Wangfujing snack street in downtown Beijing

Chinese food is famous for two reason: its extreme deliciousness and its weirdness. The later characteWángfǔjǐng (simplified Chinese: 王府井; pinyin: Wángfǔjǐng), located in Dongcheng District, Beijing, is one of the Chinese capital's most famous shopping streets.

Much of the road is off-limits to cars and other motor vehicles, and it is not rare to see the entire street full of people. Since the middle of the Ming Dynasty there have been commercial activities in this place. In the Qing Dynasty, ten aristocratic estates and princess residence were built here, soon after when a well full of sweet water was discovered, thereby giving the street its name "Wang Fu" (princely residence), "Jing" (well). In 1903, Dong'an market was formedristic has a perfect example, the Wangfujing snack street in downtown Beijing.

Just google it or YouTube it and you can find a lot of of videos and photos of foreigners amazed by what Chinese people are eating. You can find skin-piled sparrow, cicada, silk worm, inside-out snake, giant grasshopper, penis of various kind of animals and star fish. You name it. Just think of something you don’t dare to eat and they would probably have it on sale on Wangfujing snack street.

Judging from videos of this street’s visitors, they are absolutely enjoying themselves. Maybe not enjoying the food but the weirdly exotic atmosphere where people cook and eat anything.

Some were playing truth or dare there:

Village elder shoos away nude photography model, “don’t make a spectacle of yourself here”

Elegance and vulgarity has always been sworn enemies of each other in popular culture over the years. Guo Degang once said, drinking coffee is elegant and eating garlic is vulgar; nude photography is elegant and couple telling dirty jokes is vulgar… Now, in a scenic spot of Xinmi, Henan Province, elegance and vulgarity crashes again.
Planed to dedicate herself to the art, the nude photography model never thought she was going to get shooed away by tree branches. On June 9, 2010, at the scenic area of Xinmi, a naked female model posing for nude photography was shooed away by the local villagers.



June 9, at 9 am, 10 photography enthusiasts and 3 women came to a scenic spot in Xinmi to shoot human body photography. As the model, a woman took off all her clothes and posed nude on top of a giant rock. The photography enthusiasts started shooting.


This scene was observed by a local villager. He quickly ran down the mountain and briefed all the other villagers what he just saw. Soon, villagers heard the news one by one came to the spot and stood on the nearby hills watching the naked girl. Some even took out their cell phones to get ready to take pictures. The nude model saw these villagers were also taking pictures and stopped the photo shoot. Then the photography enthusiasts had to disperse the villager crowd. But the villagers did not leave, they just stood far away and watching from far away. Soon more and more people gathered. The woman kept changing her poses, some tourists also began crowding and taking pictures.

Once hearing someone is shooting body art, some male villagers followed them “showing their support”. In order to not let the model feel embarrassed, some villagers hid behind the trees and watched from there.

Villager Mr. Gu was one of them, but as he watched, he heard a loud shouting sound from far away “This shameless girl, Mr. Gu! are you still watching? Hurry up and get your ass back over here!”


Mr. Gu said, “I am finished, my wife came!” Then, Ms. Gu grabbed Mr. Gu by the ear and dragged him back home. Seeing this, villager Mr. Zhang said, “She is dedicated to art, not shameless. This is the beauty of body art.”

11:10 am, suddenly a couple of men rushed down the hill led by an elderly person. He held a tree branch, walking and shouting, “No more shooting, go anywhere else but don’t make a fool of yourself here. In order to shoot here you must get all 300 villagers permissions.”

The old man shouted and swung the tree branch at the nude model. Luckily the photographers protected her in time, the model “survived”.


The old man claimed that his name is Shen Guixian, 60 years old and lived in Shen Xiandong village at the Forest Park in Xinmi. He said, “These people coming here to shoot nude photos are too indecent, turning the village into chaos.”

