Bridge View in Haidan District

This photo was taken near the university district of Beijing. The overpass is a couple blocks from Beijing University.

Date: October 12, 2008
Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: AF-S Nikkor 14-24 f/2.8
Aperture: f/11
Shutter speed: 1/400
ISO: 200
Focal length: 14mm
Format: NEF

The Forbidden City: Eastern Buildings

I have a back log of images taken from the last couple months so I'm trying to dig through them. Here's one of them back when I paid a return visit to the Forbidden City with my visiting friend. This place is so large that I didn't even get to the eastern side of the palace on my first visit. The eastern area is much less crowded than the main parts of the Forbidden City because there is an additional 10 yuan charge. This allows for photos without a ton of people in them which is a nice change of scenery.

Date: October 21, 2008
Camera: D700
Lens: AF-S Nikkor 14-24 f/2.8
Aperture: f/14
Shutter speed: 1/80
ISO: 200
Focal length: 18mm
Format: NEF

Guard Tower Ruins

While a lot of the guard towers we passed were intact, this one was completely in ruins. We even saw some ancient wood poking through the wall used for the frame of the once-upright guard house.

Date: November 23, 2008
Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: AF-S Nikkor 14-24 f/2.8
Aperture: f/14
Shutter speed: 1/200
ISO: 200
Focal length: 15mm
Format: NEF

Hutong Wheels

A collection of wheels found while wandering around some hutongs in Beijing.

Date: November 29, 2008
Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D
Aperture: f/4.5
Shutter speed: 1/50
ISO: 1400
Focal length: 50mm
Format: NEF

Beijing Airport Terminal Three - Express Train Drop Off

The airport express train stop for Beijing International Airport's new Terminal 3.

Date: November 16, 2008
Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D
Aperture: f/8
Shutter speed: 1/50
ISO: 200
Focal length: 50mm
Format: NEF

Built on a Knife's Edge

There are sections of the wall that, when viewed from afar, seem like they are literally built on the tip of the mountainside. The ones in this photo are not even the ones to which I am referring. On the other side of the Simatai portion of the Great Wall, there are steps of Great Wall that go up and up, balancing on the lip of the stretch of earth.

Date: November 23, 2008
Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: AF-S Nikkor 14-24 f/2.8
Aperture: f/14
Shutter speed: 1/80
ISO: 200
Focal length: 22mm
Format: NEF

Endless Wall

Our recent hike that took us over 10km of the Great Wall seemed like a good romp on this vast network of ancient fortifications. Turns out that should we wish to hike the entire wall, we'd still have over 6600km more to go. The scale of the Great Wall continues to boggle my mind.

Date: November 23, 2008
Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D
Aperture: f/14
Shutter speed: 1/60
ISO: 200
Focal length: 50mm
Format: NEF

Beijing Restaurant Review: Xinjiang Red Rose

A few friends told me that they stumbled on a neat Xinjiang restaurant in the Sanlitun area of Beijing not too long ago, saying that they had a nice meal along with some great entertainment. On Friday, they called Catherine and I up and asked if we wanted to tag along. Sure we said, but they must really like this place if they were going again so soon after the initial discovery. Well, turns out this would be their third visit in about as many weeks. So what's the deal?

Well if the photos here are any indication, the entertainment may have some thing to do with the enthusiasm of my friends (two men, one woman - yay for democracy?). We entered the place at around 7pm and got ourselves seated without a reservation. I'm not sure if it fills up more on other nights, but I would note that if you do show up later, you will be seated farther away from the stage area.

This was only my second Xinjiang food experience so I am no expert, but for those of you who do not know, be prepared for a lot of lamb! The five of us ordered twenty lamb skewers, a pancake type dish with stewed lamb and onions on top, two orders of cold garlic cucumbers, two order of stringy fried potatoes (like Hickory Sticks for those Canadian readers) and a noodle dish. The cucumber dish is your typical Beijing cucumber dish, very garlicky and yummy. The stringy fried potatoes were flavourful and had a bit of kick. The main course, the lamb skewers were meaty and well seasoned, and not as fatty as the Xinjiang place across the street from the U.S. embassy (at least this batch wasn't). The tomatoey cut noodle dish should be avoided. All in all, a pleasant meal that was elevated by the Red Rose's atmosphere and its signature on-stage performances.

The entertainment consisted of a great three-person band (pictured above), a singer and a couple dancers, including the belly dancer pictured above. Good fun was had by the audience as we enjoyed our meal and watched the show. Loud music and interactive performances made sure that the place was hopping and festive. One of the highlights came near the end of the show (entertainment ends around 9) when the band played What's Up by the one-hit wonders 4 Non Blondes. Okay, it was a highlight for the five expats sitting on the left side of the restaurant. Oh, and the belly dancer was pretty hot too, hot enough that my friend flirted with the idea of going to 1001 Nights to check her other show (I've seen this particular dancer perform there too).

