Author Archives: Lyn Jeffery

Ai Weiwei: lessons on dealing with Chinese officials

There is something weirdly compelling about reading the transcripts of calls made to dozens of offices in search of specific numbers and names, part of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei’s attempts to force public clarity on data from the May 12, 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan.  You can read pieces of the list he and his [...]

pure qi: Chinese expressions of self

“Taiji quan” is not that well known aside from those who practice it.  If you’re looking for chop-em kick-em martial arts, that’s not this.  If you’re looking for a palpable expression of qi, or internal energy, do check out a few minutes of this 9 minute video.  From Winser Zhao’s “travel 2.0″ blog, here is his [...]

apples and oranges: we love Chinese handsets

The anthropologist in me DOES love the sheer variety of forms and features and oddities of the Chinese handset market.  The stranger the better, right?  Especially when you live in the US and you have to buy your handset through your carrier.  I love the cigarette pack phones and my Chinese CECT iPhone Q380 which [...]