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The rise of hip hop in Shenzhen
Feature / Features
Written by : Text and photos by Jesse Warren
Jul 13, 2008
Tags :
hip hop;rise of hip hop
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"There was nothing, absolutely nothing," recounts Jesse Muoio, referring to Shenzhen's hip hop scene when he first arrived in 1994. Better known as DJ TKO, Muoio has watched hip hop blossom in the past 14 years following his lead. From break dancing to djing, graffiti and rapping, the city now has it all.
Spotting an ad in the newspaper for a three-month hip hop tour of China, the 19 year old American auditioned and made the cut. Recalling the music in the clubs upon arriving, "there was nothing but crazy loud banging ridiculous techno," says Muoio. Those early years were marked by a cautious, gradual introduction of hip hop into house music sets. The crowd wasn't ready yet.
Only in 2000 did things start to change. With the help of his DJ partner Eric Tech and his dancers from Hong Kong, Muoio held the city's first big hip hop party – and packed the house. Riding on the heels of this success, he landed a residency at True Colors spinning hip hop ev ... ... |
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Who's up for some wet and wild?
Feature / Features
Written by : Lena Gidwani
Jul 13, 2008
Tags :
wild
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While most people don't associate water sports with Guangdong, there are a surprising number of places up north that provide decent aquatic thrills and chills.
A mere 90-minute drive north of Guangzhou (about 70kms) will bring you to the scenic town of Qingyuan, strategically positioned on the Beijiang River at the North tip of the PRD. A very popular tourist area (and commonly referred to as the "green backyard" of the province), Qingyuan boasts a breathtaking combination of mountains and water, reminiscent of the scenery in Guilin. Trek further north towards the clear rivers nestled among the lush peaks and you'll find an action-packed whitewater rafting escapade. Coool.
Ok, so The Colorado River it ain't, and the true adventurer at heart might be a tad disappointed at the 'trickling' speed of the rapids, but it's certainly an activity to get your hear-rate pumping. Expect never-ending torrents of swirling downstream eddies towards ... ... |
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One Stop Shopping
Feature / Features
Written by : Kristina Pérez
Jul 7, 2008
Tags :
Shopping
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| The Landmark – 15 Queen's Road, Central ( Central MTR )
As its name implies The Landmark is an essential part of Central and houses the Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hotel as well as British department store Harvey Nichols. Although smaller than its counterparts in the UK , this Harvey Nicks still delivers with British designers such as Matthew Williamson and Anya Hindmarch. Just next door there's not one but two Paul Smith shops – one devoted entirely to his cheeky, stripy accessories and the other to his full line of men's and women's apparel including a good selection of shoes and luggage. Zany French designer Sonia Rykiel enamored with oversized rhinestone studded cherries, lips and knitwear also has an outpost here. The fountain in the Landmark Atrium is a standard meeting place in Hong Kong and who can window shop at Fendi, Dior, Celine and Bottega Veneta while you wait. The Landmark Café which is currently under refurbishment is a great plac ... ... |
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In the Know
Feature / Features
Written by : Kristina Pérez
Jul 7, 2008
Tags :
Shopping
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Star Street
At the end of the nineteenth century Hong Kong 's first power station started operation in Wanchai on Electric Street and its surrounding streets were named after the classic Chinese verse of the three luminaries: sun, moon, and stars. Known for the iconic Hong Kong low-rise tenement blocks, Wanchai has started a swift march towards gentrification and the Star Street neighborhood has become a bohemian blend of galleries, cafés, studios and street markets. There is the only Agnès b. Librairie Galerie outside of Paris which offers local artists the opportunity to showcase their work as well as exhibiting international photography, installation, painting etc. At the bottom of the street on Queen's Road East is a spectacular showroom of simple yet sophisticated furniture and home accessories from local design firm OVO home. At the top of the street is MingCha, a modern teahouse whose concept is & ... ... |
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How to... survive a Chinese relationship
Feature / Features
Written by : Lena Gidwani
Jun 5, 2008
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| Foreigners! Expats! Gwailos! Lend me your ears! There is a
certain full-blown ritual sweeping the nation and you happen
to be right in the middle of it. It's called "Foreigners Undergoing
Cultural Crisis" or FUCC for short. Just take a good look around
and you'll find more and more of your beer-guzzling, pub-crawling
brothers-from-other-mothers and sisters-from-other-misters joined at
the hip with their Chinese significant others.
