Other: March 2008 Archives

By Kate Merkel-Hess I recently received two new travel books (of sorts) in my mailbox, one of which I wrote a few short bits for. Beijing Time by Michael Dutton, with Hsiu-ju Stacy Lo and Dong Dong Wu, (due out in May from Harvard University Press) and Urbanatomy: Shanghai 2008, edited by Nick Land (published by China Intercontinental Press in 2007) fall at opposite ends of a rather loosely envisioned “travel book” spectrum, but both promise an on-the-ground look at “new” China. Beijing Time, by Goldsmiths, University of London Professor......

Shanghaiist braved the crappy weather last Saturday to take in the sight of people bashing each other with pillows for no discernible reason. We arrived with hopes of massive pillow-based armies clashing heroically on the battlefield of the Shanghai Sculpture Space. Reality was somewhat less grandiose as maybe 30 - 40 people showed up to fight, with probably another 20 or 30 people cheering from the sidelines (not including some bemused security guards). Also, due to rain, the event was held under the entrance roof instead of open warfare among the sculptures themselves. But......