Gallery: China 2004-03

Book Fair, Near the City-God Temple, Shanghai

I loved just walking around Shanghai and coming across these courtyards. This entire street was crammed with booksellers. Nothing in English, sorry. A lot seemed to be textbooks for children. And guides to Windows XP and the Internet. I'm assured by the best of sources that most of the books were most probably pirate editions.

Bicycle Repair Man, Shanghai Old Town

Of course, a photo journal of China would not be complete without the compulsory photograph of the ubiquitous bicycles. On practically every corner was a bike repair person. For about ¥1-5 yuan, you could have a flat tire repaired or your chain fixed. This is about 25 cents to 50 cents (USA). A bicycle costs about ¥300 yuan to buy or about ¥100/day to rent from a major hotel. Yes, the locals think foreigners are stupid for paying that much.

The most famous Chinese bicycle maker, Pigeon Bicycles, is apparently in economic trouble. You see a lot less Pigeons these days. Most of the younger kids are zipping around on Giant mountain bikes(the same brand as in the USA). There were also quite a lot of electric bicycles and scooters, much more than in the States or Japan.

Wooden Boat, Huangpu River, Shanghai

Just as ubiquitous as the bicycles on the streets, these wooden boats ply the Huangpu River, which cuts through the center of Shanghai. The boats have large diesel V-12 engines on the back of them, sputtering copious amounts of acrid smoke. You see the boats carrying everything from coal to wheat (hopefully the same boat doesn't carry both). The boats are often family enterprises. You'll see dad captaining the boat, while mom is hanging the laundry, and the kids are playing on the bow. When anchored, the boats often lash themselves to each other, creating large islands. Kids scamper all over them. I'm told that by the time of the Beijing Olympics (2008) that the boats will be converted to something more ecological. We'll see.