The bill came to about 90 kuai each, and that's with a half dozen tall beers thrown in. Not bad for an evening meal and entertainment. This place is worth a visit, especially during the weekend when you have a big crowd to add to the atmosphere. Just make sure to call ahead or go early to get a good seat!

Out of 5...
Food: 3.5 - food was simple and solid
Service: 3.5 - nothing out of the ordinary
Ambiance: 5 - when the show is on, this place is fun, just don't expect to impress a date with a romantic candle-lit dinner
Value: 4 - not the cheapest, but I guess you're paying for the show too

Xinjiang Red Rose
Inside 7 Xingfu Yicun alley, opposite Workers' Stadium North Gate, Chaoyang District (next door to Alfa in the same alley)
Daily 11am-11pm
6415 5741

The Great Wall at Jinshanling

Finally, here's a shot of the Great Wall in all its glory, seemingly stretching on forever.

Date: November 23, 2008
Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D
Aperture: f/16
Shutter speed: 1/50
ISO: 200
Focal length: 50mm
Format: NEF

Local Guide

Being first time hikers of the Jinshanling-Simatai trail, we did not know what to do with the pack of local guides that followed us. On hindsight, we should have just turned them away. In the end we bought some overpriced merchandise from them before we could bid them farewell. I actually liked my guide (each of us were assigned our own guide), and would have been happy to provide him a tip. It was just that we didn't need his other four friends! Ah well, chalk it up to the "laowai tax". We'll know better next time.

Here's a portrait of my guide as he watched from one of the 29 guard towers we passed on our four hour hike.

Date: November 23, 2008
Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D
Aperture: f/8
Shutter speed: 1/125
ISO: 200
Focal length: 50mm
Format: NEF

Jinshanling

It has been a busy month or so for us with a lot of visitors coming into town to stay with us. Not that this is a bad thing, since we love it when people come to visit! All the visitors also means that I've had the chance to go out with our friends to check out some of Beijing's sites, including another trip to the Great Wall. This time, we hired a driver to take us to Jinshanling, where we did a 10km hike to Simatai. This section of the wall is another portion of "wild" wall which has avoided being renovated and beautified. So what you get is a nice long hike that stretches over the Chinese hills, walking on the overgrown and crumbling sections of the Great Wall. Truly spectacular.

This photo is of the hills surrounding the Great Wall. I sure wouldn't have wanted to be an invading army that trekked through all those hills just to find myself face to face with an imposing and seemingly unassailable wall.

Date: November 23, 2008
Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D
Aperture: f/10
Shutter speed: 1/160
ISO: 200
Focal length: 50mm
Format: NEF

The Great Wall of China, in the wild

Catherine and I had a very relaxing and worthwhile weekend escape to the Great Wall Commune located close to the Badaling section of the Great Wall. The Commune is a type of hotel/resort that features Chinese-designed villas that can be rented out to guests. I don't know what the price of the modern and spacious villas are, and you know what they say about having to ask about prices, but we did stay at the Commune's more modest accomodations. The Commune has its own section of the Great Wall for guests to explore. The section of the wall is a "wild" section, meaning that it has not been restored to a Disneyland-esque condition. It was great to hike on this section of the wall, with almost noone else around. The weather was great - some fluffy snow, then followed by clear blue sky the next day.

Date: November 8, 2008
Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8
Aperture: f/13
Shutter speed: 1/40
ISO: 200
Focal length: 18mm
Format: NEF
Shot on tripod

Tram's bend

Date: October 26, 2008
Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D
Aperture: f/8
Shutter speed: 1/250
ISO: 200
Focal length: 50mm
Format: NEF

Tram Lane Crossing

Date: October 26, 2008
Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D
Aperture: f/8
Shutter speed: 1/320
ISO: 200
Focal length: 50mm
Format: NEF

Riding the Ding Ding

The antiquated trolleys are a pleasant and charming part of Hong Kong's robust public transportation system. Sitting on the top of one of these with the window pulled down, on a nice day, riding through Central, is a quintissential Hong Kong experience. I hope they never get rid of these. In fact, I have read that some U.S. cities like LA are considering reinstalling trolleys to revitalize certain areas of the city, after having removed them decades ago.

Date: October 26, 2008
Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D
Aperture: f/8
Shutter speed: 1/125
ISO: 200
Focal length: 50mm
Format: NEF

Goldfish Street

Hong Kong has a street for everything. Runner street (shoes), bird street, flower street, women street (clothes, etc.) and of course, goldfish street. The block or two of Mong Kok is lined with vendors dealing with all things aquatic. Walls of bagged fish are lit by the soft glow from the fish tanks.