Granted, this may be only a casual observation, but one cannot
deny the ever-growing explosion of East-meets-West lovers. However,
putting love, TLC, and dim sum aside, what happens when you're
faced with an unexpected cultural conflict?
Being in a cross-cultural relationship inevitably adds facets of
mysterious complexity which can be thrilling, but often frustrating
and confusing. You can piss and moan until the cows come home
about not being able to "cope with one another's nuances", but
rather than whini ... ... |
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Beating down the dragon
Feature / Features
Written by : Shane Qin
Jun 5, 2008
Tags :
dragon boat festival
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| Widely considered a centuries-old folk custom in memory of China's great poet and patriot Qu Yuan (屈原, 340- 221BC), the dragon boat race (赛龙舟) today is widely loved across the nation, and on the Pearl River especially.
The increasing participation of foreign athletes has also taken this ancient Chinese sport to a new and international level. More excitingly, the race will be a performance event at the upcoming 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and officially a competition event of the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou. Awesome stuff!
Luckily, we don't have to wait long for action, since this year's Guangzhou International Dragon Boat Race takes place this month after the Duanwu Festival.
We took the opportunity to join a dragon boat race team during practice training. Yet the team we joined is not just any "regular" outfit. Propped up by some 32 MBA students and exchange students from the prestigious Sun Yat-sen University Lingnan College, it includes locals and f ... ... |
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Paradise on the Beach
Feature / Cover Story
Written by :
Jun 5, 2008
Tags :
beach
holiday
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| Macau
by Jia Wei Tan
Best beach for black sand
Hác-Sá Beach
Just beyond Cheoc Van Beach is Hác-Sá Beach, where your eyes will be deceived by a long curving stretch of unique black-tinged sand. Hác-Sá means 'black sand', and it is indeed an intriguing colour of deep silvery grey. Longer than Cheoc Van, this beach is also Macau's most popular beach with swimmers and sunbathers.
Not only is Hác-Sá pretty long (around 1,300m), it also boasts some incredibly smooth sand, which has been well known as one of the "Eight Scenes in Macau". It's also the perfect place for stargazing at night, by the way...
Hác-Sá used to be the best natural beach in Macau, yet it has been beaten by erosion somewhat over the years. However, due to the lovely texture of the sand, you'll feel comfortable sunbathing (warning: the color of the sand means it gets extremely hot during these long hot summer day ... ... |
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Why the Delta is crazy for diamonds
Feature / Features
Written by : Lena Gidwani
Jun 5, 2008
Tags :
diamond
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| All around the world, the diamond has traditionally
enjoyed sensational fame. Its unique properties,
conspicuous even in a barely worked stone, have
shrouded it in a veil of symbolism, mysticism and exotic mystery.
Although gold is traditionally favored in China, this much-loved
stone is now making its way into the hearts (and pockets) of many
citizens. And, as James Bond is apt to say, diamonds are forever.
Much of this rising popularity can be attributed to a recent law,
passed in July 1, 2006. The law scrapped the value added tax on
imported rough diamonds, lowered the tax rate on imported refined
diamonds from 17 percent to 4 percent, and gave tax-free concessions
for the re-export of polished diamonds, creating a significant
increase in the imports and exports of diamonds. If you think this
was an effort to increase local trading, then you'd be spot on.
Fifteen years ago, the main axis of the jewelry-world business
was New York, Paris and Rome. Howe ... ... |
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30 feats for 30 RMB (or less)-Guangzhou
Feature / Cover Story
Written by : Kelly Wang
May 9, 2008
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Lin Hua Niu Yang She Za Wu
178, Qi Yi Lu, Yuexiu District ( 8332 3539)
林华牛羊蛇杂屋，越秀区起义路 178 号
Favored by many locals, Lin Hua takes pride in its soup, especially soup made of beef, lamb or snake innards. In truth, the Beef & Lamb Innards Soup is a milk-like broth that tastes delectable (fear not, dear readers, the different textures of innards give the soup a rather lovely distinctive character.) But if that's not your bag, then many more steamed soups can be chosen from their varied menu (it's best to get advice from local friends). Together with a plate of rice with Braised Lamb, it's a scrumptious meal without the inflated prices.
Recommendations:
Rice with Braised Duck & Dried Tofu 9RMB
Rice with Braised Lamb 15RMB
Beef & Lamb Innards Soup 7RMB
Vege Zen 8, Qiao Yi Yi Jie, Lin He Jie, Tian He Bei Lu, Tianhe District (3880 3063)
水云天，天河区天河北路林和街侨怡一街 8 号
With qua ... ... |
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