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Background: For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the Communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, his successor DENG Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by 2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight.

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By Hangzhou Johnny
November 5th 2005

Suppressing the Photo

Asia » China » Zhejiang » Hangzhou

Chances are you’ve never heard of Hangzhou, but if you were Chinese, it would be as familiar as Yellowstone. Not that there is a great park here, but there is West Lake, Xi Hu. It’s the jewel of the city and provides a sanctuary from the crowds and craziness. The lake is ringed by a road, but inside are parks with names like Orioles Singing in the Willows and Three Pools Mirroring the Moon. Engineers built two causeways on it, providing a quiet place to walk, fly kites or have tea on one of the island tea houses. I took my [View Full Entry]

By Hangzhou Johnny
November 1st 2005

Halloween

Asia » China » Zhejiang » Hangzhou

Being a foreigner in Hangzhou elicits a certain amount of staring. People will just look at me for a really long time. Sunday, I got a double dose as I carried a pumpkin down the street. It’s Halloween, of course and in the world of Chinese Copycat Commerce, the local Carrefour store has a big stack of pumpkins and squash. Not that anyone was buying them, though they were on sale, just in front of a display booth filled with rubber masks, scary hands and warty noses. The display was placed most prominently, right at the bottom of the entrance conveyor. [View Full Entry]

By Carolee and Jay
October 27th 2005

Forward all my mail...

Asia » China » Zhejiang » Hangzhou

White Pagoda- South End of West Lake

When I was a kid I used to have this inexplicable urge, whenever I saw someone holding a newspaper out in front of them, to swat it out of their hands while they were intently reading. It wasn't anything menacing, I just thought it was funny-- kinda like scaring someone from behind a closed door. But no one ever really saw the same humour in it that I did. I did it to my Dad all the time, whereupon he would promptly imprint his Dexters into my ass. Well I haven't had the urge to do that in many years now....that [View Full Entry]

One of the Quieter Parks around West Lake

By rasyogi
October 26th 2005

westlake

Asia » China » Zhejiang » Hangzhou

Mon Oct 24 I happen upon the fabled West Lake, one of china’s main tourist attractions during an early afternoon stroll. I am surprised to discover it here one block away from the studio. Shimmering in the afternoon glare, tourists saunter along its edge. Tourist boat operaters wait patiently for the next client interested in taking the trip to the manmade island across the water. The usual curio shops, common to any tourist destination, dot the esplanade. An old man intercepts me from behind greeting me and inviting conversation. I am startled and a bit humbled at [View Full Entry]

By Hangzhou Johnny
October 26th 2005

A Big Day Out

Asia » China » Zhejiang » Hangzhou

I can’t remember the last time I had been invited to “climb a mountain” but I got one Wednesday. The women who manage the studio decided to get out of the office for a little quality time. Sean, my manager and co-teacher, gave me an inkling of what to expect: “I’ve never seen a mountain in China that didn’t have stairs to the top,” he said. Lynn picked up Sean, Shirley and I at 6am. Ten minutes later we’d packed Merry and Sunny into late-model Audi and after as short ride, arrived at Jade Emperor Mountain. The parking lot was crowded, [View Full Entry]

By rasyogi
October 26th 2005

hangzhou2

Asia » China » Zhejiang » Hangzhou

mon Oct 24 I had nine students in my first yoga class in China today. it is described as a flow class but the equence was a modified astanga first series. i do my best to transcend the language barrier by demonstrating as i speak, delivering instructions with confidence and maintaining a sensitivity to the needs of each student. i am able to deliver a few commands in chinese to the amusement of sean, the studio director, who is taking the class and who is almost fluent in the language. I see that it was challenging for the most part [View Full Entry]

By Pepe85
September 25th 2005

Asia » China » Zhejiang » Zhoushan

My kids
This is Rainbow class. One of 9 kindy classes I am teaching.

[View Full Entry]

By KIF
September 15th 2005

West soeen

Asia » China » Zhejiang » Hangzhou

Bamboo forrest in Hangzhou

I dag startede dagen med en 3 timer lang bus tur til byen Hangzhou, sydvest for Shanghai. Hangzhou er provinshovedstad saa den er noget stoerre end Suzhou, omkring 2 millioner indbyggere, den er ogsaa noget rigere, hvilket kan ses paa bygningerne i omraadet. En ting der faldt os i ojenene er at siden vi kom til Kina, har de bygget alle vejne vi kommer frem, i de tre timer vi koerte i bus, var der konstant byggerier langs vejen, boliger, motorveje, fabrikker og handelscentre ! Byen blev besoegt af Marco Polo da han besoegte byen. Dengang havde byen 1 million indbyggere, [View Full Entry]

By Pepe85
September 11th 2005

Asia » China » Zhejiang » Zhoushan

[View Full Entry]

By wheres kevin
August 27th 2005

slacken the pace

Asia » China » Zhejiang » Shaoxing

Dashan Ta

180rmb/night got me a spacious top floor back corner room in a three star hotel overlooking lush green Fushan park. Complete with complimentary teas, a shower cap, a bubble bath and a sauna to keep me entertained while the electrical storm pelted the city centre just outside my ridiculously large aquarium windows. I hadn't planned on Shaoxing but exiting from Huangzhou's bus station, having just arrived from small-city Tunxi and its quaint surrounding villages, I felt put off by the crowds and the thought that any kind of sightseeing in the area was going to be a pre-packaged sor [View Full Entry]

Travel Blog » Asia » China » Zhejiang