Blogs from Jiangxi, China, Asia - page 10

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Asia » China » Jiangxi August 4th 2010

The plus side of being laid up at home with a kind of horrendous stomach ailment (I'll spare you the details) is that I've finally had some time, now, to sort through some photos of my recent adventures and finally get around to detailing them on my blog. Many of you have met Olivia (real name Zhu Dan), a close Chinese friend of mine and Tom's. Tom first met her about four years ago at the middle school where he taught, and since then we've become great friends. She helps us out with confusing things in China, and in turn we do our best to help her when she's in America (pursuing a Master's degree in Education!). In all this time, we had never had a chance to visit Olivia's hometown, so this time when she ... read more
Backyard Shed
Rice Paddy Valley
Country Rooftops

Asia » China » Jiangxi July 24th 2010

My blogging has been tempered by spotty Internet connections and overwhelming desires to work in the studio after dinner or go into Jingdezhen and have fun. I will have a second entry to submit very shortly after this to get back up to date. Studio work has been productive with the help of Gu Jia to assist me. I have a dozen coil-built stoneware forms and another dozen slipcast forms. With about three days left to make I hope to have lots to select from for next summers exhibition. Of course the risk of the firing is still to come. Two new residents show up: Mos from S.F. and Michall from N.Y.C. Both in their twenties with strong interest in clay but not at the professional level. There is always an interesting mix of artists coming ... read more
Flood
First big flood
Flood

Asia » China » Jiangxi » Nanchang July 13th 2010

It's mid-July here and hot as hell. My a/c is always on so I am usually not aware just how high the temperature is outside until I open the door. Of course, our halls and elevators are not air conditioned so you have the pleasure of feeling the stifling heat immediately once you set foot outside your own apartment. That said, I don't think the average Nanchang ren uses their a/c anywhere as liberally as I do. But I can't sleep in hot or humid weather, so my a/c goes 24/7 and I sleep under my down quilt as usual no matter how inane or hysterical that concept may be to locals. I worry more about food poisoning because I have yet to hear about China's health department making rounds like they do in the US, ... read more
Cloudy and grey
Yorkie!
Fountains

Asia » China » Jiangxi July 7th 2010

My blogging has been tempered by spotty Internet connections and overwhelming desires to work in the studio after dinner or go into Jingdezhen and have fun. I will have a second entry to submit very shortly after this to get back up to date. Studio work has been productive with the help of Gu Jia to assist me. I have a dozen coil-built stoneware forms and another dozen slipcast forms. With about three days left to make I hope to have lots to select from for next summers exhibition. Of course the risk of the firing is still to come. Two new residents show up: Mos from S.F. and Michall from N.Y.C. Both in their twenties with strong interest in clay but not at the professional level. There is always an interesting mix of artists coming ... read more
mud grid
planting on the cross sections
teamwork

Asia » China » Jiangxi June 28th 2010

I can not believe it has been two weeks. Time is flying by. It feels great to be productive with the edge of not knowing if pieces will turn out as planned. Sent off some glaze test cylinders today to be fired in town. Had another dance party in the Sanbao bar. I taught waltz this time. Xiao Xi was to invite several male friends to Sanbao for the evening and only one appeared....and he would not dance. That left me with five women to dance with...poor, poor me!!! Bartender Sky jumped out from behind the bar and tried to lead once but nearly destroyed the place. I brought out a box of French mint chocolates for all to try along with some fruit from Sky. It was such a lovely combination I started photographing them ... read more
"Bar at the Folies Bergeres"
"Bar at Sanbao"
Coil built piece in progress

Asia » China » Jiangxi June 17th 2010

And the fun catches up with me… Had a wicked cough starting this weekend. Too much fun, too much work, not enough sleep, too much second-hand smoke. Monday I canceled my morning class at the primary school. I did not feel up to the challenge of trying to talk to naughty Chinese youngsters with a bad cough and a sore throat. I joined some friends for lunch (was invited so I didin’t pay- I must invite them sometime). Then I went to a pharmacy to buy some cough medicine and pills (21RMB) and then bought some vitamin-c-laden pineapple (1RMB) and some post-lunch baozi (1RMB). The day before I had dropped off some clothes to be mended by a lady with a small sewing shop. The tear in my pants and my shirt were repaired for ... read more
Jiujiang in Springtime
Terrorist chicken
Jiujiang Hoodlums

Asia » China » Jiangxi June 15th 2010

Here it goes. Another try to keep a blog going while in China. Hopefully no shingles or another sickness this year. I also have promised myself not to drown my camera or camcorder in a river as I did last year. Nothing kills a blog faster then "fried technology!" Flew into Shanghai on Friday, June 11th after the torturous long flight from Minnesota. Sanbao Ceramic Institute had made a reservation at the Shanghai Jin Jiang Zhi Xing Hotel. This is a new hotel they use for their artists to stay in. Taxi driver at the airport seemed to know where it was and normal fare charged. The hotel is on Longwu Road near the south railway station. Clean, nice place. Actually had a bed that my 6'5" frame fit on comfortably. Got to the hotel at ... read more
Cuba Pavilion
Cuba Pavilion
Venezuela Pavilion

Asia » China » Jiangxi June 8th 2010

The experience is loud. and noisy, and crowded and dirty and in-your-face. It's like being at the dirtiest house party ever, where everyone is talking and yelling at once, there's a long line for the toilet and the dance floor stinks like body odor and rotten tofu. Smells If you find a smell that knocks you off your feet, it's probably tofu. It's brown, fermented and stinks like last years gym socks floating in a cesspool of mosquito larvae . I tried to eat it once in Beijing, but the smell of my breath after the first bite set me up for spastic convulsions. The other smells are a mixture of feces, urine, paint fumes, dead fish and standing water of puke and motor oil. cellphones. It's not rude to answer your cellphone in a meeting, ... read more

Asia » China » Jiangxi » Ganzhou June 1st 2010

After traveling in Beijing for the last two weeks or so, I was ready to get into the countryside. Rui Jin, a small(ish) town in southern china was our destination, and after a two hour plane and bus ride we settled into the hotel and had our first shock. My mother, an avid traveler and Formula-1 car driver, once told me that you can tell a lot about a location based solely on an once-over of the bathroom. The hotel was nice, the shower was not. Jess came out of the bathroom ready to march down to Brian’s room and demand a room-change. I don't think my laughter helped the situation. It wasn’t the worst hotel room I’ve ever stayed in… but then again I consider it a vacation if we aren’t digging our own toilets. ... read more
Look Mommy, I'm a Rock Star
Andrew and Rachael
Jess Picking a Cabbage

Asia » China » Jiangxi » jiujiang April 16th 2010

in fog I trust (under construction)... read more
in fog I still trust
rowing mankind




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