ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — SHANGHAI, no. 46 It seems appropriate for friends and food to be at the center of my last night in China. Wang arranged for himself and his three students who were my guides to meet for the evening. After finding the first choice closed, we had dinner at a Xinjiang-style restaurant. Later walking in the dark, we passed a group of people crouched in a dimly lit area … [Read more...]
Shanghai Old City
ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — SHANGHAI, no. 45 The area within the original city wall of Shanghai remained exclusively Chinese during the period of foreign concessions that followed the defeat of the Qing dynasty by the British Empire in 1839. Unfortunately most of the old city has been replaced by a new city that pretends to be old — in a completely artificial way. It is a commercial development … [Read more...]
Shanghai Museum
ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — SHANGHAI, no. 44 The Shanghai Museum is one of several significant institutions within The People's Park in downtown Shanghai. It contains an insanely sumptuous collection. No material escapes the expressive form and skill displayed by the Chinese and Tibetan people at the highest level of expertise: cloth, bead, wood, jade, gilt-brass, ink, paint, paper, ceramic, … [Read more...]
The Bund
ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — SHANGHAI, no. 43 On my last day in Shanghai and first time in a week I found myself unexpectedly on my own for two hours in the city. I set out to walk the length of Nanjing Road to the Bund, mostly emptied of tourists by Monday morning rain. The Peace Hotel, formerly Sassoon House and Cathay Hotel, has a storied past. It was meticulously restored in 2007 to it's … [Read more...]
Scary Anatomy Museum
ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — ZHOUZHUANG, no. 42 Another thing that I did not understand, in addition to the legend of Wansan pork hock and the location of tea plantations, is why on the return trip from Zhouzhuang to Shanghai our next stop was The Museum of Mystery of Life. The bus group disembarked at a warehouse-style building. Tickets were arranged and a guided tour began, this time entirely in … [Read more...]
Zhouzhuang Lunch & Temple
ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — ZHOUZHUANG, no. 41 There is a story about why the popular local meal Wansan pork hock is named after Shen Wansan, the richest man in the late Yuan and early Ming Dynasty in Zhouzhuang. It was explained to me several times but I could not comprehend it. It had to do with multi-family intrigue, commercial competition, the sound of his name being similar to the word for … [Read more...]
Zhouzhuang Streets & Houses
ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — ZHOUZHUANG, no. 40 Early in my China artist residency in May 2015, I'd visited an imitation river town built in the 18th century for the enjoyment of imperial concubines. It was designed to recreate actual river towns such as Zhouzhuang, ninety minutes west of Shanghai by bus. It is one of thousands of similar towns with varying degrees of historical significance. … [Read more...]
River Towns
ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — ZHOUZHUANG, no. 39 On the second to last day in Shanghai, Wang arranged for me to join a student bus trip to Zhouzhuang, ninety minutes west of Shanghai. Blurry photographs taken through the bus window were washed out even more by the overcast day. In small corners of the images the camera caught people working — on rivers, in fields, and laying tile. They appeared to … [Read more...]
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