Date: October 25, 2008
Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: 50mm f/1.8D
Aperture: f/1.8
Shutter speed: 1/125
ISO: 200
Focal length: 50mm
Format: NEF

Street Meat Vendors

In Chinese, there is a phrase that literally means to go out and walk the street. This phrase's meaning is to go out and walk around, do some window shopping, etc. Well Hong Kong is one of those places where you can really go out to "han guay". Many of Hong Kong's streets are brimming with people both during the day and night. You can go out and there always appears to be something happening or something to see. No wonder that there are some Hong Kong people that look to Canada as a boring place - everything in Canada is closed by 9 (or 5 if you do not live in the bigger cities) - since everything in Hong Kong only begins to liven up after the sun sets.

Date: October 25, 2008
Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: 50mm AF-D f/1.8
Aperture: f/2.8
Shutter speed: 1/500
ISO: 400
Focal length: 50mm
Format: NEF

Fishmonger

There's something about a Chinese-style grocery store with all the hanging meat, swimming fish and weird animal innards that many Westerners would be loathe to consider food. Well this indooor grocery market I stumbled upon in Kowloon was full of people buying their groceries and the food was most certainly fresh - from live chickens, live frogs and swimming fishes. There was haggling and pointing as people tried to get the best deals and freshest produce/meats. Unlike the very sanitized Western supermarkets like Safeway, this place makes sure you know that you are getting fresh.

For my shooting in the market, I set my D700 to auto ISO with a limit to 800, had my 50mm and just went at it. The one thing I have to keep in mind, which became apparent to me after reviewing my photos on the computer, was that I need to remember the D700 has less depth of field than my previous camera. Gotta get that focus right!

Date: October 25, 2008
Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: 50mm AF-D f/1.8
Aperture: f/2.8
Shutter speed: 1/160
ISO: 400
Focal length: 50mm
Format: NEF

Back from Hong Kong...again

Just got back from Hong Kong a couple days ago where I was visiting my parents. My parents were on their way to Jakarta for a wedding so it was a good opportunity to head for some warmer climes and catching up with them. My time in Hong Kong was basically spent spending time with my parents, eating with my parents, more eating with my parents, taking photos, and did I mention eating with my parents? I think I now know where I get my foodie tendancies...

As for photos, I took a whole bunch of them in Hong Kong with the D700. I had been shooting with my newly acquired camera on my last few outings in Beijing but it was only in Hong Kong where it was starting to feel second nature and I was getting use to the new field of views. Will post up picks soon.

G

The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra...in Beijing?!

No, I had never had the opportunity to watch the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) perform in Vancouver. So how happy was I when I found out that they were going to be in Beijing! I got a ticket and went to watch the performance that marked the first Canadian orchestra to play in China in 30 years. The performance also featured Hilary Hahn a young and talented violinist.

I am no expert on classical music, but the performance was a joy to watch. Hilary Hahn performed three encore performances prior to the intermission before the over-zealous(?) crowd let her depart the stage. The VSO also did three encore performances, though these seemed to be anticipated. One of the encore pieces, entitled Nimrod, was dedicated to Canada-China relations and was very well received.

Watching the VSO perform was on my check list of things to do in life, and I am glad that I got to check that one off. I just did not expect to check it off in Beijing.

G

Lighting the Paralympic Flame

Not sure how, but this photo turned out great - the dim stadium lights as the background, the light falling on Hou Bin properly white balanced, and the fluke of catching that flash in the background. This was a very dramatic finale to the opening ceremonies and had the entire stadium awe struck, emotional and cheering. Hou Bin, China's triple Paralympic high jump champion with only one leg, lit the cauldron for the Games, pulling himself up the height of the stadium with his two hands.

Date: September 6, 2008
Camera: Nikon D70
Lens: 18-200 AF-S DX VR
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter speed: 1/20
ISO: 400
Focal length: 1/20
Format: NEF

White Halo 2

This photo was partially post-processed using Nik Software's Color Efex Pro 3.0 which I am demo'ing. This is certainly one of my favourite effects. Sure some may say it is overdone, but I enjoy it a lot and found this effect to be perfect for what I wanted to convey: the beauty of the performance and the performers.

The burst mode and Nikon's vibration reduction (VR) in my lens made sure that I got some keepers in the stadium's dim lighting.

