Category — China

I hope this young female chef’s cooking is as good as her knife twirling. You seriously don’t wanna mess with her down a dark alley. Watch the video below to see her quick-fingered twirling action…

Via CNN

Technorati Tags: China, cuisine, knife twirling

The NY Public Library has scans of an 1804 book from China that shows 22 engravings depicting punishment methods. The vintage illustration is lovely even though the subject matter isn’t.

You get the gruesome methods such as lime being used to burn eyes and fingers being tortured as well as the hamstringing above.

There’s also the close confinement punishment, which might drive the prisoner mad, but at least they keep their bits intact.

Then there’s the slightly comical ear-twisting, though sure, the person being inflicted probably wouldn’t find it so funny.

See all 22 on the NYPL Digital Gallery

Via BoingBoing

Technorati Tags: China, China torture, culture, NY Public Library, punishment methods

Viewing photos of pollution won’t be everyone’s idea of a good time, but Lu Guang from the People’s Republic of China, who was a factory worker, won a $30,000 prize for his documentary project, “Pollution in China“.

He won the prize on the 14th October at the 30th annual awards ceremony of the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund which took place at the Asia Society in New York City.

His gritty images of the grimy reality that people face in China are sobering, thought provoking and heart rending. They’re accompanied by captions that add further understanding to what viewers see.

Click on the link below to find out Lu Guang’s story and to read and see more of his photos on ChinaHush. Be warned that some images and text may be distressing.

Amazing Pictures, Pollution in China

Via 1rick on Twitter

Technorati Tags: China, Lu Guang, photography, Pollution in China

Zhu Li from China has some amazing, conceptual fantasy artwork. His pieces explore standard fantasy character fare such as warriors, sorcerors and others, though its not surprising to find an eastern touch to his work.

The Design Inspiration feature more of his work together with a short interview with Zhu Li.

Read more

Technorati Tags: arts, China, concept art, fantasy art

The website Beijing Made Easy gives a brief though definitive-sounding guide to toilets in China. Though not the most riveting of texts, the guide is surely a must in your preparations if visiting the country for the first time.

Though we’re not strangers to squat toilets in the far east, the mention of pigs for “recycle” in countryside toilets put us off pork.

Read more in the guide to Chinese toilets

Technorati Tags: China, Chinese toilets, toilet guide, toilets

Associated Press photographer Elizabeth Dalziel, who is based in Beijing, has been documenting the people, places and events in China for the past several years. The Big Picture showcases a series of her photos.

China, as seen by Elizabeth Dalziel on The Big Picture

Technorati Tags: Beijing, China, photography, Elizabeth Dalziel

Chinese illustrator and comic artist Xiao Bai has a superb portrait illustration style as shown in the following samples.

She has studied traditional Chinese painting since a young age and also works as a tattoo artist – with many of her female portraits brandishing tattoos.

Via LostAtEMinor

Technorati Tags: China, comic artist, comics, illustration, Xiao Bai

This is going back a bit, back to the 2008 Olympics in China when all sorts of patriotism was happening amongst the Chinese population. This guy decided that he should try and break his previous Guinness World Record of sticking 1790 needles into himself, by sticking 2008 of them – for the Olympics.

Was it “pointless“? Obviously not! He set a new world record and probably spread the word about acupuncture successfully.

Via WeirdAsiaNews

Technorati Tags: China, Olympics, Guinness World Record

Pakistan and China have a close friendship that’s demonstrated by this girl who sings the Pakistan National Anthem to wish the country a Happy Independence Day!

Since its release on the 14th, the video has received over 9000 unique hits!

Via Pro-Pakistan

Technorati Tags: China, Pakistan National Anthem, Pakistan, video

Chinese ingenuity shows its head again in 20 year old Chinese farmer Wu Zhongyuan, who has built a home-made helicopter using wood and a motorcycle engine..

Wu built himself the contraption using what he remembers of middle school physics lessons and “relevant knowledge [found while] surfing the Internet via my mobile phone.”

His single-seater conveyance has blades made from the wood of an Elm tree, a frame reinforced with steel pipes and uses an engine from a motorcycle — all for around $1,600. Wu claims the ‘copter can get him as high as 2,600 feet, though it seems he’s grounded for the time being as the Chinese government has forbid him to fly because of safety reasons.

Via Neatorama

Technorati Tags: China, ideas, home-made helicopter