Categories
analogue wednesdays

analogue wednesday #262

twelve years ago, in a shaky beijing.

Categories
analogue wednesdays

analogue wednesday #256

missing asia like a phantom limb. :( i wonder how we’ll see it one day, when we go back.

Categories
in china

the price of ignoring the elephant in the room

“But the missing from this official story, as it was missing from official reports on the Tibetan riots, is any acknowledgment that Uighurs in general might have legitimate grievances. Grievances about the influx of ethnic Han, the relative lack of economic opportunity, demolition of their traditional cities, limitations on their right to freely practice their religion, or whatever.

That’s a serious omission because, while it is made with an eye on propagating an official story of the spread of development and prosperity, it comes with a long-term price: it inflames the very tensions it attempts to paper over. And it, with marvelous efficiency, it inflames them on both sides. Uighurs are given the impression that their concerns are considered unworthy of acknowledgment by the State, a situation that is a classic recipe for convincing people to take extreme measures. Other Chinese, meanwhile, are deprived of any context for the riots, which feeds into a colonial attitude toward Uighurs that I have experienced firsthand. If you believe that you have given a people nothing but development and progress and economic opportunity, and they rise up against you, then you will come to see them as at best treacherous and untrustworthy and at worst as less than human, with predictable consequences. Legitimate grievances or not, the riots are almost certainly doing terrible damage to the Uighur cause in China.”


“Collective violence is a funny thing. Grievances, hatreds, jealousies, and resentment can linger in the collective consciousness for a long time without being expressed through bloodshed, but the longer it simmers the more extreme the reaction when the barrier is breached and violence enters the repertoire of resistance.

I personally found the wanton violence on the part of the rioters in Urumqi to be abhorrent. But it’s also important to remember, as too many people in the United States failed to do in the aftermath to 9-11, that seeking to understand WHY somebody would commit acts of violence is NOT the same thing as condoning those acts.”

quotes from 2 sensible pieces on the most recent urumqi riots, by Imagethief and Jottings from the Granite Studio, very much worth reading for some context on the situation.
for twitter updates, follow @malcolmmoore and @melissakchan.

Categories
in china in shanghai photography

spring: color version

tree tops

with spikes


not that different from the black and white version. i like the fact that, despite it being a color film, the colors turned out so subdued… spring can be like that too. and i haven’t got tired of looking up to the tree tops yet… :)

Categories
in china

waxing, in shanghai

this is a post for the girls* :)



when i came to china, i quickly realized two things: chinese people don’t use deodorant because they barely sweat, and on top of that, most chinese girls hardly have any body hair. it’s really annoying, and it makes it especially hard for us “normal” girls to get a decent waxing that doesn’t cost a kidney. i don’t like the DIY alternative, which usually ends up with me making a mess at home, or hurling out in disbelief of the pain i am inflicting myself… sure, waxing hurts, but it’s quick and it lasts long, so the benefits clearly beat the alternatives!

anyway, i searched the internet left and right until i stumbled on someone who does exactly what i was looking for! olga medeiros is a nice brazilian lady, who lives and works in the gubei area. she does manicures, pedicures and waxing in a friendly and professional environment, with products of good quality. just send her an email (olga.medeiros@gmail.com) to schedule.

so here it is, a first hand recommendation for girls in need! olga really deserves some publicity and posting it here is really the least i can do :)

* although I think she does waxing for boys too, but i’m not 100% sure

ps – posts are a bit delayed due to a mix of deadlines, a friend’s bday party, more mess ups by a certain airline regarding some pets, and general life craziness… but i am trying to catch up!