Date: September 6, 2008
Camera: Nikon D70
Lens: 18-200 AF-S DX VR
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter speed: 1/15
ISO: 200
Focal length: 200mm (300mm equiv.)
Format: NEF

White Halo 1

Date: September 26, 2008
Camera: Nikon D70
Lens: 18-200 AF-S DX VR
Aperture: f/5
Shutter speed: 1/10
ISO: 200
Focal length: 62mm (93mm equiv.)
Format: NEF

Paralympics Opening - Wide Shot

One of a number of amazing performances from the Paralympic Opening ceremony. Catherine and I were lucky enough to procure some tickets and had an absolute blast at the wonderfully done, thoughtful and moving opening.

Date: September 6, 2008
Camera: Nikon D70
Lens: 18-200 AF-S DX VR
Aperture: f/4
Shutter speed: 1/13
ISO: 1600
Focal length: 24mm (36mm equiv.)
Format: NEF

Chinese Female

I guess this person noticed that I snapped a photo of her, but she didn't seem to mind. I desaturated the photo, blurred the background and then used the history brush to bring back the colour in her sunglasses which are being lit by the warm sunset atop of Jinshan Park, just north of the Forbidden City.

Date: August 31, 2008
Camera: Nikon D70
Lens: 18-200 AF-S DX VR
Aperture: f/5.0
Shutter speed: 1/400
ISO: 200
Focal length: 65mm (98mm equiv.)
Format: NEF

Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven is a great place that shows off traditional Chinese architecture. Sure enough, plenty of tour buses are unloaded here daily, and doubly so on the weekends. But I've discovered that the best time to go is early in the morning, say on a weekend, at around dawn, and you will be able to see all the locals come to the park surrounding the Temple of Heaven come and do their various exercises and warm-ups. You see people dancing, singing, jogging, stretching, playing various sports, etc. It really makes for a real Chinese experience.

Date: August 31, 2008
Camera: Nikon D70
Lens: 18-200 AF-S DX VR
Aperture: f/8
Shutter speed: 1/640
ISO: 200
Focal length: 20mm (30mm equiv.)
Format: NEF

Chinese Flag with Beijing Volunteers

I think one of the neatest things about the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics was the endless number of Chinese volunteers that were everywhere. There were information stations set up across Beijing and streets would be lined with these blue and white t-shirt wearing folks, always willing to help out. There were times that Catherine and I would use a volunteer booth just to make sure they felt they were being useful! The volunteers really were the front line and the backbone of Beijing's successful games.
Here they are carrying China's flag for the Paralympic torch lighting rehersal at the Temple of Heaven.

Date: August 25, 2008
Camera: Nikon D70
Lens: 18-200 AF-S DX VR
Aperture: f/5
Shutter speed: 1/640
ISO: 200
Focal length: 20mm (30mm equiv.)
Format: NEF

Red and White

Taken at the Paralympic torch lighting rehearsal at the Temple of Heaven, these performers were getting their costumes ready while taking their places.

Date: August 25, 2008
Camera: Nikon D70
Lens: 18-200 AF-S DX VR
Aperture: f/8
Shutter speed: 1/320
ISO: 200
Focal length: 130mm (195mm equiv.)
Format: NEF

Contemplation

Date: August 25, 2008
Camera: Nikon D70
Lens: 18-200 AF-S DX VR
Aperture: f/8
Shutter speed: 1/125
ISO: 200
Focal length: 75mm (113mm equiv.)
Format: NEF

Mushu

Those of you who have seen Disney's Mulan will get the title of this photo. I took this photo at the Source of Law temple here in Beijing. It is a working temple that is a bit of a ways off from the usual beaten tourism path here in Beijing. Tranquil and quaint.

Date: Date: August 25, 2008
Camera: Nikon D70
Lens: 18-200 AF-S DX VR
Aperture: f/7.1
Shutter speed: 1/50
ISO: 200
Focal length: 60mm (90mm equiv.)
Format: NEF

The Bird's Nest

I've mentioned the Bird's Nest in a few of my previous posts. Here is a night shot of the stadium in all its lit-up glory. Taken from a gorillapod (thanks to Chad for the recommendation!).

Date: August 19, 2008
Camera: Nikon D70
Lens: 18-200 AF-S DX
Aperture: f/11
Shutter speed: 1.3s
ISO: 200
Focal length: 29mm (44mm equiv.)
Format: NEF

Before the Race

This photo was taken in the Beijing National Stadium, aka the Bird's Nest. This was a Russian athlete during her pre-race preparations.