A photography enthusiast from Zhengzhou, Mr. Wang said, after the 90’s of last century, both society tolerance and the diversity of artistic expression are quite different than before. According to Mr. Wang, in January 2001, the first nude photographic art show was held in Guangzhou. Almost at the same time, several nude photography exhibitions were held in the ancient city of Xi’an. During one of the Xi’an exhibition, after viewing the show a husband said “shooting these things are too dirty.” And his wife contested “What do you know, you only look at the photos other people read the photos.”

“For this incident today, I can only say, that the villagers in this small and closed-off village could not accept the concept of nude photography. But the story I told earlier shows that many people actually appreciate it from the art point of view”


Another photography enthusiast Mr. Ma said, “Body art is an elegant art, excluding ethics and feudalism, just from a purely technical point of view, I think human body photography needs to go into nature in order to create high quality work.”

Boys Will Be Boys - Funny Bathroom Graffiti

South China Normal University listed having special relations with a married person (homewrecking)” into the new school rules as punishable behaviors.

The phenomena of university students being mistresses of wealth men has become a growing social issue in China. Chongqing Normal University and Southwest Normal University are the first two Universities which started to include “being an escort (三陪 sex workers), a mistress (二奶 Ernai) and having one-night stands” into the school rules. Student with such bad behaviors are subject to expulsion. And South China Normal University also listed “messing around with opposite sex and having special relations with a married person (homewrecking)” into the new school rules as punishable behaviors.



(QQ) Recently the “Chongqing Normal University Student Disciplinary Process Management Regulations” is to be implemented in the school. One of the rules was “student who is found to be working as an escort; or is a mistress, male mistress, or having ‘one-night stands’ will to be expelled” which caused uproar among the students.


Teacher Zhang of the Chongqing Normal University Students Affairs said that the “Regulations” was revised strictly based on the spirit of the City Board of Education’s “Developing and Modifying Colleges and Universities student Management System” article number forty second: “Damaging the image of the university students, undermining social morality”. On May 22, the “regulations” was formally in trial, and was made into a display panel in mid-June. It was placed in a building where more teachers and students can see, hoping students would express their views. However until yesterday, not one student gave feedbacks to the Students Affairs.

“We did not conduct online surveys because the involvement of the students would be smaller.” Teacher Zhang said, the time period for commenting on the “Regulations” ends on the 28th of this month. If no major changes, it will be formally written into the “Student Handbook”. Zhang also said that this move is to regulate and eliminate students’ bad behaviors.


“No participation does not mean we don’t want to participate” A junior student of the history department said, because we think “there is no use”, so we want to use the power the media to carry out a wide range of discussion and give students a compelling conclusion.

Second year student Cao believes no matter what the students do are their own business, school should follow the rules but there is no need for admissible rules.


A student named Gu thinks school’s approach is very meaningless, because there will be no effect using rules and regulations to restrain moral codes. For example one-night stand is a vague concept, who is going to verify and how to determine such thing?


A graduate student Xie Heping who is just visiting Chongqing said, now university students are allowed to get married, these “regulations” have no practical effect. Expelling students for one-night stand means lack of respect for the students. Ethical issues should not be controlled by administrative rules.


As for the definitions of mistress, male mistress and one-night stand etc. phenomenon, Teacher Zhang said they rely on the public security organs. Once the public security departments clearly determine the situations school will process them accordingly. However, when students are found to have sexual relations, whether it is “one-night stand” or not, Zhang said “is difficult to determine”.


With 30 years experience in Higher Education, Southwest China Normal University Li Dawu thinks there has been decline in moral values of the students due to bad social influences. Schools have every right and are necessary to regulate the behavior of the students.


“This is a moral issue but not in the scope of administration…” lawyer Zheng Jie believes even if putting moral issues into the “Student handbook” will have no good practical use. Moreover, the punishment of expulsion is inappropriate. Depriving the students from leaning is excessively harsh. The Ministry of Education explicitly states the punishment of expulsion is only for someone who committed crimes. He believes that the schools cannot exceed the general rules and regulations of the Ministry of Education.


