A New Scene With a Familiar Bridge in Changsha

I have been preoccupied with other-than-blogging activities the past week or so, but I hope to soon return to posting more regularly. For now, here is a photo taken from the western side of Changsha's Xiang River:

The bridge has made an appearance here before in a post describing some problems I was having with other "bridges".  The earlier photo was taken from the eastern side of the river.

I don't believe the buildings on the left have appeared here before, though, and they are a newer part of Changsha's skyline. They may be part of a later post about the changes I have seen in Changsha since last year's visit.

And on that note, more soon...

Looking Back at Zigong

Man walking down a relatively quiet street in Zigong, China

Two years ago I spent about 10 days in Zigong--a city in Southwest China's Sichuan province. Zigong was where I perused a dinosaur museum with a "romantic scene", saw more of the various mobile phones for sale in China, watched a Mother's Day fashion show, met a friendly family in a neighborhood of older homes, and chatted with another friendly group of people at a restaurant. It's also where I found examples useful for contrasting the online lives of students in mainland China and Taiwan, comparing Google's, Baidu's, and later Bing's online map services (here and here), and showing how a global online social networking service such as Facebook could potentially address unmet needs in China.

Like almost everywhere else I have been in China, there is more I could say than what I have already expressed here. And soon I will share another another aspect of Zigong which caught my eyes. But first, I want to bring attention to the reason Zigong came to mind today. China correspondent Rob Schmitz first went to Zigong in 1996 as a Peace Corps Volunteer and recently made a return visit. In an article on Marketplace he shares some of the changes he saw in the city and his acquaintances there:

Zeng picks me up in the provincial capital of Chengdu in his brand new Volkswagon bug. Each day, this city limits traffic to certain numbered license plates to curb air pollution. To get around that, Zeng simply bought five cars – one for every day of the week. He’s on the move. At 29 years old, he’s now one of China’s top young artists. "When I was young, I played with toy cars, but I never imagined I’d ever be able to buy one," Zeng tells me as we speed down the expressway.

Schmitz's account reminds me of the changes I've seen since I first set food in China only 8 years ago, whether while living in Shanghai or from revisiting cities such Kunming, Quanzhou, and Changchun. And it makes me wonder what changes I would notice in Zigong after a little more than 2 years. For example, Schmitz notes Zigong's relatively new Walmart, which I saw when I visited (shown in the mobile phone post), but I wonder if the Mall-mart (shown in the Mother's day post) on the other side of the river is still there. What became of the student (mentioned in the Facebook post) who felt "crushed" by the limitations of his college and degree? And has the home of the friendly family I met continued to survive China's relentless development?

I don't know. Although Zigong is on a list of places I would like to revisit in China, the list is long and there is always more to see. Making return visits such as Schmitz's can be incredible, especially in a country changing at a remarkably fast pace. I recommend reading Schmitz's full article here for a taste of those changes.

Is the Restaurant Still There?: A Contrast of Taipei and Shanghai

The first time I visited Taipei was in 2002, and I spent more than two months there.  Since then, I've returned to Taipei several times.

When I think back to many of the places in Shanghai that most captured my attention when I first visited there in 2005 I realize that many of them no longer exist.  The huge bird market near West Nanjing Road -- gone.  My favorite place for a an inexpensive back massage -- gone.  The "old Shanghai" Wujiang Lu food street -- gone.  The various places I ate at -- of those I can remember so many are gone.

Experiencing a lot of change over a short period of time has been the norm for me while living in Shanghai the past 5 years.  So, when I visit Taipei I'm amazed by how many of my "old favorites" from 2002 still exist today.

While this is only my own personal experience, I don't think I'd be stepping out on much of limb to suggest that it reflects some truths about the relative amount of recent change in Taipei and Shanghai.  As far as what to take from that, well I think it depends on your perspective.  It calls to mind a campaign I noticed in Taipei several years ago that essentially said (I can't remember the exact words) "Taipei will progress, but we want Taipei to keep on being Taipei".

The following are some photos of my "old favorites" in Taipei as they appear today -- all food & drink related to keep with the theme of my previous post.  Some of these places have excellent food, some may be more typical but are special to me for other reasons.  I share them as a tiny window into Taipei and for posterity.

Where particularly helpful, I've included links to Google Maps Street View.  Otherwise, I've provided other details on the location.  Maybe someday in the future you can try to find some of these places yourself and see if they're still there.  Of course, I recommend trying the food.

My friend introduced me to this street stand famous for its rice, garlic, & sausage "wrap".
(Location on Google Maps Street View)

I found this simple place to eat in the center of the photo on my own.
A set meal of chicken, several side dishes of the day, soup, & rice for about US $2.50
(Location on Google Maps Street View)

My favorite vegetarian buffet -- just load up on whatever looks good and it's priced by weight.
The first time I ate there I didn't even realize I was eating mock meat (the informative signs didn't help since I couldn't speak/read Chinese back then).  When I later became suspicious I quickly lost any doubt.  After closely inspecting the food I looked up and saw a Buddhist monk sitting across from me.
(Location on Google Maps Street View)

Hui Liu -- a fancier (and pricier) vegetarian restaurant with very good tea.
(Location on Google Maps Street View)

This place famous for its mango-ice is often packed.  Not sure it has the same ownership as before, though.
(Location on Google Maps Street View)

My favorite place for spicy dumplings with peanut sauce is at the well-known Shilin Night Market.
(Shilin Night Market is easy to find.  This eatery is in a front corner of the main food building near the Jiantan metro station.)

One of the many cafes in the area near National Taiwan University.
Years ago I found it to be an excellent place to read some Goethe.
(Location on Google Maps Street View)

Sushi takeout at the Yuanshan metro station.  Nothing special, just thought it was interesting that it was still there.

"Bruma" - A very friendly family owns & runs the restaurant.
(Location on Google Maps Street View)

Typically during the lunch period it's full.  They also deliver to nearby places.

I'm a big fan of their sweet & sour fish (I ask for extra spicy).
This meal with soup, drink, and a small dessert is about US $5.