Feb 28
Beijing traffic
It is just after midday and a band of hungry window shoppers are congregating around a pile of sizzling lamb skewers. Like a lunch signal the steam wafts off the grill and into the cold winter air, alerting the crowd of potential buyers to its presence. Read more
Feb 25
A Beijing icon
On a frigid Saturday morning, Niki is waiting on the main road outside my hotel. She has hailed a taxi, and as we climb in I can hear her utter the name of our destination. “Tiantan nan-mer.” We are heading to the Temple of Heaven. “If you don’t speak with a Beijing accent,” Niki says, referring to the pirate-like ‘r’s, “the taxi drivers won’t understand you.” It’s been barely two days since my arrival, but I can already feel the city’s tones creeping gently into my Mandarin. Read more
Feb 20
Unlocked – inside the palace garden
When a Chinese dynasty is overthrown, tradition dictates that the old palace must be razed to make way for a new one in its place. But in the summer of 1644 the Manchus broke with the age-old habit, sparing the already fire-damaged residence of their predecessors a similar fate. Instead the new rulers would set about restoring the 15th-century marvel to its former glory. Read more
Feb 18
Morning at Tiananmen Gate
On the northern edge of Chang’an Avenue, a towering red wall guides me towards the gate at Tiananmen. To my left thirteen lanes of traffic thunder past a column of barren trees, their branches throwing long winter shadows across the paving stones. Read more
Sep 27
Long before I arrived at the World Expo, I decided that the Danish Pavilion would be near the top of my wish list. Not only was it a beautifully elegant structure, but the Danes had also moved their beloved statue of the Little Mermaid to Shanghai for the duration of the Expo. Read more
Sep 26
“Flight attendants, please take your positions for landing.” The captain’s voice crackled over the aircraft’s PA system and we looked out the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of the scenery below us.
Through the thick pall of smog only the faint outlines of fields and fishing boats were visible. This was my third trip to Shanghai and I was here to see the 2010 World Expo. Titled ‘Better City, Better Life’, its focus was on green urban living. Read more
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