Total solar eclipse

So, the temperature didn't drop 15 degrees celsius as predicted (the average drop was 3 degrees in China), but »it really went pitch dark.

Take a moment to admire the China State Council circular below on total eclipse. I would never have imagined the stately State Council issuing a circular on something as mundane as solar eclipse; it has to be said that the Astronomy Association of China was very clever to have extracted maximum effect from the event.

P.S. I love the socialist part which states: "在观看日食过程时，有条件的可使用专用的日食镜片，没有条件者可使用其他方式保护眼睛，比如用墨均匀涂黑的玻璃，均匀曝光的胶片，烧电焊时用的护目镜等。" i.e. When viewing the total eclipse, those who can afford (literally "those who have the conditions") can use dedicated lenses for eclipses, those who can't ("don't have the conditions") can use other methods to protect the eyes, e.g. glass which has been evenly coated with black (Chinese) ink, film which has been evenly exposed, protective glasses for welding etc.

=====================

国 务 院 办 公 厅
关于妥善做好应对日全食工作的通知
国办发明电〔2009〕14号

各省、自治区、直辖市人民政府，国务院有关部门：
据国际天文联合会和紫金山天文台预测，7月22日将发生日全食现象。本次日全食持续时间长、涉及区域广，从日食初亏到复原长达两个小时，其中全食持续时间最长可达6分钟左右，全食带覆盖印度中部、缅甸以及我国长江流域等广大地区，偏食带则覆盖我国全境。这次日全食为科学研究、科学普及和观测观赏带来难得机遇。同时，由于日全食期间能见度下降、气温降低、湿度上升，会对交通运输、生产作业、通信安全、社会治安等带来一定影响，也可能在部分人群中产生迷信猜测和心理恐慌。为妥善做好应对工作，经国务院同意，现就有关事项通知如下：
一、加强科普宣传
各级科技部门和科协组织要充分利用此次日全食为科普宣传提供的良好机会，组织相关专家通过电视、广播、网络、报纸等多种渠道，广泛开展天文知识科普宣传活动，对日全食现象进行科学解释说明，对相关防范知识进行宣传普及。宣传工作要深入农村、山区、林区等偏远地区，消除部分群众的迷信和恐惧心理。同时，要注重对科学观测方式方法的宣传教育，避免造成观测人员视觉损伤。请中央和地方各级宣传部门和媒体给予大力支持。
二、做好相关预案和应对准备
针对日全食发生期间因天空亮度骤暗带来的不利影响和问题，请有关部门按照职责分工，制订完善相关预案，积极做好应对准备工作。交通运输、铁路、民航、通信、电力等部门和单位要及早做好安排部署，确保安全、畅通；市政设施管理部门要做好充分准备，日全食发生时及时开启城市道路照明设备；医疗卫生部门要注意防范光线不足对医疗救治的不利影响；...

»Read more...

