The top banner image has changed again
Posted on 2007-08-04 at 14:45
I've changed the top banner image again. The latest banner is a picture of the skyline across the bay in Guangdong. Not all of China is Great Walls, ancient temples, and misty bamboo forests. Guangdong is a vibrant city with an active night life. We stayed on Shamain Island. It was a wonderful place.
Last time I changed the banner, someone asked me what banners I'd prepped for the site. If you want to see the images I use for the banner on my site, you can see them below. Each was taken by me or my wife in China. Click the image to see a full sized version:
I walk as a god among men
Posted on 2007-03-30 at 23:53
My last entry talked about a cool new stripe generator and how I was "hankering" (oh god, am I really on record as having used the word "hankering"?!?) to redo my blog site design.
Well, as you can see, that was today at 2pm. Now at just-before-midnight I'm rolling out a new site design. I'm pleased with the new look. Let me talk a bit about some of the design decisions.
- I wanted a clean and light look---hence all the white space and light colors.
- I needed to unclutter the page, so I moved the archive links to their own sub pages (see the tabs at the top of the screen) an out of the left and right sidebars.
- I wanted a link to the home page. See, um, for like the last 3 years, I've had like the only site on this here Internet that had no link to take you back to the front page. If you were on some obscure corner of my blog, you just had to change the url in your web browser's addess bar to get back to my home page. Lame. That is fixed now with the "Recent Entries" tab at the top.
- I added a google search to the right side bar. I had no real reason for this, but it looks nice there, so I did it.
- Coolest Neat Thing On The Planet Times Infinity Plus One: The image that is displayed in the masthead (that big header thingy near the top of the page) is a picture I took in China. I spend some time making about 20 different masthead graphics from my trip to China and I'll be rotating them periodically just to keep things visually interesting for those who visit the site. The current image is of a statue of General Guan Yu that I spied through the foliage whilst climbing up the Great Wall. There was one guy at the statue's feet (it was about 15 feet tall) practicing his martial arts. Really just a picturesque scene. It's one I won't likely forget.
The Tropic of Cancer
Posted on 2006-07-10 at 08:28
I noticed on a map that Cadence's old hometown falls right at the Tropic of Cancer as it runs through mainland China. That's makes it easy to explain where to find it to others, but I still had no idea what a "Tropic of Cancer" was. Becuase I hate not knowing things, I looked it up. Turns out it, somewhat obviously, is the northern line between the tropics and the subtropics region of the planet. Why Cancer? Because the June solstice fell in the constellation of Cancer when this line was named. Currently, it falls in the constellation of Taurus.
Communist China's first international religious gathering
Posted on 2006-04-13 at 08:18
Buddhist monks and scholars from all over the world are in Hangzhou, China for a Buddhist conference and forum.
China has about 100 million Buddhists and China hopes that the World Buddhist Forum will begin the smooth relations between the religion population and the formally atheist communist party. Additionally, China hopes that the conference will help to repair its reputation in the world as a place of religious intolerance.
Undercutting those agendii, the Dalai Lama---the spiritual leader of the Buddhists---was not invited to attend. China regard him as a dissenting voice and a potentially disruptive attendee. Qi Xiaofei, vice-director of the state administration for religious affairs, explained, "The Dalai Lama is not only a religious figure, but is also a long-time stubborn secessionist who has tried to split his Chinese motherland and break the unity among different ethnic groups."
Currently worship is permitted only through state-run organizations. Loyalty to religious groups outside those state-controlled organizations is often punished. In the case of Buddhism, the state has appointed Gyaltsen Norbu as the Panchen Lama---the second most signifigant Buddhist title behind the Dalai Lama---even though the Dalai Lama has already appointed his own Panchen Lama. Gyaltsen Norbu is in attendence at the World Buddhist forum as the figurehead for Chinese official Buddhism. Some reports suggest that the other Buddhists in attendence are shunning the state-appointed Lama.
China's President Hu Jintao will be visiting Washington next week, and there exists some speculation that this conference is partly an attempt to ease relations for that trip.
It seems that religion has not lost its efficacy in the modern world when a government so powerful as China fears it so much as to squelch its practice and when a government so powerful as the United States fears it so much as to take up its causes against all reason.