Date: August 19, 2008
Camera: Nikon D70
Lens: 18-200 AF-S DX
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter speed: 1/60
ISO: 200
Focal length: 200mm (300mm equiv.)
Format: NEF

CCTV Building

Here is a shot from the soon-to-be-finished CCTV building in Beijing. It is a striking example of how China is not afraid to look for inspiration abroad. There have been many articles written about the building, including this one from Vanity Fair and this one from the New Yorker which includes a mention. I haven't been able to take a photo that I have been satisfied with that shows the entire structure, but only then can you see how unusual and bold this building is.

In this photo I took my one NEF file and made two images, one exposing for the building, the other for the sky, and then putting them both together in Photoshop.

Date: August 18, 2008
Camera: Nikon D70
Lens: 18-200 AF-S DX
Aperture: f/8
Shutter speed: 1/250
ISO: 200
Focal length: 62mm (93mm equiv.)
Format: NEF

Test Your Hue Discrimination

In case you wanted to test your colour IQ, click here.

Here was my score, not too shabby if I do say so myself.

When Insults Had Class

Catherine forwarded this me. I enjoyed them. Some more than others.


When Insults Had Class

These glorious insults are from an era before the English language got boiled down to 4-letter words.

The exchange between Churchill & Lady Astor: She said, "If you were my husband I'd give you poison." He said, "If you were my wife, I'd drink it ."

A member of Parliament to Disraeli: "Sir, you will either die on the gallows or of some unspeakable disease." "That depends, Sir," said Disraeli, "whether I embrace your policies or your mistress."

"He had delusions of adequacy." - Walter Kerr

"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire." - Winston Churchill

"I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure." Clarence Darrow

"He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary." - William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway).

"Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading it." - Moses Hadas

"I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it." - Mark Twain

"He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends." - Oscar Wilde

"I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend.... if you have one." - George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill

"Cannot possibly attend first nigh t, will attend second... if there is one." - Winston Churchill, in response.

"I feel so miserable without you; it's almost like having you here." - Stephen Bishop

"He is a self-made man and worships his creator." - John Bright

"I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial." - Irvin S. Cobb

"He is not only dull himself; he is the cause of dullness in others." - Samuel Johnson

"He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up." - Paul Keating

"In order to avoid being called a flirt, she always yielded easily." - Charles, Count Talleyrand

"He loves nature in spite of what it did to him." - Forrest Tucker

"Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?" - Mark Twain

"His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork." - Mae West

"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go." - Oscar Wilde

"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for support rather than illumination." - Andrew Lang (1844-1912)

"He has Van Gogh's ear for music." - Billy Wilder

"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it." - Groucho Marx

Off to Hong Kong

So we've settled down at our new place and have gotten into a bit of a routine now. But now we're off to Hong Kong for five days. Looks like I'll have an even bigger backlog of photos to post when I get back.

Ciao!

G

Paralympic Men's Basketball - Semifinals

Catherine and I went to last night's semifinal games for men's wheelchair basketball. The two part event saw Great Britain versus Australia and then Canada versus the United States. We arrived half-way through the first game with the Aussies holding a commanding lead over the Brits. The venue was the National Indoor Stadium and it was general seating so we had to find a pair of seats in the upper levels as all the good seats had been taken.

After the Aussies won their game, advancing to the finals, we decided to move from our higher perch and try our luck trying more court-side seating. We were crammed in the aisles with all the other people trying to get into the first few rows and things were looking kinda glum as we hoped that enough Aussie supporters would leave to allow us to fill the vacuum. All of a sudden, an Australian fan pointed to Catherine and me and told us to come down to their seat, noting that they were leaving but wanted to give their seats to Canadian fans. Good thing we were wearing our Canada gear! Turned out the seats were row two, middle of the court. Sweetness.

The Canada-US match itself was absolutely amazing. The US lead in all four regular quarters, but at the end Team Canada managed to pull it together to tie the game. Going into overtime, the momentum had clearly shifted with the remaining fans in the stadium (many had left since it was a late game) being mostly Canadian supporters. Chants of "Defence!" when Canada was defending against the Americans were loud, as were the "Go Canada Go!" or "Jianada, jiayou!". The people would stamp their feet at every American freethrow and a cheer would go up with each Canadian basket. Even with the momentum shift, the first OT ended with a tie, and so into double overtime we went! But Team Canada would not let their fans down and took command of the game and won it with a final score of 69-62. A great ending and looking forward to seeing Canada compete for gold.

Being able to watch wheelchair basketball live and up close was eyeopening. These atheletes (as with all the other Paralympic athletes) are incredible and are pushing the envelope of their sports. Their feats of athleticism are as equally impressive as those of their Olympic counterparts. I'm sure this realization of mine comes mainly because of me being herein Beijing during the Paralympics where there is continual coverage of the games, but it is too bad that not more people at home are taking note of these athletes and the great work they are doing. It is almost impossible to find anything about the Paralypics on the globeandmail website, and not too much on the cbc website either. Hope that will change as we head towards 2010.

