A "Do Not" Sign Amidst Frolicking Night Cats in Tainan

To continue the "sign in Tainan" theme, here is another I saw in the Taiwanese city:

The graphics could easily be interpreted to be expressing a "no cats allowed" message. However, the Chinese "請勿攀爬" makes it clear that instead the sign is there to express that climbing is forbidden. Here's a photo including the sign with more context around it:

A sign below identifies the area as the "Adorable Cat Lights District" (萌貓燈區) and mentions a "wicked cat night trip" (妖貓夜遊) — clearly all in fun. Unfortunately, I don't appear to have any photos of these scene at night nor do I recall seeing it then, so we'll just have to use our imagination for what that would be like.

More soon which will provide additional context for the previous sign. While the warning to bikers about falling into the canal may not have been needed, it certainly was a location with many bikers.

Donald Flapping and Cleaning Squat Toilets in China for a Special Day in the U.S.

Over four years ago on a day in November I found myself rather depressed and at a loss for words. The only thing I could think of posting was a video I had recently recorded while at a shopping center in Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang, China.  I didn't though, so here it is now:

Today, both for balance and resolution, is a video I later took in a bathroom at a clothing market in a former bomb shelter under a hill in Wuzhou, Guangxi, China.

With that, I feel a non-insignificant amount of cleansing occurred today. Of course, things aren't completely clean, but still . . . they're much cleaner than before.

Two Dogs Doing What Many People Do at a Popular Pier in Hong Kong

Previously I shared a photo of a "girl playing it safe" taken at the Western District Public Cargo Working Area in Shek Tong Tsui, Hong Kong. So for now, here is a photo I took at the same place today that shows a small part of why the working area is more popularly known as "Instagram Pier":

The scene caught my eye not because of any face mask wearing practices as others recently have, but because the two pet dogs were rather accommodating for the informal photo shoot.

I shared the earlier photo over a month ago, and I see that way too few posts have occurred since then. I could write several posts just on the topic of why things turned out that way — definitely have some stories to tell.

I don't know if I will ever tell those stories here, but I do know that I have more than plenty of ideas and material for other posts. And if all goes as planned, they will be happening more frequently now.

From Tear Gas to Painted Records in Hong Kong

During the past several weeks in Hong Kong I have seen many people wearing heavy-duty respirator masks. Today was the first time they weren't being worn due to concerns about tear gas.

So that's kind of nice.

Later, I will share a number of protested-related photos from the past weeks. I held a number of them back due to wanting either to have a better sense of the protests or to wait for certain aspects of them to finish / reach a new phase. That seems to have happened, so more soon.

A Girls Power Mural Outloud in Macau

Recently I shared some art on display in Taipa, Macau. For a contrast, here is a mural I stumbled across at night on the street Travessa da Assunção just off of Rua do Almirante Sérgio in one of the historic areas of Macau Peninsula that feel like another world from the casinos not far away:

The artist Rainbo was born in Hunan and now lives in Hong Kong. You can find out more about her and her work here.

Colors of Macau and Hong Kong by Artist Francesco Lietti

I will be continuing the theme of recents posts about Yulin, but I suspect some readers would appreciate a break from all of the dogs and such. I know I could use a change of pace. So for the next two posts or so I will share a bit from Macau, a city I have visited many times and where I spent a couple of days recently. To say the least, Macau and Yulin are quite different.

So for today, here are two of the mixed media paintings by the Italian artist Francesco Lietti on display at the Taipa Houses Exhibitions Gallery as part of the Art Macau International Art Exhibition. The first painting below captures a side of Macau and the second Hong Kong. Lietti has lived in Hong Kong since 2006 and many of his pieces feature the city. More about Lietti and his art can be found online at his website.

Macau International - 2019

A Palette of Flavours - 2019

The Economist Depicts a Handcuffed Hong Kong

The statement about the extradition protests in Hong Kong on this week's cover of The Economist is rather . . . arresting.

