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From Kashgar to Taxkorgan : The Karakoram Highway
The horse section of Kashgar Market
~ by Chris Devonshire Ellis
Quite simply, one of the most stunning journeys you can undertake in China. Incorporating the highest freshwater lake in the world, some of it's most spectacular mountains, deep valleys, crashing gorges, deserts, roads swept into the abyss and wild camels - and that's just on day one.
The Karakoram Highway was built, mainly using Chinese labour, as a link into and with Pakistan, in China's farthest Western point. The ethnic tribes include Kazaks, Afghanis, Pakistanis, Uzbeks, Tadjiks, Kurds - this is Islamic Central Asia to the core.
KASHGAR
Known in Chinese as "Kashi" this ancient market town has an ambience and position unique anywhere in the world. Flying from Urumqi (two hours) - or even better, taking the train around the Western edge of the Taklimakan Desert (18 hours) will bring you to this historic city. It is an Oasis city, long strategically important as it controlled the old trading routes (and Silk Road) with access both into China and also west to Central Asia, India and Persia. Dating back over 4,000 years, Kashgar was probably originally settled by caucasians - with early manuscripts noting the residents had green eyes - which would link them to the modern day Romanian gypsies.
Shanghai Baby Hits The Big Screen
By Chris Devonshire-Ellis
Shanghai Baby, the somewhat trashy novel of life in up and coming Shanghai written by Wei Hui and popular a couple of years back, is now on the big screen, starring Bai Ling, Gregory Wong and Luke Goss.
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Guns 'N Roses "Chinese Democracy" - Axl Rose Sings Mao's Little Red Book When Played Backwards
-by Chris Devonshire Ellis
The much hyped new CD from LA band Guns 'N Roses is now out - and available on download only at present. The only reason we're featuring this news is because the soon-to-be-released CD cover is cool, and some of our staff profess to dig their mega-hair air-guitar tune of the past, the long winded angst ballad "November Rain". Other than that, if crashing guitar chords, incessantly banging drums and the lead singers nascient whine are your thing, then cool, but however the as yet unrevealed secret behind the title is that we've found, upon playing it backwards, the entire record does appear to be Axl Rose singing verses from Chairman Mao's "Little Red Book". This is the transcript, handily translated into English, although Axl Rose sings it in (not particuarly good) Mandarin, together with literal translations of the original English song titles into pinyin. Track by track:
Shanghai's Classic Hotels
-by Graham Thompson
One of the delights of the hospitality scene in Shanghai is that many of the charming old hotels from the early 20th century still stand - and more importantly, still take bookings. In addition, some other interesting old buildings than began life for other purposes are now modern hotels. Because of its slightly unusual political status central Shanghai was largely spared damage during WW2, and you can still stay in many of these redoubtable old buildings.
If you had come to Shanghai in the 1930s you would have had the choice of several of grandest hotels in Asia. As a contemporary guidebook put it, "Shanghai offers ample hotel and hotel-apartment accommodation, with a wide variety of locations and tariffs". On the other hand, some Chinese observers of the time felt these foreign buildings were inappropriate. A 1932 local guidebook said, "these places have no relationship to us Chinese...and besides the upper class atmosphere in these Western hotels is very solemn, every move and gesture seems completely regulated."
An Overview: Official Flowers of 32 Chinese Cities
The Plum Blossom: One of China's National Flowers
Chinese : 桂花 gui hua
English : Osmanthus
Latin : Flos Osmanthi Fragrantis
Cities: Suzhou Hefei Guilin Hangzhou
Three of the four cities that boast sweet osmanthus as their official flower are also some of the biggest tourist destinations in China. Tiny and delicate, they are particularly prominent in Suzhou's many world-renowned gardens. Similarly, Hangzhou has taken advantage of their autumnal blooming season to feature them during its annual West Lake Osmanthus Festival in September. Yet despite the efforts of these two cities to claim the flower as their own, Guilin, or ‘The Forest of Osmanthus," as its name means in Chinese, has them both beaten: botanists believe the plant has been in the city for more than 10,000 years, and you can still buy a sweet wine made from the flower in the city today.
China’s Top Concert Pianist With New Recording Of China Classics
By Chris Devonshire-Ellis
Lang Lang, the Shenyang born Chinese pianist many consider the best of his generation, ("Stunning" - New York Times) has released a new joint CD and DVD, "Dragon Songs" on the Deutsche Grammophon label, the most prestigious for international classical artists. Comprising many of China's most loved classics, the pianist also made a documentary of the recording, included in the package.
Cai Guo-Qiang's Exploding Cars
The Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang has been creating a stir internationally with his recent installations, most notably his "Exploding cars" sequences, which have been showing everywhere from the Guggenheim onwards over the last few weeks. Described as "an explosive moment expanded in time and space as if in a dream" Cai Guo-Qiang's work is dramatic, severe and frighteningly beautiful.
The Wonder Of China’s Beautiful Water Lotus
It's July, and everywhere in China, the Water Lotus is now in bloom. Parks across the country have suddenly bloomed fireworks that looked like lotuses, with outer petals fading from white to pink and central rings of rose deepening to red. Always in lakes and ponds, the flower of July for China blooms in water. What could be more cool and refreshing during the hot days of July than contemplating the water lily?
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Carry On Up The Yangtze
The Yangtze River is one of the world's mightiest waterways - 6,300km in length, and stretching from Himalayan origins in the Chinese - Tibetan mountains of Qinghai (Amdo), heading south then dramatically making a U-turn to cross the entire nation and empty out near Shanghai. The 3rd largest river in the world, it is Asia's largest, compared to the Mekong (4,350km) and Ganges (2510km), with whom it shares similar beginnings. In fact, in the north of Yunnan, the Mekong and Yangtze run along parallel valleys - the former thundering down south to empty in to the South China Sea, while the Yangtze does a 180 degree turn at Shi Gu and remarkably continues east to drain at the East China Sea. That turn "The First Bend In The Yangtze" has had important repercussions for China's development - without the bend at Shi Gu, no Chongqing, Wuhan, Nanjing or Shanghai. The fish caught at Shu Ge - a large species of Trout - are reputed to be the tastiest in China. (We tried them, steamed and grilled. They are very good).
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