The views of people who are in favor of the regulation: the purpose of the students is learning, and the “evil trends” should be fought against. The trend of university students becoming mistresses has been more and more serious, if we don’t do anything, it will only harm more students.


The views of the opposed: Expulsion is inappropriate. Depriving the students from leaning is excessively harsh. The Ministry of Education explicitly states the punishment of expulsion is only for someone committed crimes. Plus all of these are students’ personal business, schools will not even be able to properly define them, and also have no right to interfere.


South China Normal University introduced the new school rules. “Messing around with opposite sex and damaging (married) families” etc. are listed as breaking the rules. Illegally cohabit, messing around opposite sex, damaging married families and such behaviors will be subject to be punished by the new sanctions promulgated by South China Normal University.


The school said that the new rules will guide students’ ethics; at the same time it also stated when the students are to be punished with “placing in school under observation”, “expulsion” and so on, they have the right to request a hearing. South China Normal University’s new “Provisional Measures of Student Disciplinary Action” categorized student’s bad behaviors into seven categories, and clearly defined disciplinary actions for each. The school said this reduces subjective judgment when the student is being punished. “Illegally cohabiting with opposite sex, messing around with opposite sex in the name of dating, knowingly keeping a special relationship which is not accepted by the laws or ethics of our country with a married person… students with these serious bad behaviors will be punished with “placing in school under observation”. “Often on the internet, watch DVDs or playing games during late night… which bothers other ‘normal people’ from resting, serious offenders which are also to be given the same punishment”. These are all actions which break the rules and were written into the “Provisional Measures of Student Disciplinary Action”.


South China Normal University Student Affairs Minister, Xi said many regulations may not be possibly to be implemented, because if students really have such behaviors, sanctions would be more difficult for forensic investigation; second, the number of people being punished by disciplinary action is only about twenty to thirty in each year, so these addition to the regulations formulated evidence-based actions, but more importantly is for regulating students’ ethics; using legal education materials in a form of warning to clearly define the danger zone in order to guide the students to restrict their behaviors.


Students of South China Normal University have different views on the new regulations, some agree and some believe that the school is making a mountain out of a molehill. But many students think these regulations will be difficult to enforce.

LIVING ON THE EDGE..whether we watch dare-devils..witness a silly moment or an awkward moment we all enjoy seeing OTHERS having harmless near misses or compromising moments. .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Irate bank Customer and the livid Bank Teller..From China Hush News

 "You don’t mess with me!" Mr. Peng in Changsha City, Hunan Province deliberately withdrew 49,000 yuan out of his bank account and deposited them back 100 yuan at a time, as a way to express his anger towards the bank teller who, with equal unbending personality, handing over depository receipts again and again. The two didn’t stop exhausting each other until half an hour later the bank shifted the teller.


It was 3 o’clock in the afternoon when Mr. Peng stood in line in one Construction Bank. The man at the head of the line failed to input the right combination of his account and went outside to make some calls which lasted assumably long. So Peng suggested the bank teller rendering the next one’s business before the first one comes back, which is rejected. According to Peng, the teller said he should make use of his eyes to see that someone’s in the middle of the procedure.
When it finally came to his turn, Peng decided to pick some bones.
"I want to withdraw 50,000 cash." said Peng to the teller.
"You can’t withdraw above 50,000 without prior appointment." replied the teller.
"Why not? 50,000 isn’t above 50,000. Give me 49,000 then."
The teller then handled the 49,000 yuan withdrawal Peng asked for. Instead of leaving with the money, Peng took out a piece of 100 note and asked the teller to redeposit them into his account. When it was done, another 100 note was handed over the counter to render deposition all over again, 30 times in a row.
Peng would have winded up with more than 30 depositary receipts in hand had not for the intervention by the manager of the bank. The teller wouldn’t let go either at first and insisted that the game continued.
At last the manager had to replace the teller to separate the two. Peng left with his 30 depositary receipts.
"If the teller didn’t apologize to me, I will give every single one of my employees 10,000 yuan to flock up these counters making withdrawals and deposits. Let’s fight on." Peng was still mad when he talked about this the next day.

