The 2011 Harbin Ice and Snow Festival has started in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province. It is an annual event of ice carving on a grand scale. Here is a nice slideshow from China Daily for this year. I've also found some from prior years; here is a great collection by R Todd King from 2009. … [Read more...] about The 2011 Harbin Ice and Snow Festival
culture
A changing China
Occasionally I sift through photos taken by friends who had recently been to China. This is a portrait of Mr. Zhang taken by my friend Ming while in Shanghai. (The same friend whose Tiananmen photo I used in a previous post.) In his words, this is the story behind the image: … [Read more...] about A changing China
“Fragrance of Jasmine (茉莉芬芳),” a GuZheng solo (古筝独奏)
Below is another take on the “茉莉花” (“Jasmine Flower”) melody which I made a post about roughly a year ago. This time it is based on a solo on the GuZheng (古筝). (Tudou.com version here) … [Read more...] about “Fragrance of Jasmine (茉莉芬芳),” a GuZheng solo (古筝独奏)
127 Hours – Why the China Bashing?
Over Thanksgivings weekend, my family and I went to watch "127 Hours." "127 Hours" is a movie about the inspiring story of Aaron Ralston - who after five days of getting pinned by a falling boulder while hiking in the desert in the Utah Canyons had to self-amputate his arm to save himself. The movie is made by Danny Boyle - the same director who made Slumdog Millionaire. … [Read more...] about 127 Hours – Why the China Bashing?
大汗颂 (Great Khan) by 郭尔罗斯组合 (Gorlos Band)
Below is a performance by the Gorlos Band (郭尔罗斯组合), entitled "Great Khan" ("大汗颂"), at a music competition carried on CCTV. There is a mixture of throat singing and the Mongolian morin khur. It's a really neat composition to say the least. The thing that struck me while watching this video is the fact that China's continued lifting of millions of people out of poverty means … [Read more...] about 大汗颂 (Great Khan) by 郭尔罗斯组合 (Gorlos Band)