国 务 院 办 公 厅
关于妥善做好应对日全食工作的通知
国办发明电〔2009〕14号

各省、自治区、直辖市人民政府，国务院有关部门：
据国际天文联合会和紫金山天文台预测，7月22日将发生日全食现象。本次日全食持续时间长、涉及区域广，从日食初亏到复原长达两个小时，其中全食持续时间最长可达6分钟左右，全食带覆盖印度中部、缅甸以及我国长江流域等广大地区，偏食带则覆盖我国全境。这次日全食为科学研究、科学普及和观测观赏带来难得机遇。同时，由于日全食期间能见度下降、气温降低、湿度上升，会对交通运输、生产作业、通信安全、社会治安等带来一定影响，也可能在部分人群中产生迷信猜测和心理恐慌。为妥善做好应对工作，经国务院同意，现就有关事项通知如下：
一、加强科普宣传
各级科技部门和科协组织要充分利用此次日全食为科普宣传提供的良好机会，组织相关专家通过电视、广播、网络、报纸等多种渠道，广泛开展天文知识科普宣传活动，对日全食现象进行科学解释说明，对相关防范知识进行宣传普及。宣传工作要深入农村、山区、林区等偏远地区，消除部分群众的迷信和恐惧心理。同时，要注重对科学观测方式方法的宣传教育，避免造成观测人员视觉损伤。请中央和地方各级宣传部门和媒体给予大力支持。
二、做好相关预案和应对准备
针对日全食发生期间因天空亮度骤暗带来的不利影响和问题，请有关部门按照职责分工，制订完善相关预案，积极做好应对准备工作。交通运输、铁路、民航、通信、电力等部门和单位要及早做好安排部署，确保安全、畅通；市政设施管理部门要做好充分准备，日全食发生时及时开启城市道路照明设备；医疗卫生部门要注意防范光线不足对医疗救治的不利影响；气象部门要加强天气监测，及时做好可能出现的灾害性天气预警信息发布；城市高空作业、建筑施工等作业单位要提前通知施工人员，并制订严密的安全保障措施，防止发生安全事故；质检、工商部门要对生产、销售假冒伪劣观测器材进行依法查处；公安部门要做好日全食可能引发的社会治安等问题的防范应对工作，加强公路特别是高速公路交通应急管理，防止发生重特大交通事故。
三、加强旅游和观测的组织与管理
一些地方已将这次日全食观测作为旅游活动进行组织，有关地区和旅游部门要针对可能出现的大量观测人员聚集情况，提前做出安排部署，切实做好游客数量、交通住宿和天文观测设施使用等预警信息发布工作，引导游客合理选择观测地点。要加强对观测活动的组织管理，制订合理的人群疏散等应急预案，妥善做好安全保卫工作，严防发生拥堵、踩踏等事件。
四、强化值守应急
各地区、各有关部门要密切关注此次日全食事件，切实加强值守应急，及时掌握有关情况，一旦发生突发事件，要立即启动相关应急预案，迅速组织力量，妥善高效处置，最大程度降低和减轻日全食造成的不利影响。重大情况要按照有关规定及时向国务院报告。

