atomicskate - Shanghai...

Freedom of space

atomicskate — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:32:14 +0000

Ok, this video is talking about skateboard, but it could be enlarge to rollerskate, BMX & MTB, stunt…

Hope that one day, local authorities (I don’t speak specifically about China, but everywhere all over the world!…) would understand what is said on this video
The narrator is true: when you’re a rider, you look at the cities as an experiencing environment: stairs, walls, handrails, gaps, …
"Public space" just doesn’t have the same meaning.

Freedom of Space -

Download this video!

Canyoning in Yánmén (岩门)

atomicskate — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:21:57 +0000

Seven hours away from Shanghai, in Zhèjiāng province (浙江), I enjoyed my first canyoning experience!

Actually, you’ve first have to reach Jīnhuá (金华) by train: it’s only 2 hours and half since the new Bullet Train is operational. Then, drive during 5 hours (highway, then big road, then zigging mountain road): see the directions on the map at the bottom of this post.
We left Shanghai on Friday afternoon at 3:45pm (train no. D109/D112, 111rmb), then had dinner there and finally arrived in Lǐnghòu (岭后) around 1am. It was time for camping

Just a small remark: the trip was organized by www.tttlife.com
They chose to set up the camping… in the middle of the small village! For those, like me, who don’t wanna sleep on a concrete bed, I advise to follow the small road until the eastern village, then take the small going-down path with the car during 5 minutes: there you can find a flat place, with grass and beautiful scenery to do camping (see map below).

Saturday morning, we discovered the landscape, part of Yàndàng mountains (雁荡山):

And the bottom of the canyon:

You’ve to walk 30 minutes from the eastern village to the bottom of the valley. Then you will arrive at the dam.
Just follow the river on the north-east side, go through a small tunnel, and you will arrive at the beginning of the torrent:

I’m not an expert in canyoning, but here is the basic stuff that you require:
- waterproof back-bag + waterproof bags
- closed shoes (not opened one! Except if you like small rocks going under your feet or being harmed on the top of your feet…)
- frontal torch
- ropes + climbing harness + carabiners
- fingerless gloves
- plastic bags to bring your rubbish (and take those of previous senseless trekkers)
- diving mask!

The trek is a one day walk: it means departure around 8am from the village and come back around 6pm.

Along the trail, you have many deep clean pools where you can swim, dive or jump!

The canyon is really wild, coz no cities around.
Actually the only rubbish that you will find are the ones that previous trekkers didn’t take with them… For instance, we arrived at a place that other trekkers have left maybe few time before, and a fire was burning plastic bags, aluminum containers, glass bottles, etc… !!!???!!!

I’m still wondering why such kind of place is still not part of a AAAA Scenic spot (风景区)… I hope that it will stay free and wild a long time (even if I don’t believe it!).
For those who don’t know China, tourist industry is aiming to put some concrete on all beautiful wild places. For instance, a remote place is going to receive a big large road with a bus parking, and then concrete stairs and path + handrails. Forget to mention that you have to pay at the entrance and that you can drink a cup of tea on a shop every 50 meters + buy a lot of -local- souvenirs (i.e. Adidas t-shirts or plastic swords…).

To be honest, the most bad point of the organization was the climbing part…
The organizers had all the equipment, but seems that they don’t know how to use it correctly. Moreover, climbing with slippers + socks is, on my opinion, not the best way to appreciate and secure such kind of sport.
Anyway, it was really fun and not technically too hard.

When you arrive at these stairs (see picture just below), just follow the path going uphill and you will arrive at the western village (almost 30 minutes of climbing).
Another option: it seems that you can continue to follow the torrent one more day from this point up to the top of the mountain…

Almost all the team:

Actually, Lǐnghòu (岭后) is part of Wénchéng county (文成县): it’s really nearby Wēnzhōu (温州), so for those who wanna get here faster, maybe the plane is a solution (?).