G

Paralympics Opening Cermonies

We're continuing to enjoy exploring Beijing. We recently did a day trip outside of the city to a little village called Cuandixia, dating back to the Ming dynasty and which still has some Chinese cultural revolution graffiti on the walls. The place was nestled among some scenic mountains and was a great escape from the big cityness of Beijing. I took plenty of photos which I will eventually post up but that may have to wait till I get my own desktop computer setup as my trial period of Adobe Lightroom on the laptop has expired, doh!

As for tonight, we are heading to the opening ceremonies for the Paralympic games here in Beijing. We got the opportunity to purchase a pair of tickets so we'll be heading off shortly to the Olympic Green and to watch the spectacle. Though I do not expect it to match the Olympic opening ceremonies (15,000 performers versus the 6,000 performers for the Paralympics opening), I am confident that China will put on an amazing show worthy of all the Paralympic athletes. I think our Canadian athletes will make a big showing and look forward to watching theme compete over the next two weeks. Keep an eye out for us with a large Canadian flag!

G

Temple of Heaven

This photo was really an "f/8 and be there" moment (though the photo was taken at f/6.3). While touring around Beijing (the Ox Street mosque and the Source of Law Temple), I received a call from some friends that they were heading to the Temple of Heaven. I was thinking of saving the trip to this Beijing landmark for when I was with Catherine, but given that there would be plenty of other opportunities to go check it out with her, I decided to go and meet them there. What we found when we arrived was a full blown dress reherseal for the torch lighting and relay ceremony for the Beijing Paralympic Games. We, and everyone else that happened to be visiting the Temple that day, got to see what would be in store for the live audience and television viewers. This particular image was taken when this elegant lady made her way to the top of the stairway. I was crouched directly behind her but everyone else was shooed away by the security; not sure why. This gave me the opportunity to take this shot without any gawking onlookers in the way. Just the right place, at the right time, and with camera in hand.

Date: August 25, 2008
Camera: Nikon D70
Lens: 18-200 AF-S DX VR
Aperture: f/6.3
Shutter speed: 1/640
ISO: 200
Focal length: 55mm (83mm equiv.)
Format: NEF

The Grande Finale

I just finished coming from the most amazing Olympic experience here in Beijing. Watching the Beijing Olympic Closing Ceremonies with a couple hundred Canadians and then running outside to catch the closing fireworks at Tiananmen Square from what was, I kid you not, the best seat in the city (barring the officials directing traffic and overseeing the fireworks). We were a couple hundred metres from Tiananmen Square, watching from an elevated wooden deck. Access to the street below us was closed to pedestrians, and lined with hundreds of security forces.

The fireworks lasted a full 18 minutes and were an exercise in superb pyrotechnics which made the Celebration of Lights back in Vancouver look like a sparkler show. Every time it looked like the show was reaching its climax, it would take a step back from the edge and once again reach a crescendo. This would play over again and again, while high-tech fireworks dazzled - there were fireworks that exploded into red stars, others that made a cascading noise like waves crashing on the shore, and yet others that formed smiley faces. It was fun watching the buses, taxis and cars driving by Tiananmen that slowed down as they found themselves under a sky of explosions. The evening breeze blew the smoke away from our vantage point and we watched, along with local guards and PLA troops, as the show finally came to an amazing end.

I am no fireworks expert, but I am sure that any past fireworks display would have been hard-pressed to match the one I just saw. China went all out to bring its Olympic games to an unforgettable end. After the show, we all broke out in spontaneous applause, and the guards lining the street smiled at our gesture of appreciation, the look of pride on their faces barely hidden.

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Olympic Gold

Photo with Canadian Olympic gold medalist Adam Kreek, who was part of the champion 8-man rowing team. That medal is sweetness. Way to go rowers!

Beijing Restaurant Review: Noodle Loft

For those of you who may be interested in how I am nourishing myself...

Found this restaurant in That's Beijing, winning a 'Best Value' award in their annual round-up. There are two locations in Beijing and don't ask me how or why, but I have already been to both. The major Noodle Loft draw is the fact that you can go and watch the Shanxi chefs make the noodles right in front of you. They are stretching it, rolling it and beating it at the bar which makes for great entertainment as you await your noodles.

The menu is nice in that it has photos. The appetizers are extensive and I especially enjoyed the cold spicy noodles and the cold carrot shavings. The sliced beef wasn't bad, but nothing special. As for the noodles themselves, they are nice and chewy, and come in a variety of shapes/forms. The "you mein" come in a dim sum dish and are shaped like little cones - you dip the noodles into three different sauces provided. The 'you mein' was neat to experience but I don't think the sauces provided enough bang.

