China: My First Love

photoLith · #1 Posted **Jan 29, 2011, 1:22 AM**

My photo threads...
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During the summer of 2007 I was able to live in China working at my uncles silver smelting factory in the small town (600,000 people) of Zhaoyuan north of Qingdao in Shandong Province. I wasnt able to take too many photos because I worked so much but for the first two weeks I was able to visit my friend in Beijing for a few days and then go for a day hike on the Great Wall and lastly visit Qingdao. Then I busted my ass for the rest of the time there working with the Chinese employees, it was pretty interesting and disheartening, they work to themselves to death getting paid crap. They only got Sundays off and worked from 7-6 everyday.

The plane leaving from Houston, stopped in LA, boarded Air China, flew into Beijing, 17 hours...

Beijing from my friends apartment

One of the hutongs near his apartment

The fourth ring road.

More Hutongs

The flag raising ceremony is every morning at sunrise in Tiananmen Square, thousands of Chinese tourists were there.

Forbidden City

Countdown to the Olympics

Tiananmen Square

Lots and lots of the historic core to the city was getting destroyed during this time to make way for the Olympics, these buildings were right next to the Forbidden City and were likely built in the 1600s, such a waste. But fortunately, some of the oldest Hutongs in the city are afforded some protection.

Hutongs near the Forbidden City.

Forbidden City

The White Dagoba Temple northwest of the Forbidden City

Chinese tour groups outside the Forbidden City which I unfortunately didnt have the money to get into.

Taking the Subway

Children getting out of school

Destroying centuries old Hutongs south of the Forbidden City.

This no longer exists today.

This mans house was destroyed by the government to make way for a road.

The Hutongs are being replaced by this.

This area no longer exists either.

The Temple of Heaven

Preserved Hutongs near The Temple of Heaven

Underground tunnels made during WW2 to protect Chinese leaders during the Japanese Invasion.

Wall outside of the Temple of Heaven

THE GREAT WALL
Me and my friend that lived there when on a day hike in a northern non touristy section of the Great Wall that was in disrepair, it was awesome!

QINGDAO

Typical bathroom in villages along the coast.

This wasnt Qingdao but a cherry growing region north of Qingdao which was having a festival that day I was there, the roads were clogged and the cherries were freakin delicious.

Small fishing villages that became part of Qingdao dotted the coast east of the main part of the city where I stayed for a few days. Many were getting torn down during this time and Im sure still are.

Fisherman coming in with the days catch.

The only Indians I saw the whole time I was there.

ZHAOYUAN

Apartment blocks in Zhaoyuan where I lived for the summer.

Whore houses, pretty sketchy.

Streen vendors where they were serving dog and whatever else happened to be around, it was delicious.

Back in the US, had a 12 hour layover in NYC, just enough time to go up on top of the ESB... BAM!

Kingofthehill · #2 Posted **Jan 29, 2011, 1:27 AM**

I am convinced that this week is National Geographic week in the My City Photo section. Outstanding work, man! Makes me want to get up and travel (of which, fortunately, I will be doing in due time!).

flar · #3 Posted **Jan 29, 2011, 2:00 AM**

You are a photojournalist.

Expat · #4 Posted **Jan 29, 2011, 2:26 AM**

I didn't see this coming. Wow. You documented this fortunate experience beautifully.

giovanni sasso · #5 Posted **Jan 29, 2011, 2:49 AM**

jesus. that was incredible. never mind what i said in your last thread -- THIS killed it. excellent series.

photoLith · #6 Posted **Jan 29, 2011, 3:49 AM**

^
Well, you cant really compare little Rock to Qingdao and Beijing lol

Okayyou · #7 Posted **Jan 29, 2011, 4:56 AM**

Drooling man, I don't know where to start.

This

or this

I started to try and pick my favorites but gave up half way through. You are doing a service to humanity. Please post more.

photoLith · #8 Posted **Jan 29, 2011, 5:17 AM**

^
Apparently I was supposed to pay to get into that tunnel system since I saw tour groups walking around in it. But I was randomly walking through some Hutongs that were getting torn down and came across a tunnel entrance, thought Id peak into and walked a few steps down and found this. I walked around in it for about 20 minutes, got pretty spooked after I flashed a picture into a dark tunnel and saw someone standing in the corner. I then saw some tour groups walking ahead of me and thought I should get the f outta there before I ended up getting in trouble. I later realized that what I saw standing in the corner of that dark tunnel was a freakin dummy, scared the crap out of me.