On the western village, you have some small restaurants with delicious (& cheap) local food!
Just be careful of local drunkards who wanna challenge you on local alcohol (if you’re a 老外, you will be the easy target!!! LoL)

Here is the interactive map (Chinese map + satellite view):

Here are all the pictures and the slideshow.

不外卖土鸡

atomicskate — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 01:07:03 +0000

taken on: July 7th, 2007
at: 厦门观音山 (Xiamen, GuanYin mountain)
by: Diablotim
with: Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL
comment: 不外卖土鸡，鸭每斤十八元 (No take-away for free-range chicken, duck price is 18rmb/500gr)
original file: download link

一定要解放台湾！

atomicskate — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 12:28:10 +0000

一定要解放台湾！ - 1949年的版本 / We are determined to liberate Taiwan! (1949)
对 / versus：
祖国统一解放台湾！ - 2008年的版本 / Motherland unified, Liberate Taiwan! (2008)

连接 / Link：
中文
English

Olympic mess (part 001 / ???)

atomicskate — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 09:39:44 +0000

Thanks to Killy-the-frog for the info!

Two Britons have been arrested by Chinese police after they unfurled giant pro-Tibet banners outside the Beijing Olympic Stadium, activists claim.

A protester descends a pole to an awaiting policeman after hanging a banner which reads ‘Tibet will be free 西藏自由 (xīzàng zìyóu)’ near the National Stadium before the Beijing Olympic Games

A protester hangs a pro-Tibet banner near the Olympic stadium just two days ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games

Mr Thom, a grass roots co-ordinator for Students for a Free Tibet UK […] spoke by mobile telephone to ABC News, saying he entered China on a tourist visa.

Maybe Chinese Government should understand that the only way to avoid such kind of troublesome guy is to stop providing visa to foreigners!

Source:
Telegraph

Beijing SuperStar

atomicskate — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 17:15:41 +0000

Yesterday, on the Telegraph:
A tourist in a vibrant green Borat-style ‘mankini’ bathing suit cools off at Crab Island water park in Beijing

But the Telegraph is hiding you some information!

By the way, CityWeekend (a Beijing newspaper for expats) has launched a contest:
ID the dude in the "mankini" and get a free bottle of vodka

Should be easy for me to get drunk this week-end!!!

暴力袭击致新疆边防支队16人死亡

atomicskate — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 11:21:37 +0000

English

8月4日上午8时许，新疆维吾尔自治区喀什地区边防支队遭遇暴力袭击，目前已导致16人死亡，16人受伤，已有两名犯罪嫌疑人被抓获。人民网称此次事件为“暴力恐怖袭击”，是近来国内相继发生数起暴力袭警事件中，官方首次使用“恐怖”二字。

对于袭击过程，新华社和人民网均称，当时喀什市边防支队正在集体出早操，行至怡金宾馆门前时，突遭两名犯罪嫌疑人驾车袭击，后者引爆了车上的爆炸物。而新华社英文稿则表示，两名犯罪嫌疑人所驾货车撞到路边电线杆后，两人下车用刀乱砍，还将两枚手榴弹扔进正在晨练的武警队伍中。14人当场死亡，两人死在送往医院的路上。

Xinjiang Border Patrol Attacked, 16 Dead

An attack on a border patrol station in western China’s Xinjiang region killed 16 policemen, state media reported today, heightening concerns about terrorism four days before the Olympic Games start in Beijing.

Sixteen officers were also injured when two men drove a dump truck into a team of police jogging outside their barracks at Kashi this morning, Xinhua said in its English-language service, citing unidentified local police. Attackers threw two grenades into the compound and also hacked at officers with knives before being arrested, the report said.

Sources / 来源:
Bloomberg
财经网

Welcome to Beijing, but don’t speak too much

atomicskate — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 11:24:17 +0000

中文

It seems that if you go to Beijing during the Olympics, you can’t ~~communicate~~ interact with local people, because it’s not a good etiquette…
Chinese people won’t be able to reply to your questions and they won’t ask you anything. In this way, no smudge is possible
Here are the posters with guiding rules:

Translation:

“Eight Don’t-Asks” When Chatting with Foreign Guests
- Don’t ask about income or expenses
- Don’t ask about age
- Don’t ask about love life or marriage
- Don’t ask about health
- Don’t ask about someone’s home or address
- Don’t ask about personal experience
- Don’t ask about religious beliefs or political views
- Don’t ask what someone does

mmm… Actually I think that speaking about weather isn’t forbidden. Great.