The beef brisket and noodle soup was good, though the broth could have used a bit more flavour. Finally, the chow mein was very nice, being not too oily.

If you have to pick a location, go to the one by Soho New Town since you can actually sit and dine at the noodle bar.

Overall, a great place to take guests and friends to have an inexpensive meal in a nice environment and built-in entertainment. Just make sure you go around peek times or just before peek times to catch all the noodle-making.

Let's try a rating system out of 5...
Food: 3.5
Service: 3
Ambiance: 4.5 (when the chefs are making their noodles)
Value: 4

Noodle Loft Daily 11am-10pm 3 Heping Xijie (in a back alley just after exit E at Hepingxiqiao metro stop) Chaoyang District (5130 9655) 20 Xi Dawang Lu Chaoyang North East (6774 9950/5372)

A perfect Olympic experience

Catherine and I bought a pair of tickets off a Canadian to Tuesday night's Athletics event at the Beijing National Stadium (aka the Bird's Nest). The events started at 7pm so we spent a couple hours wandering the Olympic Green, just taking in all the sights and sounds of people milling around and enjoying the Olympic atmosphere. When it was time, we entered the Bird's Nest to take our place on the second floor. The seats were great and we had a nice view of everything. The night's events included women's 200m qualifiers, men's 110m hurdles qualifiers, men's 200m and 400m semifinals, men's discus final, men's high jump final, women's 400m final, women's 110m hurdles final and men's 1500m final.

Of course the highlight was Canada's bronze medal from Priscella Lopes-Schllep in the 110m hurdles! Woo! It was a pleasant surprise and the fact that they had the medal ceremony that evening was icing on the cake.

Having all the events to watch at once was great and the stadium was quite impressive. We wandered around for a while to take photos of the Bird's Nest and its neighbour, the Water Cube. These buildings look their best in the evening when they are lit up by their red and blue, respectively. Photos to come in the next day or so.

An amazing Olympic experience. Can't wait for the Paralympic Games!

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Squat and Smoke

The squat position is very popular here in China, which is something I cannot understand. For me, squatting is quite uncomfortable, yet people in China use it as a resting position. On the same day I took this photo at 798 district, I saw a women conducting what seemed like her banking/paperwork in a squat position.

The other significant point about this photo is the quality of light. You may have noticed that a lot of the photos taken have very flat light, mainly because it is rare for the sun to break through the haze/pollution, so what you end up with is diffused light that does not produce shadows (or very interesting lighting for photos). The day we were at 798 was a great day with blue sky, clouds and sunlight. You start missing your shadow after a while!

Date: August 12, 2008
Camera: Nikon D70
Lens: 18-200 AF-S DX VR
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter speed: 1/200
ISO: 200
Focal length: 200mm (300mm equiv.)
Format: NEF

798: Alley Texting

A photo taken in the 798 art district, looking into one of the many alleyways lined with brick buildings.

Date: August 12, 2008
Camera: Nikon D70
Lens: 18-200 AF-S DX VR
Aperture: f/8
Shutter speed: 1/125
ISO: 200
Focal length: 150mm (221mm equiv.)
Format: NEF

Characters as Art 01

This photo was taken at the Confucian temple - it is from one of the stone slabs on which have been carved the names of all the people that had passed China's famous civil service exams. It's funny, not being able to read too many Chinese characters, I sort of see them in the abstract, and so at times they can be art for me.

Also interesting, as I was shooting a stone slab with etched characters, it was not too different than shooting a brick wall, the standard subject for testing camera lenses. Given that I was shooting in the shade, I had to shoot wide open and as I reviewed the image I noticed that the sharpness at the edges of the image were much less sharp than the centre area. This is one of the first times I have noticed the limits of my lens in practical photography (i.e. I had to crop the photo to compensate for the non-uniform sharpness, and you can still notice the less sharp characters around the edges). Interesting...

Date: August 6, 2008
Camera: Nikon D70
Lens: 18-200 AF-S DX VR
Aperture: f/3.8
Shutter speed: 1/60
ISO: 200
Focal length: 20mm (30mm equiv.)
Format: NEF

The Dutch Heineken House

Went out to visit the Dutch Heineken House the other night and found a sprawling complex that has been converted into a Dutch beer garden and concert/dance hall. The place was staffed by young Dutch in their signature orange, and the place was filled with foreigners. I'm sure it costs a lot to rent the space and pay for the staff, but they were also making a killing on the drinks, with a beer costing 30 yuan for a small cup. Inside the dance hall, they had a live band going which got everyone pumped up. The above video gives a good sense of the atmosphere and the fun-loving Dutch staff.

