Destination: China
What Every Traveler Should Know About Disposable Underwear
by Kelsey Timmerman | 12.17.08 | 10:02 AM ET
Photo by Frank Murray. Kelsey Timmerman tells all
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Yahoo! BuzzMichelin Goes to Hong Kong and Macau
by Eva Holland | 12.05.08 | 6:32 AM ET
The first-ever Michelin guide to Hong Kong and Macau was released yesterday, and a few restaurants—one in each city—landed the coveted three-star rating. Another 21 Hong Kong eateries received one or two stars, as did five in Macau. The renowned foodie guide publisher made waves earlier this year by granting Tokyo top honors among all Michelin-ranked cities. Given Hong Kong’s strong start this year, and the fact that locals swear the foreign reviewers missed many of the city’s best spots, there may soon be another Asian culinary powerhouse on the Michelin-star horizon. (Via Gadling)
Guns N’ Roses’ ‘Chinese Democracy’
by Jim Benning | 11.24.08 | 12:20 PM ET
Joining the ranks of Western rock albums whose titles evoke Asia—Holiday in Cambodia and Cheap Trick at Budokan come to mind —is the long-awaited Chinese Democracy, from reclusive rock star and esteemed China-watcher Axl Rose. It’s not clear to me, from a cursory look at the title song’s lyrics, whether Rose has anything particularly deep to say about Chinese democracy, or lack thereof, except that change is coming to China. Nevertheless, rumor has it the album has been banned in the Middle Kingdom.
Update: Great trivia. Guns N’ Roses is known as Qiang Hua in China.
China: Not a ‘Pseudo-Place’
by Eva Holland | 11.13.08 | 12:00 PM ET
When The Smart Set’s Paula Marantz Cohen headed off on a two-week organized tour of China, she expected to experience one of the tourism industry’s manufactured “pseudo-places,” as Paul Fussell calls them. That is, “tourist commonwealths, whose function is simply to entice tourists and sell them things.” But as she explains in this thoughtful essay, she was mistaken.
How Can I Save on Transportation During a Round-the-World Trip?
by Rolf Potts | 11.06.08 | 12:34 PM ET
Vagabonding traveler Rolf Potts answers your questions about travel
Are These Chinese Villages Resting on the Fountain of Youth?
by Joanna Kakissis | 10.20.08 | 10:07 AM ET
An unusually large number of very old people live in hamlets near the Vietnam border in China’s scenic Guangxi Autonomous Region, creating a so-called “longevity cluster.” So how do you market a place like Bama county, home to 250,000 and 74 centenarians, to the Western world? Bill it as a haven for health tourism, reports The Wall Street Journal. Visitors can have a low-cost spa vacation by simply breathing the air, drinking the local water and eating meals here.
Sesame Street, Global Edition
by Joanna Kakissis | 10.17.08 | 1:59 PM ET
When I heard Big Bird and South Africa’s muppet Zikwe talking to NPR about Putumayo Kids’ “Sesame Street Playground” album this weekend, I couldn’t help feeling jealous that I hadn’t grown up hearing songs like “Rubber Duckie” in Mandarin. The 40-year-old dean of all children’s shows now airs in 120 countries, and the new album showcases its worldwide reach.
There are songs from Israel, Palestine, Tanzania, South Africa, France, China, Russia, Mexico, the Netherlands, India and the United States. Concierge is especially fond of the “Pollution Song” from South Africa: a ditty about cleaning up after yourself. Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone in the world sang along to that?
The Virtual Forbidden City: Eunuchs, Courtesans and More
by Valerie Conners | 10.13.08 | 3:42 PM ET
Armchair travelers, gamers and the merely curious can now explore China’s famed Forbidden City via a virtual 3-D recreation of the Chinese landmark. Forbidden City: Beyond Space & Time is an interactive animated experience developed by IBM that allows users to adopt avatars and explore the city, interacting with other users while participating in activities like training fighting crickets, dressing up like a eunuch or practicing archery with a courtesan.
Related on World Hum:
* In Beijing: A Rainbow of Nations
Photo by jimg944 via Flickr (Creative Commons).
For Sale: Mao’s Airplane
by Michael Yessis | 10.07.08 | 2:29 PM ET
The Trident jet currently resides at a shopping mall in Zhuhai, China. The mall’s owner, Wang Zhilei, wants to sell it to free up space for parking. Can’t tell you how much yuan it’ll cost you, though: Wang won’t disclose his price. (via Jaunted)
Related on World Hum:
* Mao Mao Mao Mao Mao. Enough With the Mao Already.
Photo by yeowatzup via Flickr (Creative Commons).
Beijing Catches ‘Salsa Fever’
by Valerie Conners | 10.01.08 | 12:00 PM ET
This week marks the start of China’s third annual Salsa Congress, a competition that will showcase the many ways the dance thrives in a land where, during the Cultural Revolution, social dancing was banned.
Hooters in China: It’s About ‘Moral Righteousness’
by Eva Holland | 09.02.08 | 3:30 PM ET
I’ve always loved noting the subtle differences between the same big-name chain restaurants at home and abroad. According to this McClatchy-Tribune story, though, when Hooters opened in China there was nothing subtle about the changes the chain made. The “American Owl Restaurant,” as it’s apparently known there, has a totally different shtick in Beijing. Said one server: “It’s more sexy in the U.S. Here, it’s more about being healthy, friendly, cute and having moral righteousness.”
Related on World Hum:
* Las Vegas’ Hooters Hotel to go Boutique
Photo of Beijing Hooters by china_puwa via Flickr (Creative Commons)
Health Experts: Go Easy on the Incense
by Jim Benning | 08.26.08 | 12:54 PM ET
The use of incense dates back thousands of years, yet when it comes to incense in American cities these days, I associate it with Indian restaurants, yoga studios and head shops hawking bongs and tie-dye T-shirts. I also think of the glory days of the hippie trail, when young Western kids set off through Asia and, as Rory MacLean writes, “lit sticks of incense, strummed their guitars and read another chapter of Siddhartha, then stepped off the bus to help push the decrepit vehicle over the Hindu Kush.”
Olympics Tourism Disappoints Beijing Merchants
by Michael Yessis | 08.22.08 | 12:19 PM ET
The expected surge of foreign and domestic tourists never materialized, and restaurant owners and shopkeepers are counting down the hours until the Games are over, reports the Los Angeles Times.
In Beijing: The Elephant in the Olympic Village
by Eva Holland | 08.14.08 | 9:51 AM ET
Don’t let my previous posts fool you: there was more to my time in Beijing this past week than just some good-natured nationalism and the occasional bureaucratic annoyance. Sure, everybody at my hotel had a good time—but there was an unacknowledged tension, too, lurking just under the surface.
How David Brooks Explains the World
by Michael Yessis | 08.13.08 | 11:51 AM ET
Among the ways he says the world can be divided: Societies with an individualist mentality versus societies with a collectivist mentality. Specifically, he writes in the New York Times, “Americans usually see individuals; Chinese and other Asians see contexts.” Intriguing, but also a ridiculous generalization, according to James Fallows.