BnaBreaker · #9 Posted **Jan 29, 2011, 6:22 AM**

Ridiculous. What the hell is there to say? You're a freakin god when you have a camera in your hand.

pip · #10 Posted **Jan 29, 2011, 6:29 AM**

god I have got to get there to visit. Excellent pictures

Pavlov · #11 Posted **Jan 29, 2011, 6:55 AM**

Really outstanding work. For what its worth, I lived in China for a total of two and a half years (hardly qualifying me as a true sinophile), and this thread felt totally authentic to me. I truly enjoyed it.

photoLith · #12 Posted **Jan 29, 2011, 7:20 AM**

^
Where in China? Shanghai Im guessing? I really want to end up working there since America is pretty well screwed due to all our debt so Im thinking getting a geology job in China will be much more stable, plus I freakin loved China when I was there. Surprisingly, Beijing had tons and tons of incredibly hot, smart, and beautiful European girls there. I spent one night just chilling with some prodigiously hot Brazilian girls in their apartment on the 23rd floor, left with my drunk friend and we went and watched the Tiananmen Square flag raising. Freakin awesome.

itom 987 · #13 Posted **Jan 29, 2011, 7:58 AM**

I am floored. What an awesome collection of photos and commentary!
These photos show exactly what I saw when I was in China.

Photolitherland, we want to see more!

Pavlov · #14 Posted **Jan 29, 2011, 9:54 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by photolitherland

^
Where in China? Shanghai Im guessing? I really want to end up working there since America is pretty well screwed due to all our debt so Im thinking getting a geology job in China will be much more stable, plus I freakin loved China when I was there. Surprisingly, Beijing had tons and tons of incredibly hot, smart, and beautiful European girls there. I spent one night just chilling with some prodigiously hot Brazilian girls in their apartment on the 23rd floor, left with my drunk friend and we went and watched the Tiananmen Square flag raising. Freakin awesome.

Beijing in fact. Indeed, in the great Beijing v. Shanghai debate of China (at least among ex pats) I am a passionate Beijing advocate. In my opinion, it has far more of Chinese soul than Shanghai (although still less Chinese soul than rural China, which remains the heart of China, in my opinion).

Also, I agree with your observation about the wonderful quality of expat women in Beijing. The beautiful thing is that so many of the foreigner men are busy chasing Chinese girls (which I admit I indulged in too) that it leaves a lot of amazing foreigner women far more available than they would otherwise be (at least for a man of decidedly average appearance, intelligence and wealth like me).

Anyway, I worked for Beijing Television when I lived there about ten years ago. I've been back a couple of times since then and still have a couple of contacts there, so if you were interested in working there PM me and I am happy to see what I can do.

giallo · #15 Posted **Jan 29, 2011, 11:44 AM**

Really great pictures, photolitherland. A very honest portrait of a country stuck in fifth gear.

Reesonov, ah, the great BJ vs. SH debate amongst expats. It's amazing how heated it can get. Of course, I'm a Shanghai fan myself. While not the cultural hub that Beijing is, the Shanghainese are far less nationalist and patriotic. They worship the dollar for better or for worse.

sabotai · #16 Posted **Jan 29, 2011, 5:36 PM**

Awesome thread! Let's see more threads of far away places

Centropolis · #17 Posted **Jan 29, 2011, 5:43 PM**

Big ups, mang!

Thundertubs · #18 Posted **Jan 29, 2011, 5:45 PM**

Excellent work here.

muppet · #19 Posted **Jan 29, 2011, 7:04 PM**

wow, Im floored

this is amazing,

btw if there's any consolation, alot of the old hutongs south of Tiananmen were rebuilt as the restoration of the old Chinese city during the Qing Dynasty. They still tore them down, but its slightly better they replaced them with ornate buildings rather than the usual highrise+shopping+8lane highway crap.

photoLith · #20 Posted **Jan 29, 2011, 7:34 PM**

^
Do you know if they have preserved or set aside any of the Hutongs south of Tiananmen Square to ensure their protection from greedy developers and a government that doesnt care about its history? I know about 25 Hutongs around The Forbidden City and Drum and Bell Towers has been set aside but I dont know how well they are protected.