Canoe and Kayak Slalom

It was a cool rainy day as we set out to attend our Olympic event out in the Beijing suburbs. After following some excellent written directions from our friend Jessie, we arrived at Shunyi to find ourselves in the midst of some heavy rain.

One observation I had when I arrived at the venue was to note that China is not all that interested in generating much economic activity as a result of the events. The ponchos they gave out to people to ward off the rain were free (which was appreciated), there was very limited food choices (and a lot of the choices were sold out) and there weren't any vendors selling stuff save for a few tents. It was nice not to have things shoved our way for purchase, but it was an odd thing to realize that China appears to not put much emphasis on the economic benefits that could be leveraged from the games, instead, focussing on making the games a success, defined by their own criteria.

As for the event itself, we watched a race of men's canoeing. We sat in front of a large group of French supporters who made a ton of noise when their athletes raced. There were no Canadians in the race so we just enjoyed taking in all the other fans, especially when the Chinese "jia you" cheering machine got into full swing. The event was great to watch and the athletes were amazing in their ability to control their boats and the speed they ripped through the course.

Eventually, the poor weather got the best of the race and the event was postponed. After a bit of a lineup we loaded into a bus and headed back for central Beijing. Despite the poor weather, it was a surprisingly satisfying Olympic experience. I'm glad we had a chance to take in the atmosphere of the Games and experience going to an Olympic event.

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The canoe/kayak slalom course

Here's the course that the athletes had to navigate. The bleachers were just behind the course and we had a great view of the entire course.

Canoers turning on a dime

Here is the German duo making their run. The red gates mean the canoers have to go through the gate the other way. The green gates are for going straight through.

Our tickets to the Beijing Olympics

We picked up these bad boys at a draw for extra tickets for purchase at the Embassy. Keep an eye out for a pair of Canadians waving the Canadian flag!

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798

Catherine and I had the day off yesterday so we headed off to 798, known as Beijing's hop art district where up-and-coming Chinese contemporary artists make their home and display their art. 798 had received a negative review from one of our colleagues who had been a week or two ago so my expectations were not very high, but in the end I was pleasantly surprised. This place is essentially a Toronto Distillery District type place (gentrified old industrial spaces, lots of brick) brimming with art galleries and sprinkled with cafes. We went through some great photo galleries and the entire district itself was just filled with so many neat buildings/art/people/lines that it was a photographic paradise. 798 is currently my favourite spot to photograph in Beijing. One important thing to note is that from what we saw, a lot of the art on display had already hit the big leagues. We asked for the prices for some large photographs and the prices ranged from 3,000 to 7,000 euros. So much for finding an up-and-coming artist! I'll post some shots I took from 798 over the next little while.

Wii with the Premier

We had a little staff party the other night and were lucky enough to have the Premier drop in to spend some time with us. He got involved in all the games, from Wii to bingo. Here is a shot of me poising behind the Premier as he lines up his shot in Wii Sport bowling.

Purple Haze

Before I left for Beijing, my Director General gave me a copy of That's Beijing, a local magazine that targets the expat community. The issue he gave me covered the best restaurants of Beijing, so this has been an invaluable guide for us while we have been in Beijing in our quest for good food. But of course these restaurants reviewed/recommended by these expat magazines are completely geared towards foreigners and wealthy locals. When I ask some locals where to find these places, or ask about certain expat areas, they just shrug and say that they don't frequent these places since they are so expensive. And they are, given that a typical expat meal out can range from 100-300 yuan, whereas a local Chinese eatery will run you about 35-50 yuan (exchange rate is about 7:1).

And if there was ever any doubt about the expatness of these recommendations, the restaurant we tried the other night was completely full of foreigners. Purple Haze, a Thai restaurant, served excellent Thai food as well as not-too-expensive drinks. The five of us ordered a dish each and everything was pretty good. It wasn't the most authentic Thai but it was still very good. The red coconut curry was especially good, as were the chicken skewers and spicy eggplant. This place is definitely worth a re-visit, and we will look to check out their other location which also hosts a live jazz band on Wednesday evenings.

Oh yeah, when we left the restaurant we found ourselves stuck looking for a cab in a Beijing torrential downpour. We were running through ankle deep puddles and standing around trying to wave down a cab while avoiding flying walls of water from passing cars. We eventually got back to the hotel in time to watch team China get outplayed by the more talented and more skilled team USA in basketball. BTW, check out this great article on Yao Ming.

Purple Haze
www.purplehaze.com.cn

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Photo Op with the Premier