Archive for July, 2008
Overcoming the Language Barrier: Chinese Hip Hop Posted by Transparent Language on Jul 25, 2008
In the 1990s, two cultures crossed paths as they travelled to opposite ends of the earth. In 1993, specifically, nine rappers from New York would release their first album, launching their careers as one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed hip hop groups of all time. The Wu Tang Clan (named after the…
Olympic Lockdown Posted by ryan on Jul 22, 2008
Olympic Lockdown July 20th marked the start of Beijing in Olympic Lockdown Mode. For approximately the next two months, the city will turn blue in the face while attempting to hold in its proverbial gut while showcasing itself to the world as a sleek, modern, clean, and efficient capital city ready to assume its place…
The Gypsy Road Posted by ryan on Jul 17, 2008
Following an extended hiatus exploring the geopolitics and security status of China’s energy sector at the end of the Chinese academic year, your gallant correspondent has returned once again to fire away at the idiosyncrasies of life in Beijing and Greater China as a whole. Today, a commentary on the gypsy trail of Chengfu Lu…
On the Bargain Road Posted by Transparent Language on Jul 1, 2008
One of my more embarrassing moments as a student of Chinese came not here in China but back in Maine in the fall of 1998, when I returned from a year in Beijing to the University of Maine at Farmington along with a teacher from the Chinese department of Beijing University of Technology. As I’d…