Chasing Mirages – Page 8 – existential struggles in greater China and southeast Asia

A visit to Lovers’ Island

August 7, 2012 / Chasing / 1 Comment

Lovers’ Island (æƒ…äººå³¶) is a small island, less than 1 square kilometer in area, located a few kilometers away from the fishing village of Sanniangwan, Guangxi.

Our team went there yesterday, hoping to dig up a few whale and dolphin skeletons that were buried there a few years ago.

From afar, Lovers’ Island, with its brightly painted lighthouse, small pine forest, tidal pools full of colorful sea creatures, and wide sandy beach, is beautiful, and deep down it really is a romantic spot, but unfortunately it is yet another great place ruined by…

Beijing Public Bike Rentals – the nth time’s a charm?

July 16, 2012 / Chasing / 3 Comments

Through the years there have been several attempts to establish a public bike rental system in Beijing. Â They’ve all been abject failures. Â I haven’t investigated why they failed, nor did I ever use them.

When I was last in Beijing in May, I noticed that new docking stations for public bikes were popping up, and today I saw one that had some shiny new bikes docked.

Heartbeat from Sanniangwan

April 16, 2012 / Chasing / 2 Comments

From the complete lack of posts in the last six weeks, you may have assumed that I was either having the time of my life or dead. Â Wrong on both counts, unfortunately. Â I’ve just been busy. Â Busy doing what? Â I’m not sure, I don’t feel like I have much to show for my efforts.

I’ve spent most of the time at Sanniangwan, a small, shallow water bay located near the city of Qinzhou in Guangxi Autonomous Region, China. Â When the weather and water conditions are good, we take a speedboat into the bay and observe the local population of Chinese white dolphins. Â The photo above shows a group of three young dolphins who were in an especially playful mood that day. Â More substantial posts to come!

Little Donkey Farm

February 28, 2012 / Chasing / 1 Comment

I’ve mentioned Beijing’s Little Donkey Farm a couple of times already. Â I finally had the chance to visit.

Food safety has been a huge issue in China in recent years, and wealthy urban dwellers are starting to scramble for food that will not render them sterile or cancerous. Â Little Donkey Farm capitalizes on this fear by giving Beijingers a few options for access to less-toxic food. Â Insecure urbanites can subscribe to a weekly order of in-season vegetables, or they can rent a plot of land at the farm and either tend it themselves on the weekends or pay the farm to raise vegetables on it.

Jinghong, Yunnan – the most pleasant big city in China

February 22, 2012 / Chasing / 0 Comments

As you may have heard, housing prices in China have exploded over the last few years. Â Why someone would pay over $500USD per square foot (the price for a mid-range condo not located TOO far from downtown) for a 70-year lease (private land ownership does not exist in China) in crowded, polluted Beijing when a townhouse in California’s wine country can be had for just over $100USD per square foot is beyond me. Â Or, if you want to spend the money, check out this beauty in San Francisco’s Mission District for $570 per square foot.