Tag Archives: shanghai

CIA’s Map of Shanghai — in 1982

Posted on April 20, 2012 by John

Recently I was looking for some map files of Shanghai for a cartography project when I came across some now-public early 1980′s CIA maps of Asia. The most interesting map I found was a very large 1:30,000 street map of the … Continue reading →

Posted in blog, china, geography | Tagged china, maps, shanghai | Leave a comment

My Articles in Hops Magazine

Posted on January 6, 2012 by John

In 2011 I had the opportunity to write two articles for the fall issue of Hops Magazine, an English-language quarterly serving mainly the residents of Shanghai and Beijing. Hops describes itself as “the only magazine in China dedicated exclusively to beer … Continue reading →

Posted in beer/brewing, blog, china | Tagged beer battered food, shanghai, shrimp tacos, the blarney stone | Leave a comment

Knock-off Culture Claims In-N-Out

Posted on December 7, 2011 by John

As everybody knows, China is full of knock-offs. Intellectual Property is a mere suggestion to the way business is done here. Nothing is sacred. The culture of shanzhai (山寨) produces knock-offs resulting in the horrifying (fake beef), the poisonous (clenbuterol pork) … Continue reading →

Posted in china | Tagged caliburger, china, clenbuterol, fake toilet paper, huaxi, in-n-out, shanghai, shanzai, shanzhai | Leave a comment

Summer’s Over

Posted on September 29, 2011 by John

The dog days of summer are finally over. I can finally wear a jacket. It’s been a long, long time since I last updated. However, I did get a chance to go to the Philippines, Suzhou and Hanghzou with … Continue reading →

Posted in china, travel | Tagged backpacking, philippines, shanghai, suzhou, teaching, travel | Leave a comment

Chinese Carousel of Progress

Posted on July 19, 2011 by John

The Australian broadcasters SBS released a report of the purported Chinese real estate bubble. Throughout several parts of China, ghost towns and malls are cropping up. They aren’t like American ghost towns, but rather a government-backed attempt at rapid development … Continue reading →

Posted in blog, china, geography | Tagged ccp, china, construction, development, economy, gentrification, heritage architecture, oct suhe creek, progress, shanghai, shukimen, tianzifang, xintiandi | Leave a comment

Marriage Market in People’s Park

Posted on June 27, 2011 by John

So here’s a cultural oddity: Every weekend in People’s Park hundreds of families come together and create a real-world dating site. Traditionally, from what I’ve read, it’s a parent’s job to find a suitable spouse for a child. And with the … Continue reading →

Posted in blog, china, travel | Tagged market, marriage market, shanghai | 1 Comment

Z-Visa Photo Spree

Posted on May 24, 2011 by John

So in the process of getting my work visa, I stopped at a subway photo booth to take photos for my paperwork. This was the result. Remember, I can see deep into your soul…