August, 2011


31
Aug 11

Highway Sculptures

 

Alongside many of the new highways being built in Shanghai are many small patches of grass. Often the government has put sculptures in the patches. They are quite random in their subjects, from abstract designs to a group of horses to guys playing basketball.


19
Aug 11

Mops

 

One of the more curious things you notice walking around Shanghai are the mops on the sidewalks, leaned up against trees, light poles and railings. Shopkeepers feel that having the mop inside the store is dirty, so they leave them outside. Many leave them out overnight figuring nobody would steal a dirty mop.


15
Aug 11

Construction walls

 

Shanghai is currently going through a gargantuan building boom. You can’t go more than a few blocks without coming across a skyscraper being built. Usually after the workers clear the site, they put up cement walls to keep people out. Often on top of the walls, they put up ads, either computer renderings of what they’re building or government propaganda.


15
Aug 11

A pack of cigarettes

 

Guys in China smoke, alot. Almost 60%(!) of Chinese men smoke. I always feel a bit awkward turning down free cigarettes from friends and random dudes, since it must look unmanly not to smoke. Recently the government has tried to limit the places where people can light up, including an ordinance passed last year banning it in elevators. However, it doesn’t seem to be enforced at all. So tonight I shot discarded cigarette packs, from the most common brands (双喜, Double Happiness) to the most expensive (中华, Chunghwa).


12
Aug 11

Bicycle wheels

 

Even though cars pretty much now own the roads in Shanghai, there are still tons of bicyclists, enough that rush hour sometimes looks like a Critical Mass rally.


11
Aug 11

“中”

 

Today I’m posting a new series on my blog. Living in Shanghai can be such a sensory overload that I feel the need to break it down into smaller chunks. Each post will feature a different subject that represents something to me about the city. I’m starting off with the character 中(Zhong), which means central or middle. As it’s also in the name for China, 中国 (Zhong Guo), it’s one of the most heavily used characters around Shanghai.


4
Aug 11

Beach Honeys

You can check out the CNNGo story here..

On Tuesday, I went out to Dino Beach in Minhang District, which is Shanghai’s only water park. I was there as the photographer for a CNNGo story on the Beach Honeys, which is an annual swimsuit competition that has gotten really famous locally. Often when I tell people I’m a photographer, they ask if I shoot girls in bikinis, so now I can finally say “yes, yes I do.”