China in general, since there’d be no place for them on the roads.

So that hill I mentioned in yesterday’s post, where I got lost on the way to lunch? This was the view on the way down over the city of Dalian. I was still lost.

Apologies for the weekend hiatus, went home for some business.

Story behind this photo: I got lost on my way to lunch one warm September day (I got off at the right bus stop, but started walking north instead of south) and ended up on a very isolating walk up the hills between Dongcai and Liaoning High School. I found this flower vine blossoming in the cement jungle towards the end of this hike. I wound up nearly half an hour late to lunch, but it was a lovely diversion.

-Insert your own cliche analogy about the lone wild flower here-

The 406 bus in Dalian. Fairly empty and calm; during rush hour (and even when it’s not rush hour) the buses can get extremely packed. For Westerners with a sense of a ‘personal bubble’ (and with a sense of smell) it can be a bit uncomfortable. Sardines in a can comes nowhere close to just how tightly packed you are- I’ve had many a bus ride where I didn’t even have to hold onto anything and I still managed to stay completely still and upright on the bumpy bus ride.

The main building of 东北财经大学, or the Dongbei University of Finance and Economics.

The Chinese language students were only in there for the ‘opening ceremony’, the Chinese studies building and international dorm was a few hundred feet to this building’s left.

February 08; on Xi’an’s Muslim Street- My relatives and I had stopped in Xi’an on our way home to Shanghai after spending Chinese New Year in Sichuan.

For about 50 US cents you’d get in a bowl the sweet date broth, as well as lemons, dates, kiwis, sweet fungus, etc. and a freshly cut up pear (though it tasted like a pear/apple hybrid). Sugary and warm, and perfect for a winter stroll.

(As an added bonus, but more because I find it hard to describe, here’s what the final result looked like:)

[Apologies for no picture yesterday, computer had a virus and wasn't letting me update]

Hopscotch Bar in Dalian, a chill dive bar and my favorite spot to hang out with friends. I like this picture because all I used was a simple point and shoot with a low ISO setting (and me standing extremely still) and I think it turned out well.

The city’s a different place at night. Dingy lights and shoddy craftsmanship sometimes lead to the coziest hole-in-the-wall bars and restaurants. Down a few feet from Hopscotch there was a Muslim family running a noodle shop, and chuanr (kebab) stands are everywhere, adding to the smoke and dim lights of the city. I’ve also never felt safer walking through a city at night.