It’s Saturday night and I just threw away the garbage because the shushu leaves at eight and takes the bins with him. I cross the bridge next to our compound and on the crossroads are five or six food stands. They sell fried chunks of meat, cold noodles, jianbing, corn sticks, and cold draft beer. […]

This is the fifth novel by Ann Patchett that I have read. I revere Patchett, and I always wondered if she could write about any mundane topic and still make it worthwhile, not realizing she actually takes on that challenge with ‘Tom Lake’. On the upside, her writing is still of the highest level, and […]

Old place. New camera. This is yet another visit (1, 2) to this market where we buy vegetables, fruit, and meat (川沙十八铺农产品批发市场) in Chuansha, Shanghai. I am not sure how many years we will remain in China, maybe one, maybe ten. But I want to capture this place once more before we go back.  

We’re in Minghe Town (鸣鹤古镇), near Cixi (慈溪). It’s been raining the whole three-day holiday, and I figured this would provide a great photography opportunity on an otherwise crowded location, with people opting to stay home or in their hotel. But I was only half right. The alleys are indeed empty — we also had […]

Our cleaning lady: “I also clean in another office, they make socks. I always ask them for some socks. I have so many of them at home, I also gave some to the neighbours. I also got some for you, large size, you have big feet. Take them!” Me: “But so many, I don’t need […]

Today we’re in Dushi Village (独市村), part of Huzhou (湖州) but far away from it. Dushi is a village built around a 600-year-old ginkgo tree, a temple for women, and three key waterways connected by a few historic bridges. Nearly all houses are vacant as this town will be demolished soon, and the few residents […]

We’re in Zhuchuan (株川村), a small yet one of the most intact old villages we’ve ever visited in Zhejiang. The village is three hundred years old, and is really not much more than six ever-expanding rows of houses, set like an auditorium.  But everything fits so perfectly together. Many houses can be entered from the […]

We’re in Heqiao (河桥镇), a village in Eastern Zhejiang. Technically, it’s still part of Hangzhou, but it’s so far out it’s much nearer to Anhui. It’s a stunning old village. There are some newly built attractions aimed at attracing new crowds, but they are rusty and closed. Everyone here is coming for the old buildings. […]

Where does the name Shanghai (上海) come from? The simple answer is that it means “Above the sea”, but a better theory points to this place. There used to be two rivers, both tributaries of the Wusong River: Shanghai Pu (上海浦) and Xiahai Pu (下海浦), basically meaning Up the Sea River and Down the Sea […]

We’re visiting Zhouzhuang (周庄) near Suzhou. It’s a 5A attraction so I know I’m warned about the crowds, but on photos, it does look like a very nice Watertown, with original old buildings rather than cheap recreations. The historical village center is a gated off area, with hotels and restaurants build around it. The entrance […]