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Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Burning with Spirit During Qingming in Guangzhou

Today on an old street in Guangzhou some iPhones, watches, and shoes burned.

paper watches, shoes, and iPhones burn


New clothing was added to the fire.

boxes with paper shirts, ties, and suits jacket burn


And more items, such as money and cigarettes, were added.

family burning paper replicas of items during Qingming


And the fire burned on.

paper replicas of various items burning


Eventually, all that was left of the items was a pile of ash.

ash on road


Water fully put out the burning.

boy throwing water onto smoking ash


And there was a quick cleanup of what remained.

woman cleaning up ashes with broom and dustbin


Had the family needed more to burn, a shop just a short walk away offered plenty of options.

shop selling paper replicas of various items


shop selling paper replicas of various items


paper clothing for sale


paper spirit money for sale


paper replicas of various items for sale


All of the items were paper replicas — part of a tradition of sending needed items to ancestors in the afterlife. Today was Qingming, Tomb-Sweeping Day, and many similar offering were made elsewhere in Guangzhou and the rest of China. Even if your beliefs differ, watching the burnings can feel cathartic.

Monday, April 3, 2017

A Soda for April 1st

April Fool's Day was unusually quiet for me. I had an idea lined up for here, but shortly after starting the post I wondered if it took things too far for my tastes. I didn't have a clear answer, which I figured was enough of an answer. I won't reveal the post, because my tastes may change in the future. I had other ideas, but then the internet slowed to a near halt. Seemed like a sign.

Instead I will pass on something I shared with my brother on that day. I wouldn't call it an April Fool's Day joke, though. We could have an interaction like this any day.

I told him I had found a great shirt for his young kid at a children's clothing market in Guangzhou but wanted to check something with him before buying it.

"He likes soda, right?"

I then shared a photo of the child-sized shirt.

children clothing with the words "BEER CIGARETTES CANDY SODA"


And now onto April 3rd matters . . .

Friday, March 31, 2017

A Few More Details About the Photos Taken for the Guangzhou Twos

In the recent series of posts with the theme "Two Guangzhou [X]" I deliberately provided little context for each of the photos. I have posted photos in a similar format before before but not so many in a row. Initially, I had planned to conclude the series with a post exploring how additional context of one type or another could make an impact for better or worse in each case and then consider some broader issues. Since the process has happily caused me to think about many things and the series went on longer than expected, I would like to hold off on that post and possibly do it in pieces in the future. But I don't want to leave things completely hanging right now, so I will share a few very informal thoughts about each of the posts. They capture, sometimes indirectly, a tiny bit of what I had in mind and also offer a little more . . . context.

1. "Two Guangzhou Roses" — My attention was first drawn to the graffiti due a friend who I thought would appreciate the art, even though the artist unlikely had her name in mind. I usually wouldn't consider that context important to share here though. Instead, I wondered how I could best express the environment in which they were set and the degree to which graffiti is common there.

2. "Two Electric Toys for Sale Outside in Guangzhou" — While I mentioned the locations where the photos were taken I left unmentioned that both of the small lanes are just off of a popular pedestrian street. Does that added piece of information matter? Well, depends . . .

3. "Two Guangzhou Cokes" — This time I offered no details on the locations. Both photos were taken in the same neighborhood though. While the eateries themselves were common for the area, the I hadn't seen many similar examples of the advertising nearby.

4. "Two Guangzhou Eateries" — Both examples here are in the same general part of the city along with all of the examples in the previous posts. The main items — rice noodle rolls and congee — at both restaurants are traditional Cantonese foods, and both places are favorites of locals.

5. "Two Guangzhou Law Firms" — Now we are in a different part of Guangzhou. Although I saw both examples during a single rather long walk, they aren't very near each other. The locations may seem less relevant here for what caught my eye — the contrasting styles of the signs — but they may play an important role.

6. "Two Guangzhou Samples of Text" — Some relevant context for this post could be that this was far from the first time I have seen sample text left on signs or clothing. I did mention that I had seen both in the same day, though people could read different implications into that. Also, it could be worth mentioning that the shirt was for sale at a somewhat-pedestrian street targeting younger people. More about that street another day.

7. "Two Guangzhou Trains" — Since the two photos were taken from different vantage points, some people may not realize they both capture the same railroad crossing. More easy to spot, the photos included different trains. One is of the high-speed variety and the other is not. This was all pure luck. I was making my way to one part of the city and knew I would need to cross the railroad tracks at some point. And of course the way I chose was temporarily blocked when I got there. The delay was worth it.

8. "Two Guangzhou Garbage Bins on the Go" — This last post only included a single photo since there was no need for a second. Just yesterday I saw a similar vehicle towing far more than two garbage bins. Unfortunately it disappeared before I could photograph it.

OK, that is all for now. Maybe this answers some questions. Hopefully this raises some questions.

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Two Guangzhou Garbage Bins on the Go

"City Cleaning" pulling two garbage bins with a three-wheeled motorized vehicle


And this probably concludes the recent series of "two" posts. As mentioned before, a post connecting them is on the way.

Sunday, March 26, 2017

Two Guangzhou Samples of Text

Both seen today . . .

shirt with an image and the words "SAMPLE TEXT — FOR YOUR TEXT HERE"



advertisement including the text "Sample your text"


I have in mind a point connecting all of the posts since last week beyond the simple "Two Guangzhou [X]" theme. After at least one more two I will try to make it.

Friday, March 17, 2017

A Small Boat in Guangzhou

That feeling when you would like to borrow something for a short time . . .

empty small boat floating on the water and tied to a post