My second summer in the possibly charming city of Harbin.
Category Archives: Pictures
Food in Hong Kong (aka, no love for Jade Panda Garden)
A lot of people tell me they don’t like Hong Kong. At first, neither did I. The first time I came here in the mid-90s, I had just spent couple of really nice weeks in pre-casino Macao. The comparison was pretty stark: where Macao was nice and quiet, full of piazzas and egg tarts, Hong Kong seemed noisy, pollutedContinue reading “Food in Hong Kong (aka, no love for Jade Panda Garden)”
Dried beef noodles
It’s been a great week. One of those that’s so action packed that it feels more like a month. Over the past few days, I met with my friends in the local university (呼伦贝尔学院), and squeezed in a good schedule of interviews with local residents in their 70s and 80s. This lineup included a couple of former cadres,Continue reading “Dried beef noodles”
“Harbin isn’t that cold”
Last summer I visited Hailaer 海拉尔 to scout out a project on the development of the northern corridor along the Russian border. The trip was useful, and Hailaer was charming–a quiet yet visibly wealthy city that people call the “pearl of the grasslands.” (Note: everything in China is the “pearl” of something.) I knew that IContinue reading ““Harbin isn’t that cold””
Hawaii, baby!
Just got back from the long, long awaited family vacation to Hawaii. I’ll add some more detail to the picture captions later, but for the moment, here’s us! And where’s Misa, you ask? She’s the one holding the camera, duh…
Hulunbeier and Manzhouli
Hulunbeier — an expanse of grasslands the size of England — is one of the new tourist hotspots in China. I spent about three weeks there this July, as well as a good deal of time on the road to and from Harbin and Manzhouli, and on local busses to places like Ganzhuer Temple, on theContinue reading “Hulunbeier and Manzhouli”
Ise Shrine 伊勢神宮
Ise is one of the original and most important religious sites in Japan. Misa and I went just after New Year, which is a great time to go shrine hopping. The weather is really nice, plus you also get to see the crowds of tourists who are there for New Year blessings. Continue reading “Ise Shrine 伊勢神宮”
Nagoya = COOL
I have been in Nagoya for about two weeks now, and think it is time to make it official: Nagoya is the greatest place on Earth. My official reason for being here is to set up a research project with some wonderful collaborators at Aichi University (who generously hosted me to give two talks last week), butContinue reading “Nagoya = COOL”
Malacca – and here’s Jack Chia!
Oh where to begin with the Malacca stories? Let’s just say that Malacca was one of my favorite parts of life in Singapore. One easy five hour bus ride, and you’re in one of the most charming cities in the world. So, when my schedule had me in Singapore in late November, and Macao in mid-December, I decidedContinue reading “Malacca – and here’s Jack Chia!”
Unmunsa – featuring Lina!
After Seoul, I went back to Japan with Misa and we had a nifty time running around Osaka and Kyoto. Then I came back to Korea, mostly to work in the National Assembly Library for a week. But, as it happens, one day I got a call from Lina, who asked if I wanted toContinue reading “Unmunsa – featuring Lina!”
Thomas David DuBois 