Rio - Brazil -Bonfire Festival -June

This is a New World twist on an old European tradition. In Mediterranean countries, the Fiesta de San Juan (Saint John) falls on the summer solstice, and is celebrated with bonfires. The party city of Rio extends this June festival to include Saint Anthony and Saint Peter as well. On three separate evenings, in private homes and clubs right across Rio, in the streets, squares and public places, stalls are set out to resemble village market places and are decorated with streamers and lanterns. Against the glow of bonfires there is much dancing, eating and drinking. In mock weddings, couples follow the old tradition of leaping the flames. All this takes place against a fairly continuous crackle and flash of fireworks.

“Festas Juninas” are as popular as Carnival. It should be noted that, like for Carnival, these festivities involve costume-wearing (in this case, peasant costumes), dancing, drinking, and visual spectacles (fireworks display and folk dancing). Like the original European Midsummer celebrations, during the two-week June festivities in Brazil, bonfires are lit. They can be seen everywhere in Brazil.

Bonfire Festival - Rio- June

For years two Northeastern towns in particular have competed with each other for the title of "Biggest São João Festival in the World", namely Caruaru (in the State of Pernambuco) and Campina Grande (in Paraíba State). In fact, Caruaru features in the Guinness Book of World Records for holding the biggest outdoor country festival. However the States of Bahia and Maranhão (as elsewhere in Brazil) have invested in promoting their own way of celebrating the June Bonfire Festivals. Thus, there are enough options to enjoy it!

Rio In June ~ Bonfire Festival

Against the glow of bonfires there is much dancing, eating and drinking. In mock weddings, couples follow the old tradition of leaping the flames. All this takes place against a fairly continuous crackle and flash of fireworks.

Visit Southern Spain - The Andalucians in the Month of May

Andalucia is extremely proud of its rich history of fiestas and festivals.

The "Hora" of Romania ~ Folk Dance

The Hora is a social dance found in many cultures. The Romanian Hora has a special place in its culture as a symbol of unity--unity of a village and unity of the country. The way dancers join arms to dance together represents this, as does the fact that anyone can join the hora: It is simple, and does not require partners or an even number of dancers.

Style:
The hora does not have a particular style in the sense that it represents a particular mood or tone. It is performed at all types of ceremonies, from weddings to funerals to religious occasions, but it is also danced at other, less formal social gatherings, such as parties or festivals. The dance is circular--all dancers form a circle and either join hands or place their hands around one another's shoulders or waists. This is called a closed circle dance. In some parts of regions of Romania, the dance is done as an open circle. This means the dancers are in formation, but their arms are not joined, and a leader may move the circle around or turn it into a spiral.

 At its most basic, the Romanian hora involves just moving your feet in time to the music and knowing which way the circle is moving. In addition to going around in a circle, dancers sometimes move in toward the middle, contracting the circle, or move outward and expand the circle. The direction of the dance may change once or several times. When traveling around the circle, the traditional step is a grapevine step, in which the left foot crosses in front of the right, the right steps out, the left crosses behind the right, and the right steps out again.

Many variations exist on this basic cross-step, some that are choreographed into the dances, and some that are simply invented spontaneously as the dance is going on. In addition to changing directions, steps can be added or altered to add variation to the dance. As well as changing the form of the dance by making it an open circle dance or a spiral, dancers may choose to form two circles, one inside the other. The inner circle can follow the direction of the outer, or it can turn in the opposite direction.

The grapevine movement around the circle can be varied with a skipping motion, and a common addition is one or two hops in place at the end of the musical phrase (usually two or four bars ). Another variation is to add a kick at the end of a step, making the movement left-right-left-kick (with the right foot) or right-left-right-kick (with the left). Kicks can also be done as "scissor" kicks, in which the dancer kicks both feet in an alternating pattern, kicking in the right foot while hopping on the left, and then kicking the right while hopping on the left.

