Men walk towards the city's main square early morning. In the back dozens of little restaurants that cater to tourists on high season.

Man sits in a restaurant quietly while others shop outside.

Fruit vendor makes jokes and laughs with other villager.

Naxi women sell produce in the village main square.

Baisha village is on the foothills of the Himalayas. In the back is the Snow Jade Dragon Mountain.

As most places in China, grandmothers take care of children while the parents go to bigger cities for better jobs and send money home.

Two Chinese tourists browse souvenir and antique shops in the evening.

Woman carries two buckets of water while two other women, dressed in a more modern fashion, head back to work, most likely at the restaurants close to the frescoes where all the tourists are taken.

Naxi woman walks to work with an empty basket on her back.

Early morning these two vendors get ready to sell their produce.

Bicycles and motorized three-wheelers are the most used means of transportation in Baisha.

A man prepares food for a large group of monks.

Despite being ancient and traditional, electronic rides have arrived in this small town.

Woman waits for customers to sell fruit from her basket.

Group of Naxi women enter a restaurant in the evening.

A bit before sunset, a Naxi woman returns home with a basket full of corn.

Baisha: Life in an ancient Chinese town

June 27, 2017 in China, Daily life

On the foothills of the Himalayas there is this tiny Chinese village called Baisha. It is one of the oldest in the region, having its roots in the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907 AD) and home to the Naxi people. With its cobblestone streets, fresh air, and ancient constructions, you can almost feel as a fly on the wall watching this traditional Chinese town.

Couple poses in traditional Chinese attire in front of one of the canals in the old town on the ancient Pingjiang Road. The bride and groom are protecting themselves against the rain with the help of a traditional umbrella made with rice paper.

Chinese couples take wedding photos to the next level

May 25, 2016 in China, Wedding Photography

Text by Emma González | Photos by Bruno Maestrini

In China wedding photography is a huge business. My impression is that the pre-wedding photos are more important than the actual ceremony with family and friends. Many Chinese couples I know are extremely proud of their pictures and some even have huge prints on their living room wall.

Usually the couples hire a photographer and a small crew of make up artists and fashion stylists to immortalize their romantic moments before they become husband and wife. They spend a whole day, or sometimes even a weekend, posing in different outfits in front of variety of romantic settings. It is not unusual for richer couples to fly a photographer all the way to Europe just for these pictures.

For the shoot, photo companies offer a wide selection of dresses and accessories. Additionally, the make up artist and fashion stylist make sure that they look at their best in every picture.

There are places in China that are particularly appealing to those having their wedding pictures taken. One of those places is the coastal city of Qingdao. It is almost virtually impossible not to come across a wedding photoshoot when walking by the seaside. Another place that attracts the soon-to-be married couples is Suzhou for its beautiful canals. In Beijing, a popular spot is the Temple of Heaven.

Photographer's note: It's interesting to note that all these photos, with the exception of the top one, were taken at the same place during a one hour interval. We went to a Christian (episcopal maybe?) church near the lake and to our surprise dozens of couples were having their photos taken. I guess originality is needed in the Suzhou market. Or maybe the church was the most affordable package.

This could have ended in tears. The groom was trying not to fall down standing in two very unstable rocks while the bride was passionately kissing him for several minutes while the photographer searched for the perfect shot. I can imagine him thinki… — This could have ended in tears. The groom was trying not to fall down standing in two very unstable rocks while the bride was passionately kissing him for several minutes while the photographer searched for the perfect shot. I can imagine him thinking : "No pain, no gain", while he was struggling to stand straight. Nonetheless, I bet it turned out an amazing picture.

As I mentioned before, these photographic session can last hours or even days. It can be extremely tiring to walk in heels all day while someone keeps telling you to stand straight and smile. This bride takes a rest in a park while the photographer … — As I mentioned before, these photographic session can last hours or even days. It can be extremely tiring to walk in heels all day while someone keeps telling you to stand straight and smile. This bride takes a rest in a park while the photographer prepares for the shoot.

Many Chinese brides prefer the Western style dresses for their wedding pictures, instead of red. Traditionally, white has been the color used for mourning clothes in funeral services in most countries in Asia, including China. However, the strong in… — Many Chinese brides prefer the Western style dresses for their wedding pictures, instead of red. Traditionally, white has been the color used for mourning clothes in funeral services in most countries in Asia, including China. However, the strong influence of Western cinema has changed that and now young brides in China wear white wedding gowns. Nonetheless, it is still true that Chinese couples wear both red Chinese clothes and Western style outfits during their big day, where they change dresses at least once during the party.