Source

It seems safe to say that it won't be easy to get a complete copy of this issue in China. The image has all the stronger of a punch to me given that I spend most of my time in mainland China. I often associate Hong Kong with the greater freedoms and protections available there. An article in the magazine helps to explain the use of handcuffs on the cover and how the extradition law could negate important aspects of what Hong Kong offers:

With the threat of extradition, anyone in Hong Kong becomes subject to the vagaries of the Chinese legal system, in which the rule of law ranks below the rule of the party. Dissidents taking on Beijing may be sent to face harsh treatment in the Chinese courts. Businesspeople risk a well-connected Chinese competitor finding a way to drag them into an easily manipulated jurisdiction.

That could be disastrous for Hong Kong, a fragile bridge between a one-party state and the freedoms of global commerce.

More at The Economist in "The Rule of Law in Hong Kong".

A Cantonese Opera in Hong Kong About Donald Trump

About a month and a half ago in Hong Kong, as I left the Yau Ma Tei metro station I noticed an advertisement for the new Cantonese opera "Trump On Show".

Yes, this really exists:

Start with a performer playing President Trump. Then bring in a long-lost brother who was raised in China.

Throw in castmates portraying a ping-pong-loving Mao Zedong, a deal-seeking Kim Jong Un, Ivanka Trump and Mao’s power-hungry fourth wife.

They are singing. Opera. In Cantonese.

And, well, it’s complicated.

For more about those complications, read Mary Hui's piece about the Trumpian opera in The Washington Post, which includes some perspectives from the opera's creator, Li Kui-ming:

Li also studied the president’s quirks and habits — his penchant for fast food and television-watching habits — to develop Trump’s character.

Li, however, was struck by similarities between Mao and Trump.

“What they share in common is they both started a cultural revolution,” Li said.

Oh boy.

Trump wasn't the only Republican U.S. politician that I recently noticed in Hong Kong. Admittedly, it was a bit confounding to turn around at a bus stop in Kowloon Bay and think "Is that really Dick Cheney?".

I don't expect to attend any "Trump on Show" performances, which opens April 12, or have anything worth saying about the movie "Vice". So this post is probably all you'll find about them here. I will update if I see any indications of a Hong Kong musical about George W. Bush though.

Art Above the Jumbo Wuzhou Buses

Near the Zaochong Neighborhood Bus Stop (枣冲小区站), the end of several bus routes in Wuzhou, is a place were Jumbo Wuzhou Buses can park and refuel that has an extra touch of art.

I will take this opportunity to share a few additional brief thoughts about Jumbo Wuzhou Buses:

• By a large margin, I have seen the smallest Jumbo Wuzhou Bus the least. Sadly, I have yet to ride one. Because of this and the fact that the slightly larger bus seems closer in size with Hong Kong's minibuses, I now refer to the smallest size as the mini-minibus and the next size up, which I have ridden in various environments, the minibus. The larger regular-sized buses also come in slightly different sizes, but I haven't felt the need to give them different names. I would be interested to hear if others have come up with names though.

• A reader previously questioned why the Jumbo Bus Company didn't take better care of their buses' appearance. My sense is that the smaller buses are more likely to have cracked paint or rust on them. Perhaps this is because they are older. Perhaps this is because the larger buses often have advertising on them which may be periodically changed.

• I found the reader's comment striking in part because I suspected the rust and such would have much more caught my own attention a lot more over a decade ago. In particular, it reminded me of the first time I traveled to Yunnan, also in Southwest China. I didn't feel great about getting on a few minibuses there. Now, I wouldn't blink.

And that brings an end, probably to the dismay of some readers, to the Jumbo Wuzhou Bus theme for now.

Passing Up the One-Night Stand in Jiangmen: Creative Names and a Taste of Demolition of Cheese River Powder at Yes Cuisine

Yes Cuisine at Diwang Plaza in Jiangmen

So many questions . . .

Should I leap at the opportunity?
Would I regret doing so the next morning?