附件：中国天文学会常务理事会《日全食对社会影响的专业论证报告》
　　 国务院办公厅
　　 2009年7月10日

附件：

日全食对社会影响的专业论证报告
中国天文学会常务理事会

2009年7月22日，我国长江流域地区将可观测到百年内最为壮观的日全食天象，包括科学界、教育界以及民间在内的社会各界都在紧锣密鼓地准备对这次日全食进行观测和观赏。本次日全食也将对社会生活产生影响，主要表现在如下几个方面：
一、科学意义
日全食是指当月球运行到太阳和地球之间时，月球挡住全部太阳光球的天象，它是人们研究太阳大气的极佳机会。通常人们肉眼所见的太阳，只是它的光球部分，光球之外的太阳大气-色球层和日冕，都被淹没在光球的明亮光辉之中。日全食时，月亮挡住了太阳光球表面，在暗黑的天空背景上，相继呈现出太阳大气分层中的中红色色球和银白色日冕，天文学家可以在这一特定的时刻对相关天文学、物理学等问题进行观测研究：
（一）日全食期间可以组织对太阳色球和日冕进行比空间望远镜和其他地面望远镜更多波段（包括可见光波段、红外波段、射电微波波段）和更高分辨率的成像和谱连续观测，从而研究有关太阳色球和日冕大气的物理状态和化学组成，甚至其动力学演化，为建立更为精确的日冕大气模型提供准确的观测依据，为恒星物理、日地空间物理、空间天气预报研究提供基础性的第一手数据。
（二）日全食期间可以组织对水星轨道内小行星、近地小天体等的搜索和研究，为太阳系的形成和演化、近地空间安全等提供依据和保障。
（三）日全食期间可以为引力波及其他基本物理问题的探索寻找答案。在历次的日全食观测中，科学家们都一直孜孜不倦地为这些基础的物理问题进行探索研究。
（四）在日全食期间还可以对地球电离层结构和扰动规律进行高时间分辨率的详细观测研究。
因此在每次可观测到日全食的地区，来自中国科学院各天文台站、各高校天文学研究组等都组织了一系列观测，并取得了大量观测结果，极大地推动着相关科学问题的发展。今年的日全食期间，除了中国科学院国家天文台、紫金山天文台、云南天文台、上海天文台、地质与地球物理研究所、空间科学与应用研究中心以及南京大学、中国科技大学、北京师范大学、武汉大学等将组织相应的观测活动外，国际天文学联合会及有关国家的科学家也将到我国杭州及周边地区从事观测研究工作。
二、科普教育意义
在地球上的同一个城市观测到日全食的机会大约每375年只有1次左右，同时还因为天气的影响，实际能观测到日全食的机会就更小。正因为其出现的机会不多，又发生在人类未知的天上，同时还会引起当地气温下降、湿度上升等异常现象，一些人往往对这种天象存在一定的恐惧心理。因此，在日全食现象发生前后，充分利用电视、报纸、互联网以及图书、图片展览等现代媒体技术向社会大众进行及时、准确、生动、形象的科普宣传和教育，是破除迷信思想、激发民众尤其是青少年们的科学热情、提升国民科学素质的一次千载难逢的机会。而且，今年又正好被联合国设立为国际天文年。
自上世纪80年代以来，我国曾经发生过三次有利于观测的日全食，一次是1980年在昆明、贵阳等西南城市；一次是1997年在黑龙江省的漠河地区。这两次日全食的全食带范围都非常小，再加上当时的交通条件并不是非常便利，因而这两次日全食观测活动带来的社会影响不大。第三次日全食发生于2008 年8月1日，中国科学院国家天文台、紫金山天文台、地质与地球物理研究所、空间科学与应用研究中心等科研机构在我国新疆、甘肃等地进行了大规模的科学观测与研究。同时，内蒙古、宁夏、陕西、山西、河南等省（区）部分地区组织了中小学生和民众的观测和观赏，收到了良好的科普效果。
2009年7月22日的这次日全食，从日食初亏到复圆长达两个多小时，全食带宽度可达250公里，日全食的持续时间最长可达6分钟左右，这是 1814－2309年之间中国境内可观测到的持续时间最长的一次日全食活动。同时，这也是世界历史上覆盖人口最多的一次日全食，全食带将覆盖印度中部、缅甸以及我国长江流域等广大人口稠密地区，其中包括经济发达、交通便利的成都、重庆、武汉、合肥、上海、杭州等大城市，而与这次日全食对应的偏食带则覆盖了我国全境，从最南端的曾母暗沙（食分约为20%）到最北端的漠河地区（食分约为30%），即使是远离日全食中心的北京，食分也将达73%。因此，这是一次影响我国全境的天象活动，通过科学部门、教育部门和各级政府的通力合作、协调部署、合理组织，可以在全国掀起一次规模宏大的爱科学、学科学、讲科学、用科学的风气。
三、社会影响
本次日全食对社会层面上的影响主要表现在：
（一）积极影响。通过科普宣传教育，破除封建迷信思想，激发民众热爱科学的热情和兴趣，对提升我国国民科学素养具有极大的现实意义。日全食期间，中国科学院天文学有关研究机构将联合当地政府，举办多点互动的科普活动，藉此大力普及科学知识，推动全民科学素质的提高。2009年5月19日，由中国科学院、科技部、国家自然科学基金委员会、中国科学技术协会联合主办的“2009年国际天文年日全食观测和科学普及活动周”新闻发布会上，中国天文学会会同中国科学院国家天文台向铜陵、桐城、黟县、嘉兴、苏州、高淳、常州、无锡等八个观测条件较好的城市颁发了“2009年日全食指定观测点”的牌匾和证书。这些处于全食带中心线的城市已经结合当地文化特点，策划和组织了一系列日全食观测和科普活动。届时，中央电视台也将在多个频道组织实况转播。
（二）不利影响。全食带区域从食既（太阳亮光突然消失）到生光（太阳亮光突然出现），时长短至1分钟、长至6分多钟。期间大地由突然变黑暗转向突然变明亮，很可能带来以下问题：
1．公众视力安全问题。日全食过程中，很多人会进行观测。在食既之前，太阳依然很明亮。不正当地使用观测眼镜或直接目视太阳都会造成失明等视觉损伤。尤其是生光瞬间，太阳突然增亮。有组织的观测者可能还沉浸在肉眼能看见日冕的兴奋之中，因此会被强烈的阳光灼伤眼睛（甚至失明）；尤其在偏远地区，人们可能因太阳的短暂消失而好奇地观望。这时，太阳的再次突然显露很可能会灼伤眼睛。因此，在观看日食过程时，有条件的可使用专用的日食镜片，没有条件者可使用其他方式保护眼睛，比如用墨均匀涂黑的玻璃，均匀曝光的胶片，烧电焊时用的护目镜等。
2．交通安全问题。日全食发生时在机场、高速公路等交通枢纽附近有可能引起交通拥堵乃至撞车等意外事故，驾驶员亦可能会因分散注意力而引发交通事故。
3．生产作业问题。日全食发生时大地突然变黑、气温下降15－20度、湿度明显上升，在热岛效应严重的大城市可能导致降水、风力、风速的变化，从而引发诸如高空作业、建筑施工等的安全问题。
4．通讯安全问题。在日全食期间电离层会出现扰动，从而可能导致通信中断或受干扰，而且大量游客通过互联网发送有关日食的信息等，可能导致网络通信受阻等。
5．社会治安问题。日食引起人群注意力分散、日全食短暂黑夜现象可能被不法分子利用。
6．医疗业安全。医院的供电、照明等如应对不及时，有可能发生病人慌乱、医疗过程差错等问题。
上述不利影响可以通过科学部门与生产管理部门的沟通，并通过合理安排进行规避。为此，我们建议政府动员各部门积极准备宣传、科学引导观赏、谨慎防范和应对突发公共事件，使得我们能够充分发挥这数百年难遇的科普良机来提高全民族科学素养、增加民众对科学的兴趣。

