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Tuesday, April 30, 2019

An Icy Post to Post for a Post

Folks, my apologies for posting very infrequently lately. I can't blame it on a lack of things to post. The situation is quite the opposite.

Much more is on the way though. Really. Before that, I'm not sure what to say. But I did see one intriguing suggestion this evening for something to do.

"eat ice" shirt


I'm already convinced, as long as it's good ice.

More later . . .

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

An Interspecies Confrontation in Wuzhou

small dog barking at a cat in a defensive posture


I witnessed the interaction in the above photo while walking in Wuzhou this afternoon. Most of the time, the cat, which wore a collar, stood its ground in a defensive posture while the dog yapped at it. Although the cat didn't seem to be in serious danger, I later tried blocking the dog a few times to give the cat a chance to more safely flee. The cat didn't take advantage of the opportunity, so I left life as it was on the otherwise peaceful street.

Friday, April 19, 2019

The Core Socialist Values of a Fallen Planter in Wuzhou

Within sight of a new core socialist values sign in Wuzhou a row of planters serve to block vehicles from entering a pedestrian street. Today there was a small tragedy.


a knocked-over planter


After I took the above photo, a woman who had been sitting nearby rushed over and told me I couldn't take photos like this one. She then explained that somebody would be arriving soon to fix things. I guessed she didn't want me sharing what she considered to be a bad look. But I simply wished to capture a moment of everyday life which also spoke to issues regarding design.

Since I was photographing in a public area an inanimate object presumably of little concern to the Ministry of State Security or the Ministry of Public Security and the woman wasn't wearing a uniform, I felt I didn't need to be worried about being negatively affected by at least one of China's core socialist values — rule of law. So I exercised another core socialist value — freedom — and took one more photo for context.

planters used as a blockade for a pedestrian street in Wuzhou


Yes, the woman was still watching me, perhaps thinking I was not following one of the core socialist values — civility.

About two hours later, I returned to the same location. The woman was gone. And the problem had been fixed.

So I will happily share a photo which speaks to yet another core socialist value.

harmonious upright planters
Harmony

Thursday, April 18, 2019

Posting the Values Again in Wuzhou

China's 12 core socialist values are displayed at many (many, many) locations in the country. Now there is at least one more new sign in Wuzhou to remind people of them.

men placing Chinese characters on a sign that will display China's 12 core socialist values
Monday alongside Da'nan Road


man completing a sign of China's 12 core socialist values
Wednesday

Monday, April 15, 2019

Spiritual Clothing in Wuzhou

My Faith, God, Because of You . . .

Some fashion recently seen at the Wangcheng Plaza (旺城广场) shopping mall in Wuzhou that together forms a message:

woman wearing a "MY FAITH" sweatshirt



woman wearing a "GOD" sweatshirt and another woman wearing a "BECAUSE OF YOU" jacket


Friday, April 12, 2019

Riverside Fun With Toy Construction Vehicles in Wuzhou

This afternoon in Wuzhou a woman brought a little boy to the left bank of the Xi River. The boy was at first momentarily interested in some of the activities ongoing in the river, but soon his attention shifted to the apparent reason he had been brought there.

And he played with his toy construction vehicles in the sand and dirt while the woman used her mobile phone.

little boy playing with toy trucks next to the Xi River in Wuzhou, China.


Sure seemed like an excellent choice of location.

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

From Aristotle to Xie Juezai: Eight "Rule of Law Celebrity Sculptures" at Pantang Park in Wuzhou, China

Pantang Park (潘塘公园) offers a place to walk through a bit of greenery and somewhat get away from the urban areas which surround it in central Wuzhou. The park also offers a bit of a history through a series of busts titled "Rule of Law Celebrity Sculptures" ("法治名人雕像"). The busts are almost all arranged in the chronological order of the lives of the people they depict, ranging in time from Ancient Greece to Communist China. Below are photos of the eight busts and also links to the English Wikipedia page for each person, though the articles for the Chinese figures are less well referenced, if at all.

Notably, the first four busts are all of Westerners and the rest are all of Chinese. I am not very familiar with the history of rule of law in the Western world and China, but I am sure people more knowledgable about the topic would have deeper observations about this selection of people put on display at a relatively peaceful park in Wuzhou.

