The Great Wall of China – Diverse Perspectives

China’s Great Wall – created over centuries to protect the Chinese Empire from intrusion and invasion – is one of the world’s best know sights. Yet again and again we see the same stretch of wall, the same throngs of tourists, soldiers of the People’s Liberation Army and a stream of visiting politicians. Takes these elements away and there is a sublime change - a shift in perception. Here is the Great Wall of China from various diverse perspectives, some stretches of the wall you may not be familiar with and hardly a tourist or soldier in sight.  The Great Wall of China suddenly becomes a mystery again, inscrutable and elegant, unfathomable and incredible.

Timelapses from the Silk Road

Chris Northey, a freelance digital designer, shot these timelapses while traveling along the ancient Silk Road from China to Uzbekistan in mid-2012. They feature familiar places to many, Beijing and Xi'an in China, then moving on to lesser known Chinese cities, Turpan (left) and Kashgar.  Thence to Kyrgyzstan and we experience the sights of ash Rabat and Song Kol. Finally we end up in Uzbekistan, visiting Tashkent, Bukhara and Samarkand.

These short timelapses are woven together to create a whole and although we see the Silk Road through very modern eyes many of the sights are the same as people would have seen centuries ago.  The whole short is wrapped up with atmospheric music from My Life in the Bush of Ghosts by Brian Eno and David Byrne.  Sublime.

Moments in China

Moments in China is a collection of vivid sights and sounds photographer and visual artist Ryan Emond experienced while traveling around China last month. The piece flows from Hong Kong to Beijing, and visits Guilin, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. Some moments are more significant than others, but he has a personal connection with each. The video was particularly special to Emond because he did have time for personal projects over the past months.

This certainly makes up for it. I don’t think the Chinese government could have gotten a better advert for the country had they paid for it. Shot on a Nikon D700 and a 5D Mark III, I particularly enjoyed the spectacle of time lapse of the city of Shanghai slipping in to that something more comfortable known generally as the evening.

Obama Fried Chicken

Image Credit Flickr User Paul Lowry

It has recently come to light that a fast food restaurant in Beijing has opened – its name is Obama Fried Chicken.  The Kentucky Fried Chicken logo has been somewhat doctored and the face of Colonel Sanders replaced with that of the current presidential incumbent (see left). Although that is just another example of the disregard of certain Chinese citizens of global copyright laws (and racism even?), we do have to reveal here that the idea is hardly a new one!  Above is the Obama Fried Chicken in New York and below one elsewhere (sorry but we do not know its exact location!).

Image CRedit Flickr User sometimesdee