The hukou system in China

China tends to polarize sentiments. First, you have the gushers - those who are misty-eyed by her economic growth, her Olympics opening and and for whom she can do no wrong. Then, you have the bashers - those who can only see the spitting, the cheating and in turn cocoon themselves in a lifestyle of chauffeurs and champagne brunches.

Occasionally, there comes along someone who tries to bring an educated, considered view into this picture through an individual effort. (As opposed to self-professed China experts who make empty proclamations of how "China is really complex" without saying what the complexity is.)

I have been reading »Wangjianshuo's blog for a few years now and have just cleared his recent posts from my Google Reader. I highly recommend his two posts on the Chinese hukou system - »this and »this. For the profound impact it has on the day-to-day lives of Chinese, the hukou system seems to be relatively unknown to outsiders. I still recall my surprise when a Shanghai colleague had to miss a Hong Kong conference because his transit permit didn't reach him in time from his hukou in Shijiazhuang. Another told me matter-of-factly that her application to move her hukou to Shanghai took all of four years.

Chi Na Post

In a taxi, on the familiar road out of the Pudong airport.

The truck is from Henan by the way. You can tell from the 豫 that precedes the plate number at the back. Every province or autonomous area in China has a »single-word abbreviation, and they are often literary characters. This is the »etymology of 豫 and how it is not about Henan being where elephants were found.

Camera-phone series #14.

Altitude sickness

Above 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) most people experience a periodic breathing during sleep known as Cheyne-Stokes Respirations. The pattern begins with a few shallow breaths and increases to deep sighing respirations then falls off rapidly. Respirations may cease entirely for a few seconds and then the shallow breaths begin again. During the period when breathing stops the person often becomes restless and may wake with a sudden feeling of suffocation. This can disturb sleeping patterns, exhausting the climber. Acetazolamide is helpful in relieving the periodic breathing. This type of breathing is not considered abnormal at high altitudes. However, if it occurs first during an illness (other than altitude illnesses) or after an injury (particularly a head injury) it may be a sign of a serious disorder.

