Louis Hutong

This site is dead...

It's not that I don't want to keep updating this blog, but rather, I can't get to this site within China anymore...

Once the government breaks down the great firewall, I'll be back.

China's Secret Tunnels

The first thing I thought while reading this article at CNN was, "Whoa, those are the tunnels that Jack Burton had to travel through to get to Lo Pan!"

Watch out for that black blood of the earth.

A Picture's Worth...

A thousand Hanzi...

Not sure where this originated, but it's been passed to me multiple times by my co-workers...my Chinese co-workers. Receiving forwarded emails is nothing new, but receiving something that openly makes China look bad is a little strange...

I'm not dead...

Like the Beijing smog after a heavy rainfall...I will return.

I Heart Beijing

Back in college, I briefly dated a theatre major. During that time, I saw two of her performances, one of which involved her standing on stage in her bra and panties for over half the show. It was at this point, a small BIG appreciation of theatre began to grow. A few years later, I ended up dating a theatre critic in San Diego who invited me to just about every show available. This gave me the opportunity for me to expand my appreciation of theatre beyond just the lower half of my body.

So now I'm sympathetic to the trials that "theatre folk" must endure to launch and put on their shows. It's not just learning your lines and putting up the set...you really have to work your tail off to get people into the show.

That said, I Heart Beijing will open this weekend, which means that the promoters are out in force. In the past two weeks alone, my attempt at a Coca-Cola induced, non-alcoholic stupor at the local bars has repeatedly been interrupted by the "adver-stickering" of my clothes (and forehead). The first and third time were by someone named Elyse and the second by another lady named Marisa. (To be honest, I initially thought they were the same person, mainly because after two years in China, all white women start to look alike.)

I finally gave in and checked out their website and after reading the synopsis, I think the show has enough potential to check it out. It probably wont hit Broadway anytime soon, but it should get a few laughs out of the local expat crowd.

So if you're in Beijing during the showing, try to attend. Judging from the promoters, they really are throwing their hearts into this and could use our support.

Note: Yes, I completely stole their poster image...but I have a feeling they wont mind.

More Notes: And while this isn't a musical, I know what my friend Brian is going to say as soon as he sees the photo above.

Cultural Toll

 

I once read a Chinese professor quoted as saying, "Chinese people are too practical to be logical." It's been one of my favorite quotes since I arrived, mainly due to its ability to explain so much of the seeming contradiction and goofiness that sometimes is China.

Today, we get more evidence.

Toll-dodging truckers breach China's Great Wall

It's logical to obey the law, pay your tolls, and not destroy your cultural heritage. It is however more practical to do what's best for you...even it involves culturally scarring your people by ripping through one of your greatest landmarks all for the sake of saving a few RMB.

Good job China.

Impersonator? Or Chairman Mao's Daughter?

Woman seeks fame as face of Chairman Mao

In the U.S., we have Elvis impersonators, and a lot of them...so in a sick way, I'm hoping we see this become a staple of Chinese pop culture. Eventually, China might get enough to start their own skydiving team...

Grasscrete?

Living in Beijing makes most people a lot more sympathetic to environmental issues, if only for the reason that you can see ecological cause and effects getting played through every day. A few mornings of waking up with a strange cough and/or spitting up some strange gray matter will have you wishing for tighter controls on coal emmissions before you can say "black lung."

Of course, China knows that its environmental disaster-in-waiting creates a significant amount of bad PR for them...so I was excited to read this article about what they are doing to "green" Beijing. What do I get?

Grasscrete.

It's just not even worth summarizing, but it we're all going to die.

*wheeze*

Flaming Mao

Vandal defaces China's iconic Mao portrait

I think it would have much funnier had the vandal gone up with a big black marker and drew in a Hitler moustache. Either that, or some devil horns. Regardless, if they catch the poor guy who did this...he's in for a hurting.

Italian H.O.A.

"No Lanterns", Italian city tells Chinese Community

Something tells me this all boils down to which culture makes a better noodle.