In the end, I decided to take a pass on the pan-fried one-night stand at the Hong Kong-style restaurant Yes Cuisine (YES茶餐厅), and narrowed the options to two recommended dishes.

Choosing between demolition of cheese river power and bizarre was not easy, but I finally settled on the former. So I raised my hand to get the attention of a restaurant worker. He smiled warmly at me, waved, and then went on his merry way.

Something important was missing.

After recovering from the unexpected yet entertaining response and becoming convinced nothing further was going to result from it, I tried again with another worker. She wasn't as cheerful, but she immediately recognized I was ready to order. Excellent.

Everything was efficient after that, and I soon had a hot plate of demolition of cheese river powder.

Today's noodly lunch

If by "demolition" they meant at a molecular level then they were spot on. Either there was very little cheese to begin with or most of it had decomposed into something not very cheesy. I have had similar experiences with cheese in China before. I'm not sure all of it was really cheese. In any case, if this dish had been topped with more or better quality cheese, I might be a fan.

But at least the taste was passably pleasant, and I finished most of the dish. I only left some of the noodles due to being full enough. For what it is worth, a misguided literal character by character translation of the Chinese word for a wide type of noodles — "河粉" — gives rise to "river powder".

As far as the fish dish, I'd say "pan-fried one-night stand" is actually a good translation of the Chinese — "香煎一夜情". According to recipes for similar dishes, the witty name comes from the fact that the fish is marinated for one night.

For the translation of "比翼脆雙飛" into "bizarre", I am not sure what happened there. It is worth noting that this translation is the first result provided by Google Translate. Baidu Translate's result of "flying brittle with two wings" strikes me as closer to the mark. I will leave it up to the professionals to decide what would work best here.

More than noodle dishes or cheese, I would say the thing to take away from this restaurant is that, yes, there are plenty examples of translation gone wrong on menus in China, even including fried enemas. But that perplexing or entertaining name you see might be a good translation of a name that is creative in Chinese as well.

So don't let an unusual name alone scare you away from a one-night stand, whether pan-fried or steamed.

A Photo of a Photo of a Man Taking a Photo of an Armed Policeman in Zhongshan

Next to the sidewalk on a gate near the Zhongshan Veteran Cadre Activities Center (山市老干部活动中心) in Zhongshan is a collection of photos posted by the Zhongshan Veteran Cadre Photography Association (中山市老干摄影会).

Unsurprisingly, the photos appear to have been mostly, if not entirely, taken in Zhongshan. I found the photos intriguing for the glimpse they provided of what captures the interest of some people in the city. One photo especially caught my attention not just for the scene it captured but also because it raised questions in my mind about whether I would have taken it at a close distance, despite knowing I would have surely found the scene worthy of a photo.

The photograph by Bao Jin (鲍进) is titled "Don't Move" ("别动") — fitting in multiple ways.

Some Scenes from the Dragon Boat Cultural Park in Zhongshan

The previous post has a photo of man walking a dog past a xiangqi sculpture at the Dragon Boat Cultural Park (龙舟文化公园) in Zhongshan. The park isn't identified on any online maps I checked, and I only knew what to call it thanks to a single stone at the park with its name. Below are a few other photos I took at the park around the area where it passes under under the Kanghua Bridge (康华大桥) on the south side of the Shiqi River (石岐河 — also known as the Qijiang River (岐江河)). According to an article in Chinese, the park opened last year and stretches quite a bit further than the area I unexpectedly came across.

Unexpected Animals in Two Photos of Scenes in Zhongshan

Twice today in Zhongshan I decided to take photos of a scene only to be surprised by the appearance of animals. In the first case, after taking a photo I noticed that two cats were sitting in the alley. In the second case, a man walked his dog by a large xiangqi sculpture. The previous posts featured two dogs, which also made an unexpected appearance while I took photos of a scene, and a cat. So fate seems to demand I share two photos from today that I probably wouldn't have otherwise thought to pair together.

