Jason Morley » china

The Swing Bar

Jason — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 12:23:37 +0000

I recently had cause to look through the various photos I’ve snapped over the past few years and came across this reminder of my time in Beijing:

The ‘Swing Bar’ on Bar Street became a regular haunt and featured this fantastic collection of musicians who would do their best to perform almost any song requested.

Starbucks’ Beijing

Jason — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 14:41:29 +0000

Finding one’s way around a foreign place can be a rather daunting task and Beijing is no exception. In a country where, try as you might, it seems inexorably hard to pronounce the names of places let-alone read them, multi-lingual maps become a necessity.

Thankfully, the bastion of Western culture that is Starbucks stepped up, providing one of the most vital documents I possessed during my time in China:

P.S. In order to avoid the ensuing confusion, I am in Chicago this week. Merely revisiting old haunts…

Filling In The Gaps

Jason — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 12:56:49 +0000

The past half a year has been an extremely busy time for me and, now that I am back in Britain for a short while, I have been trying to sort out a little. One thing I have been trying to address is the horrible mess in which my photos have found themselves.

While there are a couple of albums still remaining to be sorted, perhaps these few will help shed some light on what I have been up to during the last 8 months:

Chinese Spring Festival

The Chinese Spring Festival, or New Year, falls towards the beginning of the Western year. Fortunately, for us, that was a week after the beginning of our assignment, giving us ample opportunity to take a look around:

.Mac Gallery (Fast Computers)
Flickr (Slow Computers)

The Great Wall

Visiting the Great Wall obviously forms part of the mandatory explorations in and around Beijing. If, however, you are foolish enough to go on a guided tour, you will be taken to Jade Factories, Cloisonne Factories and Chinese Medical Centres before finally reaching your intended destination:

.Mac Gallery (Fast Computers)
Flickr (Slow Computers)

Hong Kong

Not long after, visa woes mandated the first of many weekend trips to Hong Kong and other destinations:

.Mac Gallery (Fast Computers)
Flickr (Slow Computers)

Beijing Botanical Gardens

The Beijing Botanical Gardens are a fairly common destination for both foreigners and local tourists alike. If you manage to get through the crowds and traffic queues, they’re beautiful, especially in the blossoms of Spring:

.Mac Gallery (Fast Computers)
Flickr (Slow Computers)

Caves, Beijing

While I don’t remember the name of these caves, they provided for an amusing day out with members of our Chinese language school (BCLS) and some of their charges:

.Mac Gallery (Fast Computers)
Flickr (Slow Computers)

Hong Kong

Yet again. For yet more visa renewals. Yet still, an absolutely fantastic place, providing a wonderful combination of a true metropolis with small Chinese fishing islands:

.Mac Gallery (Fast Computers)
Flickr (Slow Computers)

All in all. A wonderful experience.

Beijing Olympics

Jason — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 08:25:11 +0000

As oft seems to happen when I up-sticks and move to a different country, things get neglected for a few weeks and updates to my website end up suffering.

This post is therefore going to be relatively short and — aside from noting that I’m currently in London — won’t even attempt to cast any light on what it is I’ve actually been up to over the last few weeks. I shall leave that for future ramblings.

It is time, however, to focus on the Beijing Olympics. Google’s logo is particularly close to my heart today:

In 2004, I visited China not long after they had been chosen to host the 2008 olympics. Four years later, I was lucky enough to return and see Beijing transformed, watch the finishing touches being put on the various stadia, trees being shipped into the city, and see Olympic fervour set in, championed by five somewhat unlikely cuddly characters.

Sadly, as I am now returned to London, I will be unable to watch the events live. But, I will — as with most of the rest of the World — be watching with great interest, hoping that everything goes smoothly.

Turtle Soup

Jason — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:13:40 +0000

HSBC have been running an advertising campaign for some time now — in the UK at least — which highlights the various misconceptions and differences and between the cultures of the World. While the more one travels, the more superficial and frivolous their portrayal seems, there is no denying these differences.

In keeping with this, the following photo was snapped while passing the Natural History Museum during a recent trip to London. Only a week before, I been enjoying turtle soup for my Friday lunch a few blocks from the office. One man’s wildlife is another man’s dinner…

As I slowly prepare myself for the next experience — perhaps a more Western one (in-so-much-as any Westerner can ever have a truly Eastern experience when exporting one’s own culture with such abandon) — I find myself amused by seeing the differences from the ‘other’ side.

Leaving China

Jason — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 09:34:13 +0000

I have been expecting my Beijing exploits to come to an end for quite some time now — things seem to have been conspiring against us since the very beginning. Still, it has been quite an experience and, while I may not have been here long enough to develop the attachment that I have for Japan, I find myself strangely fond of Beijing, China, and its quirky ways.

Of course, it’s not possible to spend time in China without visiting the various markets, getting a tailored suit, and just generally being a bit of a tourist:

Over the next few weeks, I hope to find a chance to go through the numerous photos I have taken and offer some up online. Thanks, for the time being, have to go to George for his photographic records.

Chinese Food

Jason — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:56:56 +0000

One of the most important parts of exploring a new country and culture is — for me at least — trying all the new and exciting foods.

China is no different. In fact, China offers more opportunities than many of the places I have experienced to-date. This seems to be the result of a strange historical and cultural combination whereby food is initially eaten through necessity and then continues to be eaten through that dogged Chinese determination that is ‘saving face‘.

It’s quite amazing what you can get ‘on a stick’ here:

I am reliably informed that all of the most expensive foods taste bad. Taste is — apparently — not the point.

Existential Elevator

Jason — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 23:38:01 +0000

In a truly Chinese way, the lifts in my appartement building in Beijing are somewhat ineffectual. This one has given up ‘lifting’ for something a little deeper. I expect it’s only a matter of time before it asks ‘WHY’:

Flying High

Jason — Sat, 10 May 2008 21:53:45 +0000

One of the things I lament living in China is the lack of time to comment on everything I see around me. But it’s not only time which restricts: the old adage runs, ‘if you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say anything at all’.

In my young, obnoxious, and — I suspect — extremely judgemental Western way, I find it very easy to be critical of China. This fact alone has, to date, kept me quiet. Certainly, the last thing China needs right now is yet another dis-enchanted foreigner letting loose on Chinese foreign policy, human rights and other issues. There exist far better educated and informed people to do this…

I do, however, find the Chinese approach to flying flags quite disturbing:

In my understanding, one flies the flags of other countries alongside one’s own to show strong international relations, unity and understanding. Not so in China where the national flag is invariably flown above those of other nations.

There is no doubt that China is going somewhere. However, I’m not sure that the sort of extreme nationalism this suggests is really a necessary part of the process. One can but hope this is a lost-in-translation moment.

Beijing Pollution

Jason — Sat, 10 May 2008 20:52:52 +0000

If you ask someone to describe Beijing, it’s highly likely they will mention the pollution. In fact, tales of Beijing pollution travel far and wide and, as if they didn’t have enough on their plate, it’s even been causing concerns for the Olympics.

With all of this, it’s only natural that friends and family should inquire about the pollution. Is it really all that bad?! To answer this, I took a photo out of my window a few days ago:

The photo is taken mid-morning and is of what I would describe as a ‘two block day’. Quite literally, one can only see two blocks down the street. ‘One block’ days are not uncommon.