»OA Guide to High Altitude via »Wangjianshuo's blog

That was me when we stayed overnight in Zhongdian (3,200m) - I woke up in the middle of the night with a start because I couldn't breathe. A bit scary. It probably didn't help that I was already having a flu and the temperature was down in the single digits at night.

The Wangjianshuo blog article above makes a nice linkage between high altitude and religion. The very unfortunate incident that happened on his trip also makes me think that travelling with a large party to high altitude may not be the best idea. The »OA Guide advises:

Keep in mind that different people will acclimatize at different rates. Make sure all of your party is properly acclimatized before going higher.

Unfortunately in reality, most trip itineraries are pretty tight and people tend to say "I'm ok" so as not to be the one who slows the the party down. On the trip to Zhongdian, I was the only one (of ten) who was having altitude sickness when we started ascending the Blue Moon Valley. I had the luxury of a halfway station at 3,500m where I could say, 'You guys go ahead. I'll stay here.' Had I no such option and the party had to turn back for me, I think I'd have pushed ahead, to the detriment of myself.

Meanwhile, here is the walking trail and view of the Blue Moon Valley I missed:

{Awaiting photos from cousin J}

印象云南

2008年5月2日 ｜ 早晨6点15分 ｜ 昆明至大理途中

天微微亮了，音响播着老歌，外边是云南的山峦。第一次体验了国内的夜班车。这硬卧的条件比我想像中的好，还是相当可以接受的。

尽管这班列车晚上很吵（火车与轨道的摩擦声），我还很喜欢坐火车的感觉 —— 那清晨摇摇晃晃、渐渐被晃醒的感觉...


2008年5月5日 ｜ 早晨11点30分 ｜ 宝山石头城

我们期待追溯忽必烈的脚步走到太子关，却被烈日打败了，只走到对面山的小村。古人的力量实在是不可低估的。

One giant spider, two dancing worms, mountains after mountains, we are in Yunnan through and through.


2008年5月10日 ｜ Banyan Tree Lijiang

A glass of wine, some chirping birds. No more clanging of metal and walkie-talkie.

What a queenly enjoyment to 发呆。

春雨后

流水无情

去年的»落花有意。

梅花二弄

满乡的油菜花

婺源三重唱

Wounds of the Revolution

Wounds of the Revolution - New York Times

The Cultural Revolution swept away much of the old Chinese culture. Dignity is now defined by money and French and Italian luxury goods.

Well-put. I alluded to this phenomenon previously in »this post.

A gorgeous long weekend in Guilin

A gorgeous long weekend in the Hotel of Modern Art in Guilin, courtesy of Ms P's and her family's incredible generosity. Most unforgettable was The Dinner - just our private table of five in an open field of 900 acres, with hills surrounding us in the horizon.

A 900-acre private dining room... C'est magnifique!

Hurtling towards cruelty

Office. I settled into my inbox and saw the nauseating headline on the CNN news: Executed man's head "just snapped off".

I hated the sensationalism of that headline. But yet I clicked to read the article, breakfast threatening to back up on the oesophagus as I read it. (I did stop short of clicking on the video.)

φ

Bar Rouge. I saw midgets dressed in red John Travolta costumes, hired to dance on bar tops. I hated the gaudy objectification of a minority. But I couldn't help but steal furtive glances at their small bodies.

φ

Shanghai Circus. The finale was »the amazing feat of 8 motorcyclists racing in a cage. As I watched them a second time, my heart thumped and prayed for them. Then, in appreciation of their boldness, I clapped as loudly as I can, even though I know I was abetting the race towards the bigger, the louder, the scarier, the more absurd, the more dangerous, the more grotesque.