Being a wedding photographer is no easy task as this adventurous shooter is showing. Because it is such an important event in their lives, the brides tend to be quite demanding and it is common to see them bossing around the photographer and the sma… — Being a wedding photographer is no easy task as this adventurous shooter is showing. Because it is such an important event in their lives, the brides tend to be quite demanding and it is common to see them bossing around the photographer and the small crew. After all, every little detail needs to be perfect.

We should never forget that this is China and there is always room for extravagance. Here, we can see a couple that has opted for not-so conventional outfits. The woman is wearing a puffy satin pink dress with a green ribbon. She has accessorized he… — We should never forget that this is China and there is always room for extravagance. Here, we can see a couple that has opted for not-so conventional outfits. The woman is wearing a puffy satin pink dress with a green ribbon. She has accessorized her outfit with a pamela hat covered with flowers. The best thing is her childish facial expression and her pigtails. Meanwhile, the groom poses in a very tight outfit in white and pink.

Emma González is a journalist and connoisseur of fashion and author of the anti-fashion blog El Mundo DeSastre.

The so-called "European-style palace" was an exotic building with its columns and round shapes, very different from the traditional local architecture. These are the most famous ruins of this site.

Ruins of the Old Summer Palace

April 29, 2016 in China, History, Beijing

Known as the Gardens of Perfect Brightness 圆明园, the ruins of the old Summer Palace are a memory of one of the most beautiful palaces in China. During the second Opium War, in 1860, European forces plundered and destroyed the place, taking relics that dated back 3500 years. Charles George Gordon, a French captain, wrote "You can scarcely imagine the beauty and magnificence of the places we burn. It made one's heart sore to burn them; in fact these places were so large, and we were so pressed for time, that we could not plunder them carefully." Many Chinese artifacts in western museums today are the result of plundering and looting of ancient China. Then in 1900 again the eight nations, during the boxers rebellion, came back and tore down whatever had survived.

The ruins are one of the very few remaining "unrestored" ancient sites of Beijing I know of. Most places have been either completely restored to look like they would have in ancient times or simply torn down to give space to modern buildings.

I used quotation marks because although these are ruins, I can't say I'm completely convinced this is all original. While I don't have proof of anything, several facts lead me to believe these aren't simply the ruins of what was once the largest palace in the history of China. Many of the stone pieces and their engravings seemed to me too well conserved for such an old piece, specially when thousands of people are stepping on them and handling them everyday.

Another notable fact is that - and architects or engineers reading, please correct me if I'm wrong - some of the stones were noticeably different. It seemed that several blocks were actually marble, while others were of a simpler material, not cement, but of the likes.

The pictures in this post are from two very different times of the year, winter 2015 and spring 2016.

Students walk over the ruins of one of the European style buildings. These stones seemed like marble to me.

I found it very interesting that visitors were allowed to walk over the ruins, something unthinkable in Italy or Greece these days.

The gardens have been more or less restored to the same layout as they were and some of the rubble piled up in an orderly fashion. This picture is from 2015. This year, a boardwalk is being constructed for people to walk on and probably only view th… — The gardens have been more or less restored to the same layout as they were and some of the rubble piled up in an orderly fashion. This picture is from 2015. This year, a boardwalk is being constructed for people to walk on and probably only view the ruins from a distance.

On a hot spring day last week, a tourist looks at ruins that have been stacked up in a seemingly random fashion. It's like a modern day Stonehenge.

The column standing in the back is one of the items I suspect of its veracity. The engravings look so fresh to be that old and gone through so much.

In China, it's very common to see people, specially women, with umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun.

In one corner of the park there is a maze, which I believe is modern. I like mazes. I saw several people just jump over the little walls. I swear I figured it out myself.

At the center of the maze, there is a beautiful gazebo with a bit of shade for you to rest before trying to find your way out.

This pavilion and arch are two of the very few structures that remain standing in the site of the Summer Palace. Although very beautiful, the current Summer Palace is a lot smaller than this one and, they say, less beautiful.

Several man-made lakes decorate the gardens of the palace.

This lion seemed authentic. I'm no specialist, but after all I've seen in China with its repairs, I'm skeptical of everything.

In the winter, although super cold and windy, there aren't many people and it's well worth the visit. In the summer, it's packed and might not be as pleasant.

"Department of Halting Destruction of Living Beings - administers punishment for any act of harming living beings. (...) Upholding human value and protecting living beings form an important aspect of China's traditional morality" - says the sign bes… — "Department of Halting Destruction of Living Beings - administers punishment for any act of harming living beings. (...) Upholding human value and protecting living beings form an important aspect of China's traditional morality" - says the sign beside this statue.

