One thing Shenzhen is not noted for is its architecture. If ever you wanted to see a vision of communist urban planning turned into a nightmare of concrete uniformity then this is the place to come. It’s like a bunch of uninspired architects were given a massive budget and then vomited a million lifeless tower blocks over green pastures turning them grey.
On my way to the shops in the smokey air of new years day last Sunday I came across a lion dance performance (not to be confused with dragon dancing) in front of Carrefour. It looked so impressive that I quickly whipped out my camera a took a short video:
Last night the streets of Shenzhen were filled with the sight, sound, and unmistakable aroma of millions of fireworks being set off by people across the city as China saw in the Year of the Tiger with a bang. As with many activities here, the more noise, the more luck it’s supposed to bring. Shortly before midnight I took to the streets with my camera to capture the action (while trying to avoid getting my head blown off):
This morning I attended the first Shenzhen Anime Expo held in the “Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center” (Futian). In fact I’m not sure what the real name of the convention was since it was cryptically named SCAF (not the Southern Californian Anarchists Federation) with no other explanation in English. As well as showcasing many toy manufacturers from China there were also different kinds of activities, including cosplay (people dressing up as their favourite character), video game and dance competitions. Apparently over 100,000 people attended during the weekend and to say it was crowded would be an understatement. How Doraemon kept smiling I don’t know. The Chinese are crazy about games like World of Warcraft (a massively online role-playing game) and Counter Strike (a first person shooter)…
Following the relative success of the “Made in UK” T-shirt designs (i.e. people actually paying me to make them one) I decided to design another with an “I Love Shenzhen” theme along the lines of the classic I ♥ NY version. The only problem is that I’ve come up with four versions and can’t choose which one to put into production: Option 1 – classic Option 2 – horizontal Option 3 – wo ai (meaning “I love” in Chinese) Option 4 – 我 (meaning “I” in Chinese) Option 5 – bonus (by popular request!) I figured a public vote was the way to go so, if you’d be so kind, please cast your opinion below (or click here if you’re an RSS reader): Which…
Right now Typhoon Molave (category 1) is making its merry way towards where I’m sitting in Shenzhen and by the looks of this satellite graphic we could be in for quite a show. It’s expected to make landfall tonight (in the next few hours) and should bring with it wind speeds in excess of 100 km per hour (force 9). Right now we’re experiencing the calm before the storm and the streets are eerily quiet – time to batten down the hatches. Something tells me I’ll be spending tomorrow at home watching safely from my balcony window! Thanks to Asian Ramblings for first spotting this.
Tonight I will be returning to the UK for a short break from China but fear not I’ll be retuning in two weeks time. My flight goes from Hong Kong via Amsterdam meaning it’ll be a rather long journey (17 hours) which I never look forward to but hopefully should lessen the jet lag as I basically fly through the night of 8 time zones. It’s been 10 months since I moved to Shenzhen and so far it’s been a great experience. Although I have developed somewhat of a love-hate relationship with the country it continues to fascinate me and I’ve managed to see and learn a lot more since my previous shorter trips as well as met some interesting people. Shenzhen might not be the…
Last weekend I escaped the suffocating summer heat of Shenzhen to the southern island of Da Jia. After a rather hairy boat ride (see video below) we were greeted by beautiful beaches and warm waters. For China it was pretty clean and not too crowded. I’m pretty sure the boat driver had a death wish but for 10 RMB we were hardly expecting a gentle cruise! Hiking to the top of the island presented beautiful views out over the Pacific Ocean and some mysterious military installations which hinted at the islands former use. Being on the coast the area is popular for its seafood… Not being much of a seafood lover myself I wasn’t too thrilled by the lunch options but it was nethertheless interesting…
In the past two weeks in China there have been two separate incidents of buses bursting into flames, firstly in Chengdu, then worryingly closer to home in Shenzhen (warning: links contain graphic photos). Tragically in the first instance 27 people died when they were trapped inside. There have been no official reasons given for the causes of the fires although there are a number of theories going around: Mechanical failure due to poor maintenance Air conditioning overheated in 30+ °C weather Passenger carrying flammable item / liquid Domestic terrorism (Tibetan independence groups etc.) When you combine any of these possible causes with the fact that most buses in China are usually horrendously overcrowded then you have a recipe for disaster. What makes it even…
10pm in the Futian district of Shenzhen taken from the roof of a 33 story apartment block which a guard kindly let me climb out onto (in China there are no “health and safety” laws… that people follow anyway). They came out surprisingly well considering they were taken by a shaky hand without a tripod. There is something magical about the night in such densely packed cities where man has built upwards towards the heavens. Thousands of lights twinkle against the skyline as if indicating their inhabitants very existence within the controlled chaos of urban dwelling in China. As if arteries in some enormous autonomous monster even the roads and highways take on a life of their own at night ferrying the lifeblood of…