“Restoration” Ruins Centuries-Old Buddhist Frescos

Ancient frescos painted over
Those who don't know history are doomed to destroy it. In Chaoyang, Liaoning province, two officials have been fired for embarking on a "restoration" project that painted over centuries-old Buddhist frescos with bright and gaudy blues, yellows, and reds, resulting in tawdry Taoist figures who belong on a coloring book cover.

Beautiful Day Greets Beijing Marathoners, But…

Beijing Marathon 2013b
The 33rd year of the Beijing Marathon yesterday saw 30,000 participants run underneath a blue sky and a beautiful little sun. Those who completed the full course started west from Tiananmen and then turned north toward Olympic Green, with Ethiopian Tadese Tola winning the men's race with a new event record time of 2:07:16 and China's Zhang Yingying winning the women's title in 2:31:19. By all accounts, it was glorious.