What does “going off the beaten path” mean? To the uninitiated, this could mean taking a different route home on the way from work, or going to the Ozarks, instead of the Grand Canyon, for a family trip. In any case, the essence is that adventurous steps have been taken into the unknown. In the... Continue Reading →
From madness of New Delhi, to the productivity of Singapore, and to the old world glory of Istanbul, it’s safe to say that Asian cities run the gamut in terms atmosphere, culture, and development. As one of not only Asia’s, but the world’s, major cities, Tokyo lends itself to being highly efficient, impressively modern and... Continue Reading →
What does the Nanjing Yangtze Bridge and Mt. Fuji have in common? There are several differences. Their countries, China and Japan respectively, have been at cultural and political odds for decades, and both are notoriously wary of being compared to the other. With one landmark being a forty-eight year old bridge, and the other central... Continue Reading →
The mountains may be high and the emperor far away, but that did not stop Yunnan from hosting a high-profile visitor this past week. Zhang Gaoli (张高丽), China's senior-most vice-premier, visited the province on an inspection tour of green industry growth and tourism development in the region. Water resource protection and rural construction were also included on... Continue Reading →
Earlier this summer, a branch of the United Nations bestowed one of its highest preservation designations on a little-known area of Guangxi province. The selection, which recognizes the importance of rock art some 16 millennia old, may have ramifications for younger but archeologically important sites in northwest Yunnan. Beginning with Sumerian cuneiform script, recorded human history... Continue Reading →
In China, demand for flights to the United States has doubled over the past five years, with numbers for European markets lagging only slightly behind. In fact, as of 2015, Chinese carriers operate nearly ten percent more flights to the US on a weekly basis than US-based carriers send to the mainland. This situation represents... Continue Reading →
In a country where bigger often equates to better, a truly massive science project is about to go online in Guizhou. Approximately 170 kilometers southeast of the provincial capital Guiyang, within a Karst depression in Pingtang County (平塘县), construction is nearing completion on the world's largest radio telescope. At 500 meters in diameter, the telescope, which has been dubbed the... Continue Reading →
A partnership between French conglomerate Moët-Hennessy and Chinese baijiu consortium VATS has led to the creation one of the highest elevation wineries in the world. The joint venture is set to debut its first luxury vintage this summer, following years of negotiation and preparation. The name of the vintage, Aoyun (敖云), translated by Moët as "roaming above... Continue Reading →
For expatriates in Kunming, Chinese New Year is rarely the heartfelt time for family it is for the local population. Instead, it means valuable vacation time away from work, and the opportunity for travel and adventure. There is one caveat however, as travel costs during this time of year skyrocket. I challenged myself to find a locale... Continue Reading →
Living in China, some things cease to surprise. The odd, unusual and unexplainable often become mundane aspects of daily life. One such example occurred earlier this week along the Jinzhi River (金汁河) in northern Kunming. At approximately 9pm, pedestrians came upon an unusual sight — a Porsche Cayenne floating in the water, having 'crashed' there moments before.... Continue Reading →
JAWS Going Places 