Of crisis and opportunity

Lord Macartney, Embassy to China (1793) Lord Macartney, Embassy to China (1793)

The picture shows Lord Macartney, Embassy to China (1793), a folio taken from “A study of History” by  Arnold Toynbee and available from the Wikimedia Commons. This line, taken from a People’s Daily article with the headline “Let reform pull … Continue reading

A western Chinese boomtown

Sunday livestock market Kasghar's Sunday lifestock market, which attracts customers and merchants from across the cities' nearby borders with Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Kirghizistan.

Connecting the news The news that “China [is] to fund [the] education of ex-nationals in Gilgit-Baltistan“, in Pakistan, made me think of a “A New Shenzhen: Beijing aims to turn the remote western city of Kashgar into the country’s next … Continue reading

动物园(Zoo)

Zoo © 2010 . All rights reserved.

A safaripark Females spend their days foraging indiscriminately snapping up bargains Males speed along hunting bringing the rare treat back to the nest

Sinterklaas

Jan Steen - Het Sint Nicolaasfeest Jan Steen, Het Sint Nicolaasfeest

Santa Claus is sad, what happened to tradition? Christmas comes early.

Ethnic violence in Ürümqi to flare up again?

WLMQ_late2009 Ürümqi, autumn 2010; original image taken from Tianshannet(天山网)

(Updated 22:30 – False rumours?) Unrest seems to again have taken hold of the streets in Ürümqi, in western China. Uyghurs announce more violence after 18:00 o’clock on Monday 7 September. The government has ordered businesses to close and people … Continue reading

Is Uyghur resentment boiling over?

WLMQ_late2009 Ürümqi, autumn 2010; original image taken from Tianshannet(天山网)

* This post will be updated as I hear more news. I’m not in Ürümqi myself so all I write is alleged by friends that I am currently in touch with. // Newswire services have started picking up on the … Continue reading

Horror museum testimonials

Budapest_Terror_Museum_Tank Inside the House of Terror; Picture taken from the Wikimedia Commons

When I was in Budapest recently the House of Terror both surprised and delighted me. This museum teaches its visitors about 20th century Hungarian history. Through the many personal accounts that are on display, it provides a place for Hungarians … Continue reading

Bureaucracy and paperwork

Russian_finished_watch_movement Working like clockwork; image taken from the Wikimedia Commons

As I was weeding through my administration of the last 7 years – I’m moving about, so I wanted to chuck a lot of old paperwork out – it struck me that life in one country doesn’t leave nearly as … Continue reading