北京欢迎你，但是不要说话跟外国人

看起来如果你去北京在奥运会的时候，不可以通信互动跟外国人，因为不是文明的礼节。。。
如果不可以聊天跟外国人，应该没有误会，所以肯定是最安全的互动的方式
现在在北京可以看这些招贴在街上：
啊。。。我觉得还可以聊天关于天气。太好了。

More / 更多:
How to Interact with Foreigners, and other Olympics Propaganda

Rising Chinese salaries pushes Adidas to look elsewhere

atomicskate — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 06:43:32 +0000

中文

Seems that salaries in China are once and for all uncompetitive…
That’s to be added to the fact that foreign companies already highlighted difficulties to work efficiently with their Chinese partners (communication, quality respect, IPR…) & to the fact that re-localizing industries closer to the consumer (i.e. Eastern Europe for Western European consumers) would cost less in term of logistics & shipping-transportation.

So, is it the next trend for foreign industries in China???

Adidas, the second-biggest sportswear company in the world, feels that Chinese salaries are now too high and it will transfer some production to more competitive countries, its chief executive said in an interview on Monday.

"Salaries, which are set by the government, have become too high" in China, Herbert Hainer told the business weekly Wirtschaftswoche.

Chinese production of Adidas sportswear, about half of the group’s total, "is going to decline," Hainer added.

"We have already opened our first factory in India. Countries like Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam will be added," the Adidas boss noted.

"Production will also return to former Soviet republics and eastern European countries," but not to Germany, Hainer said.

中国的上升工资推动adidas在别处看

看起来中国的工资永远地不是竞争。。。
国外的公司在中国制造业已经加亮有一点难工作跟他们的中国搭档（通信，品质敬重，知识产权。。。），而且也觉得放工厂离消费者近（比如说，在欧洲东边为欧洲西边的消费者）更便宜为后勤和运送。

所以是不是下一个步为国外的工业在中国？？？

据香港太阳报报道，中国最低工资调整频率之快、调整幅度之大，连全球第二大运动用品品牌、北京奥运指定赞助商adidas也忍受不了。

adidas行政总裁海纳昨接受德国媒体专访时透露，由于中国人工太高，正计划将生产线迁往印度或越南等更具竞争力的国家。

海纳向德国《经济周刊》表示：「中国政府所订的薪金已太高了。」目前adidas在中国生产的运动服装，占该集团总数的一半，但海纳指出这个数字将会有所下降。

海纳又说：「adidas已在印度成立首家工厂，并将在老挝、柬埔寨和越南等国设厂。此外，生产线亦会移往前苏联加盟共和国和东欧国家。」

广东、上海及北京等大多数省市今年都打破最低工资标准两年一调的惯例，今年在去年已调整一次的基础上再次提高最低工资标准。

Vocabulary - 词汇:
永远地 = yǒngyuǎn dì = once and for all
竞争 = jìngzhēng = competitive
加亮 = jiā liàng = to highlight
知识产权 = zhīshíchǎnquán = intellectual property rights
消费者 = xiāofèizhě = consumer

Source - 来源:
Yahoo! News
早报网

Hang the Police

atomicskate — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 07:23:18 +0000

摇滚在中国还没有死了，但是也还没有出生。。。
我的意思是在中国有非常好的摇滚乐队，但是我自己问他们怎么可以发展？
Re-TROS（重塑雕像的权利），也可以叫Rebuilding the Rights of Statues是我的一个最喜爱在中国。
第一次我去他们的音乐会两年以前在TangHui吧，他们玩音乐放天安门1989年的电影：一个月以后那个酒吧永久关门。。。

Re-TROS - New Video! -

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