φ

Magazine. I read this artist's comment in an »exhibition write-up:

I am interested not in the violence itself but in the spectators who watch from a distance. In traditional China it was common to watch public executions, which were lively events.* This tradition has been passed down and assumed modern forms, whether watching a brouhaha in the street or enjoying cop dramas such as Oriental 110 (东方110) and Court Record (庭审纪实). I feel a lot of people watch others suffering. It has become something of a hobby.
- Shi Qing

φ

All around, it is easy to find the Bataillian instinct of wanting to stare at the sun (even though you know you shouldn't). Chinese parents who contort their children on the streets, Thai shows where women stick all sorts of things into themselves, and perhaps, even artists that purport to explore the theme of violence without falling prey to it.

Nothing is enough for us anymore. We are all hurtling towards cruelty.


* But it is not just the Chinese. The French postcard set, Les Supplices Chinois (circa 1912), apparently contains a series of images of the lingchi (凌迟) which were widely circulated among westerners. Lingchi is death by slicing. Some say that the victim should not die before he suffered more than a thousand slices, or else the executioner himself would be put to death.

This is a country without religion for 40 years

A few days ago, I read a NYT article about the adoption system in Guatemala being abused. I emailed the article to Y and asked aloud:

What does one do in a world where trust, charity and goodwill are abused? This is a very prevalent problem in China - you never know what is real and who is honest here - and I am trying very hard to find a robust rule of thumb to live by.

I had an oxymoronic thought the other day: communist China is probably the most capitalist country of all. Living here, you get the tingling vibes that as a people, as a culture, people are driven by only profit and self-interest. My cousin who has been doing business in China for the past 15 years, put it very pithily to me when he first visited me in Shanghai: "You must remember, this is a country without religion for 40 years. They do not believe in retribution."

That was the first time I have heard it being said that way. It is a simple, but a surprisingly powerful way to explain the phenomena. A more sophisticated, and possibly less controversial manner of saying it might be to put it in the context of game theory: they do not believe in repeated games. The sub-optimal equilibrium of the prisoner's dilemma has reared its ugly head: it is every man to his own.

In the world of no tomorrow, civic-mindedness, ethics and honour do not matter. Who cares if I cut someone's queue or swerves into someone's lane? Self-interest rules. Who cares if I am selling fake DVDs, fake teapots, fake eggs, fake milk powder... I have made all the money and I have no music to face. Who cares if I continuously prey on others' charity by begging on the roads with my baby? Sorry, you said honour meant what again?

The first case needs no rule of thumb; it just requires accustomization, maybe a dash of oblivion for company.

For the second, I have decided that outside of groceries, it is a matter of "pay what you would pay for, never mind real or fake". (For groceries, you just try to shop at the nicer Japanese* supermarkets, and keep your fingers crossed that the Japanese have not lost their native obsession with quality.) It is no use paying too high a price for things in China, unless you are really a conoisseur on "quality". They are so glib, so convincing, that PVC turns into leather and horse hair into cashmere. It is a depressing way to lead life, and a downward spiral - but there is no tomorrow right?

The last case is the one that gets me. I have consistently failed to find a robust response with respect to the phenomenon of begging. For now, I have decided that I will give to whoever I come across.** Partly because begging is not that prevalent in Shanghai (so I'm not innundated), partly because it is just 1 RMB (so my wallet is not dented). I figured that even if I am fleeced half the time, at least the other half of the time, I would have contributed to a warm bun for some hungry soul.

Yes, I know. I can hear the economists whispering in the background now: "But you forget that the world is a dynamic system and iterations come into play; You are feeding the begging phenomenon with your multiple 1 RMBs."

I know. I did not forget. I know my rule of thumb assumes a static system, but I can find no other conscionable way to live in as bipolar a place as Shanghai.

There, my first sobering entry on China. Life is not all glittering, not even in Shanghai.

