Mt Emei – 峨眉山 21 September 2015 Jia Dao (贾岛, 779–843) did not actually live in Sichuan. But his poem reminds me of the scenery on Mt Emei: 《尋隱者不遇》 松下問童子言師採藥去只在此山中雲深不知處 ‘Looking for the recluse and not finding him’ Under the pine tree I asked the young manHe said the master had gone to gather herbsJust …
Chongqing – 重庆 17 September 2015 Chongqing is another city on water, sitting at the confluence of the Changjiang (Yangzi, 长江) and Jialing (嘉陵江) rivers, and also on hills. Traditional Chongqing houses were on stilts and at multi-levels, clinging to the sides of the hills. Understated colours, brown and cream, are favoured in architecture. We …
Shanghai – 上海 14 September 2015 It’s been much cooler here – the sea air and further north. My hotel is just north of the Bund (外滩), built by the British in 1846. Hardwood floors, high ceilings, once very grand. Now destination for Chinese middle class wedding parties – very relaxed. Pudong (浦东) didn\’t exist …
Hong Kong – 香港 3 September 2015 Business meetings in Hong Kong. Language learning is critical here. Hong Kongers learn both Mandarin and English, as well as Cantonese (廣東話). We went to Tsim Sha Tsui (尖沙咀) to have dinner. Then yesterday poured with rain. The turtles and carp in the Wong Tai Sin Temple (黃大仙祠) …
Beijing International Book Fair 29 August 2015 I have joined up with a French and a Danish colleague to attend the Beijing book fair (北京书展). All the usual frenetic stuff. Attending meetings, picking up intelligence, making connections – same slightly mad authors wandering around with their life’s work in their day sacks. This fair has …
Temples – 寺庙 23 August 2015 On Thursday, I went to the Great Bell Temple (大钟寺), just one stop on subway line 13. The great bell itself, created in the Ming (1368-1644), in imitation of ancient Chinese ritual bills, is too big to get in the frame. I also like the image of the ‘open …
Haidian district, Beijing 21 August 2015 The first time I was in China was 1984 to 1985. I was studying Chinese at the People’s University (Renda, 人大) in Beijing. It was an exciting era – China was opening up under Deng Xiaoping, and we were able to make Chinese friends. It’s now 2015, and I …
Au revoir, Oxford – 牛津再见 14 August 2015
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