Dartmouth Does the Great Wall: Simatai to Jinshanling

September 18, 2007

If you want to do a day-hike on the Great Wall, the best place in my reckoning is Simatai to Jinshanling (or vice versa). This is the trip I chose for our Dartmouth in Beijing program, which I am now running.

Hang the Police, We're Here to Rock! The Beijing Pop Festival, Sept 10 and 11 2007

September 11, 2007

When the capital city of the world’s largest authoritarian police state hosts a rock concert with headliners Public Enemy and Nine Inch Nails, how does it prevent mayhem from breaking out? Answer: police. Lots of em. The Beijing Pop Festival was an impressive contradiction of rock-fueled mayhem that brought performers and audience together, and rigid military discipline that kept them apart.

An Interview with Greg Girard, Shanghai-based Photographer and Author of Phantom Shanghai

August 15, 2007

Greg Girard is a professional photographer who has made Shanghai his home for the past nine years. I first met Greg in 1999. In 2000, Greg and I were both photographing the city in flux, documenting the rapid changes as the old city built during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century was being bulldozed to make way for the new city of the 21st century.

Nightlife in Beijing vs. Shanghai: A Student's Perspective

August 14, 2007

This entry was written by my student Nate Pattee for the course I'm now teaching on the comparative history of Beijing and Shanghai.

Another Rockin’ Week in Beijing

August 13, 2007

More bands, concerts, and clubs in Beijing...

Water Ripple: A Bluesy Chinese Rock Band

August 8, 2007

Having seen too much in the way of punk and metal rock these past few weeks, I was glad to take a break and head to Mao Livehouse Tuesday night for a concert featuring more classic rock-oriented bands. The first band was Water Ripple 水纹.

PUNK VS METAL: A Showdown @ D22 and 13 Club

August 6, 2007

A night at D22 and 13 Club, featuring the bands Guai Li, Hedgehog, Carsick Cars, and Evil Thorn

Chinese Punks and The Ramones Tribute Concert @ Mao Livehouse in Beijing

August 4, 2007

Are the Ramones really a “punk” band? Personally I don’t associate them with the punk movement of the 1970s [I do now--AF, 2017] but people here in Beijing seem to think they are the quintessential punks. At least judging from the tribute concert held last night at Mao Livehouse near the drum tower.

A Chinese Rock Odyssey: On tour in Hunan and Wuhan with Beijing punk band SUBS and Veteran Rocker Cui Jian

July 31, 2007

A rundown of a three-day trip to Changsha in Hunan Province and Wuhan in Hubei, following the SUBS and Cui Jian on the road, and climaxing with the Cui Jian Concert on the Sands

Courtesans, Hostesses, and Dancers in Old and New Shanghai

July 24, 2007

One of my current students, Amber Cussen, wrote this blog in reaction to our fieldtrip to Shanghai.

Republican Beijing: The City and Its Histories

July 24, 2007

This review was just published on MCLC. I am using Dong Yue's book for my course. It is the best single publication on Republican era Beijing, which compared with Shanghai has received precious little attention.

Project Dementia Goes to Shanghai: An Interview with Wu Jun and a Night @ 4Live

July 23, 2007

While in Shanghai I was able to kill two birds with one stone, or as they say in Chinese, 一举两得 . Three birds really, since I also reuned with my family, but that’s another matter. While Sat and Sun were reserved for the CET fieldtrip (see my previous blog), Friday July 20 was a chance to reengage with Shanghai’s live music scene.