--------------------------------
* I really love the French, but sorry, Carrefour is a mess here in my experience. Even Parkson from Malaysia is a much more pleasant shopping experience.
** Unless they are (a) outrightly healthy and really should not be begging, or (b) plying cars in the middle of the road (this is too much of an emotional blackmail - Shanghai roads are so merciless - and somehow I feel I cannot condone it).

Tongli

Day trip out to Tongli, a charming little water town 1.5 hours outside of Shanghai. Gorgeous weather, great company, plenty of laughter... It was worth waking at 8.30 am on a Sunday for.

Am now having only random access to Blogger thanks to what looks like another clamp-down on blogs... Will try to post more pictures once I figure out how to get around it.

Coming a complete circle

每个人都会经过这个阶段，见到一座山，就想知道山后面是什么。我很想告诉他，可能翻过山后面，你会发现没什么特别。——《东邪西毒》

BUERJIN – 2 Oct 2006 - 7.20 pm. As our van traversed the unfolding miles of desert, it occurred to me just how similar the colour of two deserts during sunset can be. The shy pink that bleeds into the blue of the twilight sky, the terrain that so resembles the surface of the moon… Give me a photo of »Atacama and another of Xinjiang: I will be unable to differentiate.

KANAS LAKE – 4 Oct 2006 - 2.30 pm. I love the turquoise of Kanas Lake. I had exclaimed in delight when I first saw it. But the resemblance that Kanas bears to Yosemite and Switzerland made me harbour a thought, a fleeting thought as to whether I should have traveled for almost three days to see something resembling what I have already seen…

But such is man. Why do we trek long and far, to seek the known but unexperienced?

I decided that it is because it is there. And man must know*.

So no, certainly no regrets about the journey. Because without having made it, I would never have had the hindsight to think about regretting it.

But I cannot escape the thought that has been lurking in my mind– is this a sign that I have now come one big circle in my pursuits of the world? When the sights of a new place starts reminding you of another, is that a nostalgia for the past, or a foretelling of the future that you will feel more and more places alike and there is no need to clock more miles any longer?



* Where know = experience.

树命诚可贵，爱情价更高

Ms W 很爱老公，老公也很爱她。
在迷人的喀纳斯湖边，Ms W 请老公给她营造几许落叶的浪漫：



树命诚可贵，爱情价更高哩! :D

Xinjiang

2009年新疆暴乱后记：原来，和平友好是很脆弱的。

The blue of Kanas

Greetings to all after a long while :)
This is the most beautiful of Xinjiang for me - the blue of the Kanas Lake.

This has been a great trip - with great folks - 七剑!


Will be back with more posts of Xinjiang...

建筑在别人落后环境上的香格里拉

北京 － 卫塞节，我和父母到了雍和宫。是初十五的关系吧，雍和宫很拥挤。但来到佛寺，总有几分安定感。雍和宫殿内有殿，宫内有宫，像是一层层的洋葱似的。

走到最后一层宫殿，我们看到了一个藏传佛教的展览，便进去兜了一圈。来到 Panchan lama 的时候，我便不太看得下去了。宗教与政治对我来说是分隔的，实在不应混杂在一起。所以我对任何的政治干预都不赞成。所以我对政府想把西藏人现代化有抗拒。我心目中的宗教乌托邦、香格里拉，就寄托在西藏上... 对于西藏，我有种潜意识的保护感。

但我也意识到这种保护感的起点也并非无私的。就像 »在 Yogyakarta 的时候所感受的，我大概只想为自己保留一个乌托邦、一个香格里拉。但香格里拉仍住着贫困的人民。我很想相信这些人民物质贫穷心灵不穷。但这到底是我个人的假设。我深切怀疑，内疚地怀疑，我的精神寄托是不公平地建筑在别人落后的环境上的。

说穿了，是我自己没有信念、没有诚心三步一拜蒂从西北跪到拉萨，所以想借藏人的诚心来 live vicariously... 所以我害怕政府把藏族同化、害怕政府大量鼓励媒体与旅游业进军西藏。

所以我感到一阵急迫 -- 我得到西藏去。