The Dongyue "Temple of Hell"

April 21, 2016 in China, History, Beijing

Along with the Imperial Palace and Tiananmen Square, one of the most famous landmarks of Beijing is the Temple of Heaven, in the southern part of town. It's in every guidebook and about every tourist that passed through the city since Marco Polo has been there.

What a lot of people don't know is that hidden in what is now the Russian shopping district lies the TEMPLE OF HELL HELl HEll Hell hell *echoes and fades just like in Fraggle Rock*

In reality, it is a Daoist temple called Dongyue, which was named after Mount Tai, one of the Five Sacred Mountains of Daoism.

New and old contrast in today's Beijing. A Walmart is just across the street and about 3 Starbucks.

The place is known informally as the Temple of Hell because of it's scary statues of death and punishment.

Well, that seems like an awesome place to bring the kids, right?

School kids go on a field trip to see statues of demons killing humans and other scary stuff.

There were 76 "departments" of all sorts of sins, and then some others dedicated to paperwork, such as the "Department of Filing Forms" and the "Department of Distribution of Medication". This was the "Department of Suicides".

Some people come to worship these gods and ask for their help. They go door to door with incense and bow to the statues.

The school kids could care less about the statues. All they wanted to do was run around.

I call this one "Donnie Darko". Didn't know he was a Daoist god.

In the entrance of many temples and palaces in China, there is an elevation. Legend says this is to keep spirits from coming in. It also works with toddlers.

In the back of every single room there was what I believe is a Daoist Priest, looking over this big bureaucratic underworld. All rooms were dark, damp and humid.

Shy little girl walked past in silence. I wonder if she had a good night's sleep after this visit.

This department was of Nature's Creatures. On the left you see a ghost with a twig on his head. Now imagine him talking.

The departments are small rooms full of statues. The temple has been in this place since 1319. Apparently these statues are from 2002.

Durham, NC, fairly represented at the Dongyue Temple.

On the other side of a busy street in front of the temple is a large gate.

A group of Daoist priests were there practicing their instruments. I do have video and will edit and post them some time in the future. I think it was the first time they ever picked up an instrument... or they were actually supposed so sound like t… — A group of Daoist priests were there practicing their instruments. I do have video and will edit and post them some time in the future. I think it was the first time they ever picked up an instrument... or they were actually supposed so sound like they were in hell.

And tonight when you go to sleep, remember this face. He'll take you to the other side. MUAHAHA *Vincent Price's evil laugh from Thriller*

Yu Yuan, the happiness gardens of Shanghai

April 12, 2016 in China

Probably the most well known park in Shanghai, the Yu Gardens are right in the heart of the old city. Today, surrounded by shops and restaurants, this place little resembles the peaceful spot it was for the 500 years since it was built. That is except during the Opium wars and WWII, when it was torn to the ground. Twice.

Yu Yuan, or happiness gardens, were built in 1559 during the Ming Dynasty.

Right in front of the Starbucks, hundreds of tourists wander like ants and one little boy keeps trying to launch himself into the water while his mom incessantly held him down.

A little further back, another group of tourists poses for pictures with the Starbucks and the suicidal kid from the previous pictures.

The second tallest building in the world, the Shanghai Tower, rises over the city with its 632 meters in a beautiful contrast between new and old.

Pan Yunduan had the gardens built for his parents, but had to leave for Sichuan for 20 years before actually starting the project. Unfortunately, they passed away only a few years after it was done.

Girl cries sitting on a bridge while a friend talks to her as the sound of water from the artificial lake below hides from the dozens of tourists walking by whatever they were saying.

This part of the park is one of the most popular, with people wanting their picture taken framed by the windows.

This, to me, is the standard old Chinese lady. The type of clothes, hair style and even the way she walks is so descriptive of the seniors I've seen and at the same time to unique to China.

Man checks his phone beside the famous round arch of the garden. You can also see several others checking their phones through the doorway.

Woman rests and watches the fish swim across the bridge where that other girl was crying.

One of the cool things of this garden are the old pieces of furniture. I felt that the tables can be a bit uncomfortable since my knees kept banging on that horizontal bar on the bottom.

Outside the garden is a huge market. A group of kids was running around and playing. This boy was blowing into his little flower windmill and his friend was from the house of Hufflepuff.

Starbucks, McDonald's, Dairy Queen, all the ancient Chinese restaurants are right around the corner from the gardens.

Standing 64m tall and with a history of almost 1000 years, the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda is an unmissable historical spot in Xi'an.

