bioneural.net » china

IOTW: Leaders wear silk jackets

Bruce — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 20:36:48 +0000

What do Vladimir Putin, George Bush, and Helen Clark all have in common? Answer: they have all been subject to Photoshop treatment and hang on the wall at Silk Factory No. 1 in China's industrial city of Suzhou. But why is New Zealand's Prime Minister hung between the presumably more influential leaders of Russia and the USA? How many people passing through the factory shop even know who she is? Apparently Clark is an "old friend" of the Chinese President, having been a strong supporter of China's entry into the WTO. Click thumbnail to enlarge image World leaders in doctored jackets, Suzhou, China Want to see more from IOTW? Click here for an archive view.

China's natural scenery

Bruce + Simone — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 07:05:16 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

We travelled to China in Sep/Oct 2006 with CTS Horizons. The first part of our itinerary focused on China's waterways and gardens. The second part of our itinerary focused on China's history and ancient capital. This third part of our itinerary focused on China's natural scenery, taking in the Yangtze and Li rivers before concluding in the rather unnatural glass and concrete cacophony that is Hong Kong. Yangtze River Thu 28 Our first night aboard the MV Katarina was disturbed by generator noise reverberating off the boat moored alongside (bring earplugs if you can tolerate them!). We woke to low cloud and mist that persisted for the rest of the day. This meant that we got little more than an impression of the size of the Three Gorges Dam, the ship locks and ship lift, as we could barely see the gigantic structure through the mist. Twenty eight billion dollars sounded like a lot of money for a block of concrete. In the end it is estimated that it will provide only 5% or less of the national electricity consumption, but other purposes include improving navigation and flood prevention. Displacement of millions of people with the loss of their livelihoods, and the destruction of ancient cultural treasures and natural habitats, were mentioned in passing. Who else but the Chinese would undertake a project of such gargantuan proportions? During a buffet lunch back on board we commenced sailing upstream towards the first of the three gorges. In the early afternoon we entered Xiling Gorge. ...

China's history and ancient capital

Bruce + Simone — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 21:24:55 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

We travelled to China in Sep/Oct 2006 with CTS Horizons. The first part of our itinerary focused on China's waterways and gardens. This second part of our itinerary focused on China's history and ancient capital, with a visit to the terracotta army in Xi'an then The Great Wall and Forbidden City near/in Beijing. The third part of our itinerary focused on China's natural scenery. Xi'an Fri 22 As we drove through the agricultural region surrounding Hangzhou to the airport, we noted the particular style of architecture favoured by the wealthy farmers in this region. The houses were typically three-storied and would accommodate 3 generations—not counting the ashes of ancestors which were kept in a pavilion on the roof. The roof itself was topped by a decorative spike with a ball at its base. Surrounding allotments grew corn, mulberry (to feed silk worms), and various vegetables; there was no livestock and the only animals raised were fish. The airport was very modern and our domestic flight to Xi'an afforded us more leg room than our international one. The cabin crew were introduced formally and bowed to the passengers before commencing a passable in-flight meal service. Xi'an is evidently less prosperous than Hangzhou and Shanghai, and probably would have been rather dusty but for the rain. On our way to the West Gate of the City Wall we passed by a number of imperial burial mounds. About 300 new cars add to the traffic every day in this city. Notably the government has introduced a regulation ...

IOTW: Imitation v inspiration

Bruce — Sun, 15 Oct 2006 22:12:55 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

Sometimes it surely happens by chance that two logos are as alike as peas in a pod. At other times (and I've seen several examples on the 'net) it is equally clear that there is something more than chance at work. During our recent trip to China we noted a few shop logos that looked remarkably familiar, despite a zero probability that we had encountered the shop displaying it before. An imitation is intended to copy or at least closely simulate a design. It is the antithesis of design by inspiration, which implies a certain measure of creativity, innovation and imagination—without stretching all the way to originality and inventiveness. Inspiration is a valuable artistic tool for those suffering from a depletion of vision, but can readily be taken too far. Here is a shop logo that may have been conceived due to lack of inventiveness, sheer laziness, or maybe the constraints of time or budget. But I suspect it may have been re-engineered from a famous logo for reasons of brand association. It makes good marketing sense: a vaguely familiar or trustworthy logo may draw in customers otherwise confused by the visual cacophony of a busy street. You decide: imitation or inspiration? Would the real logo please stand up? Want to see more from IOTW? Click here for an archive view.

China's waterways and gardens

Bruce + Simone — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 18:49:10 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

We travelled to China in Sep/Oct 2006 with CTS Horizons. This first part of our itinerary focused on China's waterways and gardens, visiting Shanghai and neighboring cities connected by the Grand Canal. The second part of our itinerary focused on China's history and ancient capital. The third part of our itinerary focused on China's natural scenery. Shanghai Sat 16 Sep/ Sun 17 We took the train to London St. Pancras, costing a mere 12 pounds per person in an almost empty First Class carriage. As promised, just before we pulled up to the platform the taxi firm called to clarify meeting arrangements. The next hour we spent touring London, passing famous road names one after the other, before making a final 15 minute drive on the motorway to Heathrow's Terminal 2. What a great way to get to Heathrow (vs. driving or confined in a bus); we'd do that again! We were an hour queuing to check in, but security was no where near as taxing as we had anticipated. Bruce's camera backpack thankfully made it into the size tester, with a little shoving. He tossed an unopened decongestant spray at the security check; the pharmacy in the departure gate area must have greatly appreciated the increase in profit brought about by the ban on fluids, as customers were forced to buy the same products again at inflated prices. The "one item of hand luggage" rule was then mocked, as folk did their shopping and brought onboard an extra bag or three. China Eastern Airways ...

Gone to China

Bruce + Simone — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 20:48:30 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

Every journey has a beginning, and we are soon to begin ours by traveling around China for a few weeks, before carrying on to New Zealand. What is Project Koru? The code name of our "great escape" from our adopted home in the UK to spend a year living and working in New Zealand. You can find an introduction to the project here together with an explanation of why we chose the koru as the symbol for our journey. Thanks and farewell We are in the throes of packing and disconnecting form our usual routines. Bess has emigrated to Germany and we understand is making good progress training her new servants. The computer has to be boxed up and soon we will unplug from the net; it's probable we'll be out of contact for a month or so. Thanks to those of you who made it to our farewell gatherings in Frankfurt and Chesterfield, and to those who sent good wishes. We've meet and worked with some fine people during our time thus far in the UK, and we look forward to seeing you again on our return. Auf Wiedersehen. A good journey to you all. Site housekeeping The site will hopefully stay online during our absence; filters and a guest administrator should keep the comment spam to a minimum. IOTW (image of the week) posts will continue, as Bruce has been organized enough to pre-write a number of posts and set WordPress to publish these in-absentia. He hopes. Unplugging in... 5, 4, 3, 2, 1