Sara Baras will take a temporary break from the stage with "Esencia" ~

Sara Baras has announced that from May she will take a hiatus from dancing "because I want to be a mother, and, apparently my dancing isn’t compatible with pregnancy". Even so, she hopes that the pause will be brief and that she will return with renewed strength. But before she goes on hiatus she takes a look back over her career with "Esencia".

"Esencia" opened in December 2009 at the theatre of the Champs Elyssees of Paris and is a tribute to the career of Sara Baras. The performer from Cadiz has selected some of the most representative and unforgettable moments of the 9 shows that she has staged in the 11 years of her time in the Dance Company . She has given them a new reading, re-working the choreographies and giving it a new stage design, wardrobe and lighting, with a running theme: the essence of flamenco itself.
Among the numbers recovered by Sara Baras is "Martinete y Rondeña" from "Baras Carreras", "Bulería" from "Mariana
Pineda", the unforgettable "Farruca" from "Sensaciones", her "Alegrías" from "Cai-la isla" and the essence of "Soleá" from "Juana La Loca", along with the beauty of "Tangos" by Paco de Lucía in "Carmen", where she dances as a duet with José Serrano, guest star also present in "Alegrías" from "Sabores".
Coming dates for "Esencia"
16 and 17 March – Granada. Palacio de Congresos
23 March to 11 April – Madrid. Teatro Häagen- Dazs
Calderón.
17 and 18 April – Palma de Mallorca.
Auditorium
21 to 25 April – Cadiz. Gran Teatro Falla

Flamenco Fever

The Hunt

What is this idea of a perfect love?

In what hidden place does he so cleverly reside?

Where is this perfect love that is found within me?

In what corner of my heart does he so cleverly hide?

How does he appear?.. I ask..

Who can describe this tenant that I might require that he show himself ?

Instead he taunts from his reclusive place with fleeting images without a trace.

Yet he shows not his face to me,

nor does his presence nourish me.

I will hunt him down with dogs..if they will hunt!

Still they bark and sniff but he is not dislodged.

I will command to no avail.

And all is silenced beneath the clatter of the hunt;

Torrents washed this fateful trail.

And so I am still here astride my steed.. prepared to hunt..

And yet… there is no track or trace

to lead me to this hiding place.

cbruce

What is your time?

May I take a moment of your Time?

They say to never ask for a moment of a man’s Time; just take it..is that robbery? 

A theft of Time?

Time and Time again you say?

Is it then more Time ?

Going big Time?…

Time piling up… Time after Time?

or repeating itself…. Time and again..

Father Time?

No Mother Time or Sibling Time…Time for me or Time for you..Time for us..?

Don’t waste Time!..

We have all the Time in the world..

Time cut short?..

That was Good Timing or maybe… it was Bad Timing..

Timing is everything they say..

A Time to laugh a Time to cry… A Time to live… 

A Time to die..

A Time for everything under the sun, they say..

Not Enough Time?

Too much Time on your hands?....Both hands?

Short hand or Long hand?

A moment in Time..A moment can cast long memories..In Time ..Over Time …In due Time….

Why does everything take too much Time? Or sooo.. much Time?

Where did the Time go?..

How do we stay In Time or is it On Time?

Can we synchronize Our Time?

Will we have the Same Time?

Is this a Good Time?

Do you have The Time?

Do you have Extra Time?

Thank you for Your Time

We just had..

a Little

Time.

cbruce

The Amazing Liu Bolin

The 35 year old Liu Bolin, from Shandong, China manages to camouflage himself in any surroundings, no matter how difficult they might be. Here he uses a cannon for his subject.

Camouflage Art or body painting has been taken to a somewhat different dimension as of late and is contrasted by the following expression of body painting.