Bust of Aristotle (亚里士多德) in Wuzhou's Pantang Park (潘塘公园)
Aristotle (亚里士多德; 384–322 BC), Greek philosopher


Bust of Ulpian (乌尔比安) in Wuzhou's Pantang Park (潘塘公园)
Ulpian (乌尔比安; 170 – 223), Roman jurist


Bust of Montesquieu (孟德斯鸠) in Wuzhou's Pantang Park (潘塘公园)
Montesquieu (孟德斯鸠; 1689-1755), French judge and political philosopher


Bust of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (黑格尔) in Wuzhou's Pantang Park (潘塘公园)
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (黑格尔; 1770-1831), German philosopher


Bust of Shen Jiaben (沈家本) in Wuzhou's Pantang Park (潘塘公园)
Shen Jiaben (沈家本; 1840-1913), Chinese politician and jurist


Bust of Shen Junru (沈钧儒) in Wuzhou's Pantang Park (潘塘公园)
Shen Junru (沈钧儒, 1875 - 1963), first president of the Supreme People's Court of China in the People's Republic of China


Bust of Dong Biwu (董必武)  in Wuzhou's Pantang Park (潘塘公园)
Dong Biwu (董必武; 1886 - 1975), Chinese communist political leader


Bust of Xie Juezai (谢觉哉) in Wuzhou's Pantang Park (潘塘公园)
Xie Juezai (谢觉哉; 1884 - 1971), former President of the Supreme People's Court

Monday, April 8, 2019

A Cantonese Opera in Hong Kong About Donald Trump

About a month and a half ago in Hong Kong, as I left the Yau Ma Tei metro station I noticed an advertisement for the new Cantonese opera "Trump On Show".

Trump On Show advertisement


Yes, this really exists:
Start with a performer playing President Trump. Then bring in a long-lost brother who was raised in China.

Throw in castmates portraying a ping-pong-loving Mao Zedong, a deal-seeking Kim Jong Un, Ivanka Trump and Mao’s power-hungry fourth wife.

They are singing. Opera. In Cantonese.

And, well, it’s complicated.
For more about those complications, read Mary Hui's piece about the Trumpian opera in The Washington Post, which includes some perspectives from the opera's creator, Li Kui-ming:
Li also studied the president’s quirks and habits — his penchant for fast food and television-watching habits — to develop Trump’s character.

Li, however, was struck by similarities between Mao and Trump.

“What they share in common is they both started a cultural revolution,” Li said.
Oh boy.

Trump wasn't the only Republican U.S. politician that I recently noticed in Hong Kong. Admittedly, it was a bit confounding to turn around at a bus stop in Kowloon Bay and think "Is that really Dick Cheney?".

Vice movie poster ad in Hong Kong


I don't expect to attend any "Trump on Show" performances, which opens April 12, or have anything worth saying about the movie "Vice". So this post is probably all you'll find about them here. I will update if I see any indications of a Hong Kong musical about George W. Bush though.

Thursday, April 4, 2019

Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Life Moving On The Gui River Western Bank Wall in Wuzhou

The three rivers in central Wuzhou all have portions bordered by long walls. Below are several scenes on a wall alongside the western bank of the Gui River (桂江). The occasional light rains and overcast sky this afternoon didn't keep some people from walking, riding bicycles, jogging, stretching, and talking their dogs for a walk. In terms of lighting, parks, and number of levels, this wall may not have received as much attention from the city as other walls, but it has its own charm and life.


woman riding a bicycle on a wall bordering the Gui River (桂江) in Wuzhou (梧州)



man jogging on a wall bordering the Gui River (桂江) in Wuzhou (梧州)



couple walking together on a wall bordering the Gui River (桂江) in Wuzhou (梧州)



small dog walking on a wall bordering the Gui River (桂江) in Wuzhou (梧州)



man walking with outstretched arms on a wall bordering the Gui River (桂江) in Wuzhou (梧州)



man stretching on a wall bordering the Gui River (桂江) in Wuzhou (梧州)



woman walking a dog on a wall bordering the Gui River (桂江) in Wuzhou (梧州)



man jogging on a wall bordering the Gui River (桂江) in Wuzhou (梧州)



young woman stretching on a wall bordering the Gui River (桂江) in Wuzhou (梧州)



man walking a dog on a wall bordering the Gui River (桂江) in Wuzhou (梧州)



man riding a bike on a wall bordering the Gui River (桂江) in Wuzhou (梧州)



three elementary school students walking on a wall bordering the Gui River (桂江) in Wuzhou (梧州)


Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk in Wuzhou

A spilled white drink next to the Xun River (浔江) in Wuzhou
A spilled drink that perhaps included some milk next to the Xun River (浔江) in Wuzhou

I had plans for an April Fool's Day post on Monday. Early in the afternoon I had a new idea and collected some critical material for it. Then I wondered whether it might be too convincing of a post for April Fool's, a conundrum I've run into before. Then other things came up, and I realized I had no more time.

So, next year. Or next life. In any case, I have material for a less confounding post now.

These things happen.