Sunday, August 19, 2018
Thursday, August 16, 2018
Balloon Sculptures, Singing, and a Pelvic Thrusting Dinosaur: The Grand Opening of a Jewelry Store in Ganzhou, China
Posted by
Brian Glucroft
at
11:56 PM
When I stopped by a jewelry store with a notable logo on the afternoon of its opening day in Ganzhou, Jiangxi province, there were a few customers inside, but all was otherwise quiet. Especially given the hot weather and low pedestrian traffic at the time, this wasn't so surprising.
When I stopped by again later in the early evening, the weather had cooled down and the activities to celebrate the grand opening had heated up. Given what I have seen at a variety of promotions elsewhere in China, I wasn't too surprised to see somebody wearing an inflatable Tyrannosaurus costume entertaining people, especially children.
At an entrance to the store, somebody else was creating balloon animals and sculptures. I have seen the same thing at a number of jewelry stores elsewhere.
There was also a stage set up besides the store. While I was there a woman sang, also not so uncommon for events likes this one.
But then things came together in a way that wasn't so typical in my experience, and it was something to behold.
I didn't know a Tyrannosaurus could move like that.
On reflection, the movements were somewhat similar to how some cockatoos dance to music. Not only are birds dinosaurs, but the Tyrannosaurus is more closely related to a bird than to a Stegosaurus. Perhaps that's what the person had in mind, though I am not aware of any birds dancing quite the same way.
In any case, the dancing felt a bit surreal to watch. I can't put the experience fully into words, so I have shared a bit of it in the video below. Although the Tyrannosaurus stopped dancing, or whatever it was doing, and returned to other activities while I watched, I kept filming a bit longer. There is more to observe than just the dinosaur, though it steals the show.
Take a look:
When I stopped by again later in the early evening, the weather had cooled down and the activities to celebrate the grand opening had heated up. Given what I have seen at a variety of promotions elsewhere in China, I wasn't too surprised to see somebody wearing an inflatable Tyrannosaurus costume entertaining people, especially children.
At an entrance to the store, somebody else was creating balloon animals and sculptures. I have seen the same thing at a number of jewelry stores elsewhere.
There was also a stage set up besides the store. While I was there a woman sang, also not so uncommon for events likes this one.
But then things came together in a way that wasn't so typical in my experience, and it was something to behold.
I didn't know a Tyrannosaurus could move like that.
On reflection, the movements were somewhat similar to how some cockatoos dance to music. Not only are birds dinosaurs, but the Tyrannosaurus is more closely related to a bird than to a Stegosaurus. Perhaps that's what the person had in mind, though I am not aware of any birds dancing quite the same way.
In any case, the dancing felt a bit surreal to watch. I can't put the experience fully into words, so I have shared a bit of it in the video below. Although the Tyrannosaurus stopped dancing, or whatever it was doing, and returned to other activities while I watched, I kept filming a bit longer. There is more to observe than just the dinosaur, though it steals the show.
Take a look:
Wednesday, August 15, 2018
A Curiously Misleading Logo: Not China Gold in Ganzhou
Posted by
Brian Glucroft
at
11:08 PM
Late last night I saw preparations for a new jewelry store in Ganzhou, Jiangxi province. I called it a China Gold store in my post, in part because the logo for the store appeared to be a merger of the letters C & G and I didn't know they hadn't yet placed all the characters for its Chinese name on the storefront sign. The logo seemed unfamiliar, however, which caused some rumblings in the back of my mind.
Today the sign was complete, and the store was already open for business.
With the full Chinese name displayed, "中国金銀珠寶" (Zhōngguó Jīnyín Zhūbǎo), I realized it wasn't a store for the chain I had previously had in mind, 中国黄金 (Zhōngguó Huángjīn). Zhōngguó Huángjīn uses the English name "China Gold", a literal translation of the Chinese name, and the stores are franchised by a large state-owned enterprise based in Beijing — China National Gold Group Corporation — which also commonly uses the name "China Gold". I shared a photo of a China Gold store earlier this year in a post about International Women's Day Sales in Jiangmen, Guangdong. Their logo is visually distinct from the one used by the store in Ganzhou.
I didn't see any English names at the Ganzhou store today. The best I could easily find online relates to the Hong Kong registration of a company with the same Chinese name. They used "China Gold Silver Jewellery", also a literal translation of the Chinese name. I can't see a CGSJ acronym in the Ganzhou stores's logo though.