Senior Party Leaders Join Battle Against Chinese Censorship
Posted on 2006-02-14 at 12:32
Several former senior Communist party officials have attacked the chinese government's decision to shut down the "Freezing Point" section of the China Youth Daily. Citing history as proof, they said in a jointly signed open letter:
"History demonstrates that only a totalitarian system needs news censorship, out of the delusion that it can keep the public locked in ignorance."
The letter, signed on February 2nd but publicly released on February 14th, includes the signatures of several senior party leaders, including Li Rui, a former aide to Chairman Mao; Hu Jiwei, the former editor of People's Daily, the Communist party's official news outlet; and Zhu Houze, a ranking official formerly employed in the Communist party's Propaganda Department that is directly responsible for the offense.
Just in the last few months, Chinese censors have gone after editors of three prominent news outlets; the Beijing News, Southern Metropolitan Daily and the Public Welfare Times.
But keeping the news under such tight control may not be an option for much longer. Li Datong, the editor at China Youth Daily, a newspaper that targets China's Communist party youth, snapped back at the censors:
"Chinese society's expections of the media are growing, and demands for free speech are spreading---that simply can't be reversed, even if you shut down this or that newspaper."
So what does this mean for Americans? What does this mean for you and I? I don't know, but here are some questions worth considering.
- Were you aware that there existed such a public debate in China over the issue of censorship? If not, how does this change your view of China?
- The Chinese censor's argument is that they protect to citizens of China from the spread of illegal, immoral and harmful information. Do you find any part of that argument worthwhile? Why or why not?
- If China became a country that embraced the same freedoms we've embraced in the United States, what do you think that would mean for our position of global dominance?
- Do you think the Chinese government can embrace freedom and maintain a Communist state? Why or why not?
Gung Hay Fat Choy
Posted on 2006-01-30 at 06:54
The Year of the Dog.
The Years of the Dog are: 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, (and every 12 years going on).
Born in the Year of the Dog, you possess all that is good about humanity. You are honest, loyal, and trustworthy. Though sometimes selfish and eccentric, you don't much care about money (though you always seem to have it!). In social situations, you can appear to others as cold or distant, but you make a good leader, nonetheless. You are most compatible with those born in the Years of Horse, Tiger, and Rabbit.
Some pictures are up
Posted on 2005-09-11 at 08:02
We have posted some pictures of the trip on Denise's site. Scroll down to the pictures section. We will be adding things there as we get them online. Check regularly. :)
We are in Guangzhou
Posted on 2005-09-11 at 08:01
For the curious, we've made it into Guangzhou and are getting settled into our rooms. This is the final stop in China before leaving. We will be meeting our daughter for the first time tomorrow. I honestly have no idea how much time I'll have for blogging after that. Maybe plenty (we are here for 11 days to finalize paperwork and such). Maybe none (we are taking care of a new child!).
China
Posted on 2005-09-09 at 08:07
I only spent 3 days in Beijing, but I'm struck with how at home I was. I really expected to feel more displaced than I was. I expected to be more alien. Even walking the poorer parts of Beijing without a guide, I felt comfortable, even natural. This feeling was accentuated by how "touristy" I feel in Hong Kong.
It's just an observation. It's something I'll spend a little time contemplating. I'm sure I'll be blogging about this in the future.
Culture
Posted on 2005-09-09 at 08:06
Hong Kong is far more like New York or London than it is like Beijing. The mainland was SO different. In many ways, this is hardly asian, unlike mainland China. It's still interesating, just different.
For minding your manners abroad
Posted on 2005-09-09 at 08:05
In Mainland China you will say "SHE she" and in Hong Kong you will say "mmm GOY". Now you know.
Why isn't every day like this one?
Posted on 2005-09-09 at 08:04
I'm posting this from the lobby of my 5-star hotel in downtown Hong Kong on my wireless laptop while being serenaded by a piano player and being offered drinks by beautiful Hong Kong women.
Ming Tombs again
Posted on 2005-09-09 at 08:03
So, in my last entry I said there wasn't much to say about the Ming Tombs. Denise then proceeded to write about them, thereby proving me wrong (or lazy).
The Streets of Hong Kong?
Posted on 2005-09-09 at 08:02
You betcha! We've been wandering the streets of Hong Kong. Very cool. I was hoping someone would try to pickpocket me so I could get into a Kung Fu fight in a Hong Kong alley..cuz, I mean, how friggin' cool would that be?!? I was all pulling my wad of cash out and looking all clueless and lost, but there were no pickpockets brave enough to try to take the cash. Oh well. It cannot be said that I didn't try.
