Mini Traffic Jam in China- Chinese Driving Bikes and Such

How the Chinese Get to Work

Photo from Dawanglu on the way to SOHO

Determining a Baby’s Future in China

I have a Chinese friend who was in a quandry. It was her baby’s first birthday and as is the custom in China, they do something special. It is their belief that at one, they can predict what type of person the child will be with a simple test. My friend, explained to me. She said that when a child is one, they surround the kid with gifts and toys and then dont say anything but watch as the child explores. Then, the first gift the child chooses is symbolic of what he will become. For instance, if he or she picks up a pen they will be a writer, etc. So she explains this and is telling me what gifts she has acquired and asks for suggestions. She has an abacus to see if the kid will be an accountant, a telescope, a stethoscope, pen, laptop, spatula, books, yarn, shoes and the like. I ask her if this thing is real as in if they believe in it, she assured me they did. Then I asked if Chinese have both good and bad people and she assured me they do. Then I asked if the kid gets to keep the gift or just pick it up, she said pick it up. Then I said, well its the 21st century and China is opening up. If you really want to know the truth then give the kid some more options, after all, with people you just never know. She asked what I could suggest, I said some dice, a toy gun and some weed. In life you just never know.

Beijing Smog Watch July 14, 2010- Pollution in China

This is my attempt to show the effects of pollution in the Beijing air. I have been taking these photos since the beginning of the year and try to show how the smog denigrates the air on a daily basis. I try to take the photos at the same time of day. These shots are taken facing west and a little south. I use my cell phone cam, its a 3.2 mp, Nokia e-71. I dont retouch the photos, merely take them and then upload them. You can go through the blog to compare the various days and see the difference in the level of smog. This day was pretty rank. At times in Beijing, the visibility will be less than 3/4 of a mile , due to pollution.

Chinese Toilets

This place is a zoo, wonderful but a freaking zoo. Here are traditional Chinese squat toilets. This is what covered all of China , and in many places this is still all you can find. There are no doors to the stalls and basically you squat down and defecate in front of all your frineds and neighbors. Even Beijing had toilets like this up until the Olympics. Yes, imagine the splendor of seeing the Olympic games while taking a shit with 8 other foreigners. Of course China would be too ashamed of that so they build proper toilets in most areas. from rantsaboutchina.com

Corner Stores in Beijing- Beijing Photo

Chinese Traffic

Here is a shot from Beijing.

Driving to Work in Beijing- Beijing Traffic

Early Morning Commute in Beijing