Whatever name the company would prefer to see used in English, their logo is not only notable for its similarity to the Chanel and Gucci logos but also for it capturing the acronym of a well-known competitor's English name. Both issues seem unlikely to be coincidences. The logo probably wouldn't leave either Chanel, Gucci, or China Gold very happy.
Today the sign was complete, and the store was already open for business.
With the full Chinese name displayed, "中国金銀珠寶" (Zhōngguó Jīnyín Zhūbǎo), I realized it wasn't a store for the chain I had previously had in mind, 中国黄金 (Zhōngguó Huángjīn). Zhōngguó Huángjīn uses the English name "China Gold", a literal translation of the Chinese name, and the stores are franchised by a large state-owned enterprise based in Beijing — China National Gold Group Corporation — which also commonly uses the name "China Gold". I shared a photo of a China Gold store earlier this year in a post about International Women's Day Sales in Jiangmen, Guangdong. Their logo is visually distinct from the one used by the store in Ganzhou.
I didn't see any English names at the Ganzhou store today. The best I could easily find online relates to the Hong Kong registration of a company with the same Chinese name. They used "China Gold Silver Jewellery", also a literal translation of the Chinese name. I can't see a CGSJ acronym in the Ganzhou stores's logo though.
Whatever name the company would prefer to see used in English, their logo is not only notable for its similarity to the Chanel and Gucci logos but also for it capturing the acronym of a well-known competitor's English name. Both issues seem unlikely to be coincidences. The logo probably wouldn't leave either Chanel, Gucci, or China Gold very happy.
New China Gold in Ganzhou
Posted by
Brian Glucroft
at
1:12 AM
Late night work for a new jewelry store on Dongyangshan Road in Ganzhou |
Correction: I previously captioned the photo indicating the jewelry store was China Gold, in part due to the apparent CG acronym in the logo. However, it isn't a China Gold store. More about that in a more recent post here.
Monday, August 13, 2018
Saturday, August 11, 2018
Friday, August 10, 2018
Lotus Flowers, Bridges, and a Sculpture at a University Pond in Ganzhou
Posted by
Brian Glucroft
at
9:16 PM
Recent posts (here and here) featured scenes from parks in Ganzhou, Jiangxi. To continue the theme, below are a few photos taken on a rather hot afternoon at Bajiao Pond (八角塘) at the Jiangxi University of Science and Technology campus on Hongqi Road in Ganzhou.
Thursday, August 9, 2018
Ganzhou Xiangqi
Posted by
Brian Glucroft
at
9:56 PM
A quiet game of xiangqi today at the Zhang River Right Bank City Citizens' Park (章江右岸市民公园) in Ganzhou:
Tuesday, August 7, 2018
Sunday, August 5, 2018
Not in Africa: A Brief Story of Taking the Train Out of Guangdong
Posted by
Brian Glucroft
at
11:40 PM
In a waiting room at the Huizhou Railway Station (photo doesn't include the children mentioned in this post) |
As I approached my seat after boarding the train in Huizhou, the 8-year-old boy who would be sitting across from me excitedly announced to his mother and younger sister, "A European!"
Before I could helpfully correct him, I heard him less certainly suggested another possibility. I then decided it was now best not to correct him.
After all, I'm not identified as an African every day.
The train's seats were sold out, and there were a number of people who had bought standing-only tickets. It had been a while since I had taken a non-high-speed train like this one, but most things seemed the same. So much life.
As the train began moving, I found it hard to get excited about being on the train for another five hours. Yet I knew most people were likely in for a longer ride. Anybody there for the final destination still had more than 27 hours to go. Five hours now seems pretty good. Did I mention my ticket cost less than eight American dollars?
It took some time, but eventually I entered a train-Zen state of mind. There was so much to take in. The 8-year-old boy and his sister carried on at times, but, unlike their mother, I soon appreciated the entertainment. For what it is worth, my brother and I at that age would have been far less peaceful under such conditions.
Now I am in Ganzhou. No, that's not a typo for Guangzhou. I could've made it there in much less time. I'm out of Guangdong province and now in Jiangxi province.
This is my second time in Ganzhou, but it has been a while. More about this place, so far from Africa, another time.
Oh, that boy and his sister . . . they still had more than 4 hours to go after I disembarked the train. I'm guessing mostly all went fine.
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