Hong Kong Fooey
Posted on 2005-09-09 at 08:01
Yesterday Denise and I arrived in Hong Kong. We have been resting and preparing for the coming activity. Earlier today, we walked around the streets of Hong Kong looking for a laundrymat. Fun!
Ming Tombs
Posted on 2005-09-07 at 08:04
The Ming Tombs were pretty cool, but more visual interesting that anything else. Once we have time to rest and recoup, Denise and I will be posting all the pictures from the trip so that everyone can see all the coolness that is our China trip.
Haggling
Posted on 2005-09-07 at 08:03
I got to haggle with a Chinese vendor for the first time. I bought 2 shirts and a small religious statue for 380 yuan. The original asking price for all of it was 800 yuan. My guide told me I could have gotten the price to 280 if I'd held out. He told me I was a bad haggler. :) It was fun.
The Great Wall
Posted on 2005-09-07 at 08:02
I've walked on the Great Wall of China. Really, really amazing. Climbing up the Great Wall ranks as one of the more tiring things I've ever done. Sure there's stairs in places, and the rest is just a slope, but damn was it difficult to get anywhere on the Great Wall. The stairs are steep---like 70 degrees or so steep! After climbing for about 45 minutes, we reached the top of one particularly high tower and lo and behold...a souvenir shop....and a friggin' camel. Yes, a camel. You could climb on and get your picture taken on him for about 10 yuan (but could probably haggle down to about 6 or 7 yuan if you tried).
Blog dates
Posted on 2005-09-07 at 08:01
It's 5:42 AM on Thursday the 8th in Beijing. Yes, my blog says the 7th. I decided to keep my blog dates in the U.S. timezone. Back home, it's 5:42 PM on Wednesday the 7th.
I'm quite pleased to know...
Posted on 2005-09-06 at 08:05
...That even the restrooms in Beijing are rated. I can now say that I've been to a 4-star toilet.
My Kung Fu is strong
Posted on 2005-09-06 at 08:04
Here I am poised to run down into the courtyard of the Forbidden City and open a can of whoop ass of solid kung fu action on all the poor unsuspecting people below.
Here I am standing alone after the kung fu fight, relaxing in a shady doorway in the Forbidden City, having bested all my worthy opponents.
Nary a scratch. Surely, my sifu would be proud. :)
I am a tiny demon
Posted on 2005-09-06 at 08:03
It has been confirmed that I am a tiny demon. Apparently, the Chinese used to put up these little walls at every doorway:
The purpose of these little walls being that since the Chinese believed that bad spirits were very short, these walls would be a barrier to entry for most demons, preventing them from coming through the door since they could not step or even jump that high. Since I tripped on more than one of these things, my assumption is that I have some tiny demon blood in me and these ancient ghostbusters were just doing their job.
Proof for the naysayers
Posted on 2005-09-06 at 08:02
Below you will find your proof that Denise and I are indeed standing in Beijing...or one of nine thousand very nice Chinese Restaurants in the U.S.
Denise stands in front of the female lion that gaurds the entrance to the Summer Palace, while I stand in front of the male lion. How do you tell the difference? Easy, the male lion holds the ball of the universe under his paw, signifying his power, while the female lion holds a baby lion under her paw signifying that she betta' get back to bidness and do mah damn dishes and quit loligagging with the children.
Thoughts on Beijing
Posted on 2005-09-06 at 08:01
I've been here about one full day now and I suppose I'm starting to form some thoughts about Beijing. In no particular order, these thoughts follow.
They drive like mad. It's a bit frightening. They treat traffic signals and lines like polite suggestions. Cars, bicycles, and people all smash together into one hectic, swirling mess of movement and clamor.
Air Pollution is pretty bad, though I understand that it is getting better. One day out in it, and I was having respiratory problems. No big deal, but noteworthy. Like I said, they seem to be doing a lot now to counteract this.
They have a fascinating and long history. The people of China have a vast historical canvas upon which to draw their modern culture. Their mythology is rich and their history old enough to have seen nearly every permutation of dynastic story.
Where'd the missing day go?
Posted on 2005-09-05 at 08:02
If you were an astute reader you will have noted that this entry is dated the 5th, while yesterday's entry is dated the 3rd. What gives? I'll tell you. In terms of time zones I'm 12 hours ahead of my own server right now. I effectively lost one day, though I'll get it back on the way home.
