This weekend has not been good to Tracy McGrady. On Friday he suffered the indignity of having to run off the court because of diarrhea — to say nothing of the indignity of a 10-point performance in a 30-point home loss. Yesterday in Beijing, against the defending champs, he was involved in what could have been... Read more »
Perhaps it's safe to say the excitement surrounding Tracy McGrady's arrival to Qingdao and the CBA's Double Star Eagles has worn off. In his debut, T-Mac got stripped clean with 10 seconds to go in a tie game, then watched Sundiata Gaines drill a buzzer-beater on the other end. Less than a week later, his team entered the fourth quarter with an 11-point lead against Bayi, only to lose it and then watch China's resident old-timer, Wang Zhizhi, hit a game-winning five-footer (controversy notwithstanding, as the game clock started late and probably gave Wang the extra half-second he needed to get the shot off).
Thanks to everyone who came out tonight for the Beijinger’s Super Quiz to benefit Ping An Medical Foster Home. The event raised 28,000 yuan last year, and I’m sure the Beijinger will be around soon to tell you how we did this time around. Congratulations to the winners, Girls with Low Self-Esteem, pictured above (host Jonathan White... Read more »
According to AFP, more than 20 people in Hanoi have been arrested today for anti-China protests. About 200 protesters waved banners and chanted, “Down with China’s aggression!” A similar demonstration was broken up in Ho Chi Minh City. AFP: Vietnam, which has begun exploring for oil in what it claims as its territorial waters, last week... Read more »
Modern magic is as much about presentation as illusion, because we've all seen elephants disappear, women sawed in half, men levitate.
Please turn your attention to France's Yann Frisch, who nailed the above cups-and-balls trick at the inaugural China Beijing International Magic Convention last week. The video has gotten more than 1 million views since being posted December 1, and one can see why: not for the illusion itself, which is rather simple (quick hands, maybe someone under the table), but the build-up, the storytelling, the execution that must have taken years to perfect, the Godot-esque absurdity and humor of it all.
The party’s still going strong on this frigid evening. You’ll find Santas scattered over Houhai and Gulou, making their way to Four Corners for some music, debauchery, food — somewhere. The route was Brussels/Pyro to Chill Bar on Andingmen to Mai Bar and then through Nanluoguxiang to Gulou and Houhai. If you have no idea what... Read more »
Mo Yan gave his traditional Nobel lecture, "Storytellers," about 10 hours ago at the Royal Swedish Academy in Stockholm. He was introduced by Kjell Espmark, member of the Nobel literature committee.
Mo's 32-minute talk has already been translated by the preeminent Howard Goldblatt, here, which you should take a minute to read before letting the news media inundate the conversation with all their cherry-picked selections that fit their narrative.
As Mo Yan prepares to speak in Stockholm — in less than 10 minutes, at 12:30 am local time, barring delays — the piece you should read if you haven’t already is Kenyon College assistant professor Anna Sun’s essay in the current issue of The Kenyon Review. Here’s an excerpt from “The Diseased Language of... Read more »
