Tag Archives: sketch
Where the Girls Are
Summer at Last!
Chinese Bestiary
My personal take on the Qilin, a chimerical creature that, despite it’s Chinese origin, westerners often only know as the mascot of a famous Japanese beer brand.
Ayi* on Wheels
A memory from the last trip to Yunnan, where women of age, besides wearing the compulsory white gloves, over-sleeves and those iridescent sun-masks that make them look like astronauts, gear up their electric bikes with these spectacular umbrellas.
*Ayi: literally “auntie”, it is also the general term used to address ladies that seem past their young age.
Haunted Hutong
Yunnan Tiger Tiles
Apparently, in some places in Yunnan province they decorate their rooftops with these creepy clay cats/tigers that eat evil spirits and look slightly burtonesque.
This one was spotted in captivity at the Yunnan Provincial Museum in Kunming,but it was an imposing specimen anyway.
Posted from my phone
Chinese Mycology
*金针菇 (jīnzhēngū): Often literally translated as golden needle mushroom, but also known as Flammulina Velutipes, it’s a very common mushroom in Asia, where we eat it all the time. This one is saying “see you tomorrow!” because, according to popular wisdom, you can see it almost intact the day after you eat it if you are curious enough. Personally, I don’t think it’s that hard to digest and Wikipedia says it might also prevent cancer, so give it a try!