Eric Demay

This is going to be the last post covering my recent trip to China.

With 50 posts in total, I’m quite glad of how it all turned out. While I was initially minded to stay away from the computer and not update the blog at all, I found the opposite—with a little planning—quite possible and rewarding, efficiency keeping me with my precious china hours where I should be: taking pictures, talking with people, tasting something new, not on the net. I would often takes notes, filter the photos and write the posts laid back in a teahouse or on trains rides, always planing a few stories ahead. Then, back at the hostel, I would quickly upload the selected photographs and rapidly transcribe what I had scribbled down, not having to update it for a few days.

First up: best architectural work? I would nominate I.M. Pei’s Suzhou Museum, an elegant and well balanced contemporary twist on traditional local constructions.

J’prends une chance avec celle là. Froncez vos sourcils.

Drying fish and electric mopeds. A fairly common duo.

Quickly snapped while walking in the hutongs south of Tiananmen square, Beijing. We then encountered two lost frenchmen:

— Putain c’est pas drôle ici. T’es chez l’habitant là, c’est l’bidonville!

And he was right. Only a few hundred meters from the historic architectural icons, oversized government buildings and other symbols of the China’s greatness, lies the slums. Right there, it the middle of it all. It felt like going behind the decor on a movie set.

Last but not least, along with their bright orange hats and vests worn over their blue jumpsuits, these are the bikes and containers the city workers use to collect the trash and sweep the streets clean, a huge straw broom thrown in the box, its twigs brushing against the wind. Tip: parfois le sujet sera mieux photographié si tu te penches à sa hauteur au lieu de simplement ramener la caméra à la tienne. Celle-ci à été prise la caméra bien droite à la hauteur des hanches, sans regarder dans l’objectif. Un cliché, click, merci bonsoir.