At Julong Zhong (巨龙中)

At the Dragon Boat Cultural Park (龙舟文化公园)

Keeping an Eye Out for the Dogs in Zhongshan

The previous post consisted solely of a photo of a friendly cat I met at night in an alley in Zhongshan.

For some balance, I will share a photo including two dogs I encountered on another night in Zhongshan.

But the cat theme continues nonetheless . . .

Late Night Broken Colors in a Zhongshan Alley

Seated Poses in Ganzhou

A number of places sell art or antiques towards the southern end of Bajing Road (八境路) in Ganzhou. The two paintings sitting outside an art studio in the above photo stood out from many of the Chinese-style pieces nearby, and they captured scenes foreign in location and time.

Balloon Sculptures, Singing, and a Pelvic Thrusting Dinosaur: The Grand Opening of a Jewelry Store in Ganzhou, China

When I stopped by a jewelry store with a notable logo on the afternoon of its opening day in Ganzhou, Jiangxi province, there were a few customers inside, but all was otherwise quiet. Especially given the hot weather and low pedestrian traffic at the time, this wasn't so surprising.

When I stopped by again later in the early evening, the weather had cooled down and the activities to celebrate the grand opening had heated up. Given what I have seen at a variety of promotions elsewhere in China, I wasn't too surprised to see somebody wearing an inflatable Tyrannosaurus costume entertaining people, especially children.

At an entrance to the store, somebody else was creating balloon animals and sculptures. I have seen the same thing at a number of jewelry stores elsewhere.

There was also a stage set up besides the store. While I was there a woman sang, also not so uncommon for events likes this one.

But then things came together in a way that wasn't so typical in my experience, and it was something to behold.

I didn't know a Tyrannosaurus could move like that.

On reflection, the movements were somewhat similar to how some cockatoos dance to music. Not only are birds dinosaurs, but the Tyrannosaurus is more closely related to a bird than to a Stegosaurus. Perhaps that's what the person had in mind, though I am not aware of any birds dancing quite the same way.

In any case, the dancing felt a bit surreal to watch. I can't put the experience fully into words, so I have shared a bit of it in the video below. Although the Tyrannosaurus stopped dancing, or whatever it was doing, and returned to other activities while I watched, I kept filming a bit longer. There is more to observe than just the dinosaur, though it steals the show.

Take a look:

Lotus Flowers, Bridges, and a Sculpture at a University Pond in Ganzhou

Recent posts (here and here) featured scenes from parks in Ganzhou, Jiangxi. To continue the theme, below are a few photos taken on a rather hot afternoon at Bajiao Pond (八角塘) at the Jiangxi University of Science and Technology campus on Hongqi Road in Ganzhou.

A Hong Kong Mural: Donald Trump and Barack Obama Still at a Noodle Cart

Early last year I came across the Cart Noodle Expert (車仔麵專家) — a restaurant in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong — and noticed the mural on its side. Remarkably, its depiction of a line of people waiting for noodles cooked at a cart included both Donald Trump and Barack Obama.

So a few weeks ago I was curious to check up on the restaurant. Much had changed in the world since my previous visit, but I found the mural appeared to be exactly the same.

See the earlier post for close up photos of the mural. Obama is smiling while he waits in line. Trump isn't in line and is making a familiar definitely-not-smiling expression. I had eaten just prior to passing the restaurant, so I am still not able to offer any opinion on the noodles. But it seems that if there's a line, nobody gets to cut in front.

Surrounding the Dolphin Sculptures in Jiangmen and Hong Kong

Next to the Jiangmen River in Jiangmen, Guangdong, earlier this year I saw a sculpture of dolphins.

More recently at Tsuen Wan Park in Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong, I saw another sculpture of dolphins.

In both cases I couldn't find anything indicating the name of the sculpture or the artist. Notably, they are both partially surrounded by structures. But the structures are rather different in style.

And that's as deep as I'll go with these dolphins.