Once in a while I head out after dark with my camera. It’s not the best for night shots. Noise, those evil digital Tribbles, worm their way among my beloved pixels. You can minimize noise with post processing software, but images tend to end up “soft.”

The gate of my community, (Da Men as I say to the taxi drivers) is one of the largest residential gates in China. Every location in China has a claim to fame. Example: Each town has a famous foods which is hawked by savvy restaurateurs. The Guangming district in Shenzhen is famous for fried young pigeon. People come from all over to partake of the delicacy. I’ve eaten it: It’s tasty, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to get it. Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, is famous for Chou Doufu – or stinky tofu. I’ve eaten that too. It’s doesn’t taste as bad as it smells. No famous food in my area – just a very big gate.

But I digress. No, my camera isn’t great for low-light shots. The above is a reflection of the Big Gate in the fountain just inside said gate.

Mates for life. We could learn from fowl. Shenzhen, PRC, October 17, 2007.

There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.
Friedrich Nietzsche

Is there running water in the Chinese countryside?

Ya, you run to get it.

For all the progress China has made, many rural homes have no piped water. Consider, above, ye old pump house, from a farming village in Hunan Province, China. Pumping your water is still the norm.

My part-time apartment is not quite as rustic. There’s running water, but no hot water. I’m not complaining: Life, as always, is an adventure.

A good fortune may forbode a bad luck, which may in turn disguise a good fortune.
Chinese Proverb

A village wall in a rural Chinese village in Hunan Province.

You see a lot of overloaded motorcycles and scooters in China (all of Asia for that matter). Each morning fresh vegetables (and pig carcasses) are delivered to local markets. The food in China is fresh – as in watching your fish being filleted before you take it home fresh.

How much stuff can get packed on two wheels? Only The Fates know.  Carrie at My Several Worlds has some photos of in her archive of vehicles of burden in Asia.

Scooters are cheap in China. Not cheap enough that everyone rides one, but cheap enough that the emerging middle class can purchase one to tool around on. I’m not sure why. Most housing estates come complete with a smorgasbord of markets and shops. The public transit system in Shenzhen, China, is one of the best in the nation. Scooter-ownership, and the problems that entails, seem superfluous.

Josh at Far West China recently purchased a motorcycle. I’m occasionally tempted to do the same, but the fact motorcycles are illegal in Shenzhen, China, holds me back. Yes, I could buy one, but only ride it around the estate. Stevo, buy a car, you say.  No, that’s no going to happen, unless there is a car donation in my future.

The older generation practice Tai Chi Chuan as the sun rises in  Shenzhen, China. Groups of older folk practicing the ancient art is not an uncommon sight in Chinese parks during the early morning hours. Watching the exercises, the slow and fluid movements, is visual poetry.

Tai Chi Chuan (太極拳) has a convoluted history. Trying to trace the roots of the martial art are as difficult as finding the proverbial needle in a haystack. The practice can be traced to the breathing exercises of monks in the 2nd century BCE. Many believe Chang San-feng, a 15th century monk, invented the exercises,  then a martial art.

Tai Chi Chuan is said to have physical and mental benefits. People have reported that it boosts their stamina, energy, and agility.  The exercises also give a sense of well-being.  Because the slow, focused movements, Tai Chi Chuan can also help to relieve stress.