From mid 2008 to the end of 2010 I lived in Shenzhen before moving to Hong Kong at the beginning of 2011. Now that I’ve spent almost two years in both places respectively I thought it was about time to reflect on the differences in lifestyle between these two mega cities in the hope that it might be useful for anyone considering a similar move (in either direction). Read more
At the beginning of 2012 there were very few examples of large websites which had adopted responsive layouts, an approach to web design whereby the page is able to automatically scale to provide an optimal view experience for whatever device is being used (desktop, tablet or smartphone). Now as we approach the end of the year its been exciting to see an explosion in the number of big sites employing this technique to great effect. Read more
Living inside one of China’s behemoth cities is a humbling experience, such is the enormity of their size and the human endeavours taking place there. The timelapse video above by zweizwei brings back fond memories of my time spent in mainland China and captures everyday life in Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Shanghai extremely well – sunshine and smog included. Despite the endless sea of people streaming in from all over the country for the opportunities they provide, these cities can be strangely impersonal and isolating…
If you’ve not already seem it, 007’s latest outing in Skyfall features some spectacular shots of Shanghai at night also.
I’ve not been able to get out nearly as much as I would like to have in the last couple of weeks, however I did have a chance to go cycling in the New Territories of Hong Kong recently along a popular trail which goes from Tai Wai (大圍) to Tai Mei Tuk (大美督), a paved 20-kilometre path that provides some stunning harbour front views and passes by temples and parks. Read more
Online food documentary series The Perennial Plate spent two weeks travelling around Japan to create a stomach rumbling short film – From Japan with Love (and Dashi) – looking at the country and its tantalising food. If that leaves you feeling hungry for more you’ll also want to check out Jiro Dreams of Sushi which tells the story of a 85-year-old Japanese sushi chef who has been on a relentless quest his whole life to perfect his craft. I’ve already seen it twice and love seeing how the notions of developing good taste and keeping things simple can be applied in all areas of life.
What do you do if you’re in charge of a multinational chaebol and have a few million dollars left in your budget to spare? You create awesomely cool kinetic artwork. Hyundai recently commissioned two stunning installations in South Korea from different art and design studios. Despite being corporate advertising both are stunning. Read more