We are in Beijing
Posted on 2005-09-05 at 08:01
Denise and I have arrived in Beijing after an exhausting flight. I'm far too tired to blog much right now.
I got to use my Mandarin in real life for the first time. It was a success. Of course, the trial run was just "Excuse me. Do you speak English?" Once she said yes, I was all over that. But the point is I asked it in Mandarin. ;-)
Leaving for China in about 20 hours
Posted on 2005-09-03 at 08:02
I expect to have internet access for at least the last two weeks of the trip, but the first week is sketchy. I don't know that I'll have access. Once I do, I'll be posting blog entries and checking email as time permits. Denise will be doing the same over at http://denise.digitalelite.com. Her site is more about the specifics of the adoption and trip than this one, so there may be details that get posted there that you won't see here. Likewise, you may also see some content that is the same across both sites.
Blog content
Posted on 2005-08-31 at 08:03
I realize the content of the blog has been singleminded lately. Once this trip is behind me, I expect I'll be able to move to my next obsession. Until then, deal with it. :)
Beds that aren't mine
Posted on 2005-08-31 at 08:02
We will be staying at the JingLun hotel in Beijing for 3 nights, the Kowloon Shangri-La hotel in Hong Kong for two nights, and the White Swan hotel in Guangzhou for the rest of the trip.
What will we see?
Posted on 2005-08-30 at 08:02
While in Beijing, Denise and I plan on visiting three places. The Great Wall at Mutianyu, The Forbidden City, and The Summer Palace. We may end up and The Great Wall at Badaling instead of Mutianyu if we can't convince our tour guide to take us there. I hold out hope that he will see reason (or cash!) and take us to Mutianyu instead.
The details emerge (UPDATED!)
Posted on 2005-08-30 at 08:01
My wife and I leave on Sunday (the 4th of September) at some preternaturally early time in the morning. We will be returning on Thursday the 22nd of September around 10 PM.
When we come back, we will have our daughter, Cadence, with us. The notice is short, but I want to get there as soon as possible, so I'm fine with leaving right away.
Going to China!
Posted on 2005-08-29 at 08:01
I just received the preliminary itinerary for my trip to China. Looks like I'll be leaving here this weekend (OhMyGodThatsSoQuickImFreakingOut!) and won't be coming back until the 22nd of September. Specifically, I'm set to leave on September 7th (next Wednesday) but because Denise and I plan to hit Beijing first for 3 days, that means leaving Saturday or Sunday. Seems like I have almost no time at all now.
Current mood: Wow!
Now Playing: Willis Alan Ramsey's "Muskrat Love" Nibbling on bacon, chewin' on cheese (Hey I'm on hold. Don't blame me!)
The data load guy is Chinese
Posted on 2005-05-04 at 08:02
Yet another person in the office whose native language I know just enough to butcher. :) Cool. Maybe he'll speak some Chinese with me so I can learn a little something.
Today's Lesson in History: The Fall of Imperial China
Posted on 2004-11-12 at 08:04
Emperor Guangxu reigned from 1875 to 1908. He pushed substantial reforms by way of the "Hundred Days Reform" policies. Princess Dowager Cixi, known for her decadance, her interest in Western shlock, and her "Let them eat cake" attitude, was his Niece.
The decadence of the Dowager was reknown. She took money established for her armies and spent it on a full-sized marble replica of a Mississippi River Boat so that she could have boat parties without the mess of setting sail.
She tolerated violent action against foreigners in northern China during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900. Some say this helped generate the animosity that the West had toward China which led to the western invasion and China's defeat.
Princess Dowager Cixi, it is suspected, poisoned the Emperor. The day of his death, the New Empress established the successor as the dead Emperor's Nephew Puyi (the person upon whom the movie "The Last Emperor" was based).
She died the day after the former Emperor was poisoned. Three years after her death the Xinhai Revolution brought the Qing Dynasty to an end and established the Republic of China. Thus ended five thousand years of dynastic rule in China.
The Empress Dowager Cixi sitting on her throne:
What if the Emperor Guangxu had not been killed and has instead been allowed to carry out the Hundred Days Reform policies? The dynamic of the entire world would be different right now. Amazing what ripples a small pebble can make.