China Travel Guide
7/03/2008 at 10:15 AM
Tags: Olympics, Beijing Olympics, Beijing Olympics 2008, Police, Segways (all tags)
All your doubts about Beijing's readiness for the Olympic Games? These Segway-ridin' police will crush them!
Security forces recently held an "anti-terrorist drill" in Jinan, in Shandong province south of Beijing, to practice riding these truly terrifying electric scooters. The demo also gave cops an opportunity to show off their martial arts skills, flamethrower handling and mob dispersing techniques. Watch out, nightclub owners!
Related Stories:
· Anti-Terrorist Drill in Shandong [China Daily, via]
· Philadelphia Airport Cops Get Segways [Jaunted]
· Beijing Olympics coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Knife Tricks]
by pbb
6/30/2008 at 1:35 PM
Tags: Olympics, Beijing Olympics, Beijing Olympics 2008, Sailing, Boats, Environment, Beaches (all tags)
Sound the alarms! The Chinese city of Qingdao has come under algal attack--and the Olympics could be at risk! More than 30 percent of the waters designated for sailing contests off the coast of the city are inundated with thick enteromorpha prolifera. But the Chinese authorities have a way with getting people to "volunteer," and a reported 20,000 citizens have pitched in to clean up the Yellow Sea.
Agricultural run off is often the culprit when it comes to algal blooms, but Chinese officials told the state news agency that isn't the case this time. And they may not be lying! Blooms fueled by nitrates from fertilizers are usually red, and the stuff on the shores of Qingdao is bright green.
As the clean-up continues, the local Olympics Sailing Committee is planning a 30-mile-long fence to help keep the bloom at bay. The group says everything should be sorted by July 15; the games start on August 8.
Related Stories:
· Algae Threatens Olympic Sailing [NYT]
· Qingdao Vows to Clean Algae Invading Olympic Venue [Xinhua]
· Beijing Olympics coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Guardian]
by pbb
6/27/2008 at 8:52 AM
Tags: Attractions, Tourist Attractions, China Travel, Earthquakes (all tags)
And out of disaster comes... a new tourist destination. Thanks to the May 12 earthquake, Beichuan county got a large new lake, and Chinese scientists and government officials are already figuring out how to maximize its tourism potential.
Tangjiashan Lake was formed after the side of a mountain fell in and blocked a river. It's already been decided that it's safe and stable, so the next step is to decide how to keep it a scenic spot ripe for tourists.
We see plenty of potential for poorly-translated Chinglish signs here and perhaps a few new rules for tourists to follow. Or, here's an idea, let's just have a pretty lake with a few picnic tables. How about it, China?
Related Stories:
· China Quake Lake to be Tourist Spot [AP, via Google]
· Where is the Epicenter of the China Earthquake? [Jaunted]
· China Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Karen from Michigan]
by amandak
6/23/2008 at 4:45 PM
Tags: Olympics, Beijing Olympics, Beijing Olympics 2008, Nightlife, Clubs (all tags)
Beijing has a rich nightlife scene filled with multi-level megaclubs and basement joints pumping techno and drum-and-bass, but local club-owners say that Chinese authorities are cracking down on nightlife in advance of the upcoming Olympics. Beijing police have begun raiding clubs and have warned that some venues near Olympic facilities will have to shut down during the games due to vague "security concerns."
Club culture has exploded in Beijing during the past few years as China's upper classes have grown. Club owners say they have no fears that the attack on nightlife in Beijing will be permanent, so they're looking forward to a return to business as usual following the Olympic games.
Related Stories:
· Outwith: Olympics Threaten to Spoil the Party in Dance Clubs [Scotsman]
· Olympics coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo from a 2006 raid: Daylife]
by Hunter Walker
6/20/2008 at 11:15 AM
Tags: Beijing Olympics, 2008 Olympics, Beijing Olympics 2008 (all tags)
The Beijing Olympics start on August 8, but the air in China's capital city seems to be thicker than ever. So starting July 20, owners of private cars will only be allowed to drive in Beijing on alternate days; a majority of state-owned vehicles will also go off the roads starting in late July.
There will be other restrictions in place, too, all in the hopes that the city's air will be clean enough for the games:
With 45 percent fewer vehicles on the road, the highly polluting vehicles banned and other measures reducing pollution from gas stations and chemical plants, air pollution will be reduced by an estimated 63 percent, said Du Shaozhong, a spokesman for the city's environmental protection agency.
Let's hope so. This smoggy shot was taken on June 14 at the Meridian Gate of the Forbidden City. For even more terrifying shots of pollution, click over to James Fallows' blog, where a photo from this morning will have you gasping for air.
Related Stories:
· Beijing Announces Traffic Plan for Olympics [NYT]
· Polluted Air (Made in China) [Jaunted]
· Beijing Olympics coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: wang qian 02/13/86]
by pbb
6/19/2008 at 11:00 AM
Tags: Chinglish, Food Travel, Olympics, Beijing Olympics, Beijing Olympics 2008 (all tags)
We love Chinglish, so it's with a heavy heart that we report China has standardized restaurant menus in Beijing in preparation for the Olympics. That means no matter where you go, you'll know what you're ordering. (And doesn't that take some of the fun out of a trip to Asia?)
There will be no more "husband and wife's lung slice," reports Reuters: The dish is now rendered "beef and ox tripe in chili sauce." And don't even think of ordering "bean curd made by a pock-marked woman"; that's now officially known as "mapo tofu."
Actually, there is one change we can appreciate. We probably would never order the "chicken without sexual life," but we'd definitely go for some "steamed pullet."
Related Stories:
· "Kung Pao Chicken" Made Official [Reuters]
· China Corrects Us: WC Is Crude [Jaunted]
· Beijing Olympics coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo of mapo tofu: digitalexistence]
by pbb
6/12/2008 at 10:02 AM
Tags: Beijing Olympics, 2008 Olympics, Beijing Olympics 2008, Videos (all tags)
A newly announced official cheer should make the case that the Beijiing Olympics will be the creepiest games ever. Officials are teaching 800,000 students the four-part chant and will put together cheering squads to show up at event venues.
Here's how to do it:
Step 1: Clap two times (while chanting 奥运, "Olympics")
Step 2: Hands in fists with thumbs up, arms extended upward (while chanting, 加油, "Let's go!")
Step 3: Clap two time (while chanting 中国, "China")
Step 4: Hands in fists, arms extended outward and upward (while chanting 加油, "Let's go!")
We're already pumped! A video demonstration is right after the click.
MORE...
by pbb
6/11/2008 at 10:15 AM
Tags: Movies, Dangerous Travel, Tony Leung, John Woo (all tags)
This is turning out to be a scary year to hang around movie sets: After accidents on the sets of "Quantum of Solace" and the "Hannah Montana" movie, a stunt man was killed today in a planned fire on a boat on the set of the John Woo movie "Red Cliff."
The special-effects staging had a smaller boat, ablaze, crashing into a larger boat when things turned tragic for a 23-year-old working on the historical epic, Woo's first movie in Chinese in 15 years.
Not apparently injured in the fire was the film's star Tony Leung ("Lust, Caution" and "The Departed" inspiration "Infernal Affairs"). In fact, in none of the above cases was the movie's star injured--or even on the set at the time of the incident.
Related Stories:
· Bond 22 Filming Wastes Perfectly Good Car [Jaunted]
· A Stuntman Dies Making Woo Film [NYT]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Slice of Scifi]
by egw
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