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda 大雁塔

February 25, 2016

Outside the city walls of Xi'an, next to the Shaanxi History Museum, is the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. This building was originally built in 652 with five stories to house treasures gathered by the traveler Xuanzang. Fifty years later the whole thing, made of rammed earth, collapsed. By then, empress Wu Zetian had the pagoda rebuilt making it five stories taller. It remained like that for 800 years until a powerful earthquake knocked down three floors leaving it the way it is now. Let's do the math: 5+5-3=7. Or you can just count from the photo.

At the bottom is the Da Ci'en Temple 大慈恩寺, said to be the "most splendid" temple in ancient Chang'an, how Xi'an was called when it was the great capital of the Chinese Empire.

The temple was specially busy on the first days of the Lunar New Year. Worshipers light incense and say their prayers facing a big Buddha statue.

Originally, the area of the temple was three times as big as it is now. In the thousand years it's been here it has survived several dynasties and changes.

Apparently, the pagoda is crooked to the west several degrees, kind of like the leaning tower of Pisa. I read about this later and personally did not notice it.

You can pay and climb all the way to the top. Some relics are still on display. For obvious safety reasons the number of people inside is limited. For China reasons, that number is way more that it should be. Going up was insane. Stairs packed of pe… — You can pay and climb all the way to the top. Some relics are still on display. For obvious safety reasons the number of people inside is limited. For China reasons, that number is way more that it should be. Going up was insane. Stairs packed of people barely giving space for one to pass.

On a polluted day, this is what it looks like from one of the mid-section windows. In case you are wondering, yes, I went there more than once, that's why the pictures have both blue and gray skies.

You can tell in which dynasty a building was made by the roof. The Tang dynasty architecture had those horn-like structures on top.

Tianning Temple 天宁寺: a thousand-year-old treasure

January 17, 2016

Hidden in the Xicheng district of Beijing, right beside a huge factory chimney, is the ancient Tianning Temple. This structure was built in 1100, during the Liao Dynasty, making it 920 years old at the time of these photos, one of the oldest in town. The pagoda is solid and unlike many others of its kind it does not have stairs to take you to the top. After surviving centuries, many similar pagodas were torn down in the 20th century, like the older Qingshou Temple twin towers that were destroyed in 1954 so Chang An avenue could be expanded.

I observed many people would walk around the pagoda clockwise, while praying. Several would just walk while whispering, some would stop in front of each door and bow, and others would just be quiet in their worship.

Like many ancient and historical structures in Beijing, if you didn't know it was there, you'd miss it. The pagoda is right in the middle of a residential area and is not a very famous tourist spot.

After walking around the pagoda several times, this woman bowed a few times and finished her worship.

The octagonal pagoda, 57.8 meters tall, was erected on a square platform. The bottom of the pagoda is in the form of a huge Sumeru pedestal, decorated with carved arch patterns. At the corners there are relief sculptures of heavenly guardians accompanied by another level of carved arches. A veranda with banisters and brackets was built around the upper part of the pedestal.

www.china.org.cn

The statues on the sides of the temple, although severely damaged, are believed to be original, having survived the great Tangshan earthquake of 1974 and the Cultural Revolution, when most relics of this and other temples around China were destroyed.

According to a local nun, in older times it was possible to go through the doors on the base of the pagoda, but now it's closed down because it's too dangerous. All the (not very extensive) research I have done online indicates that this struct… — According to a local nun, in older times it was possible to go through the doors on the base of the pagoda, but now it's closed down because it's too dangerous. All the (not very extensive) research I have done online indicates that this structure has always been solid and the doors are decorative, but you never know.

In front of the pagoda, you can buy incense and light it as part of your worship. This one cost 15 yuan, but there are some for 25 and 35.

After lighting the incense, a woman bows facing the pagoda and prays before kneeling and bowing several more times, then heads to walk around the building.

Over the door, a statue of a Bodhisattvas survived.

Three layers of huge lotus petals carved on the pedestal support the first storey of the pagoda. On four sides of the first storey, facing the four directions, there are relief sculptures of heavenly guardians and arched gates. Above are thirteen le… — Three layers of huge lotus petals carved on the pedestal support the first storey of the pagoda. On four sides of the first storey, facing the four directions, there are relief sculptures of heavenly guardians and arched gates. Above are thirteen levels of eaves, very close together, with no doors or windows. It is a typical pagoda of the Liao and Kin period. (text from china.org.cn)

Originally, in this same location there used to be another temple, built during the Sui Dynasty (589 - 618), and was considered at the time one of the most important of China. Legend says that he built 30 temples, one for each province of China, to keep relics of the Buddha. Some believe they still lie beneath the Tianning Temple to this day.

Near the entrance, there is a blocked out stair way to the underground. I wonder where that takes to. One day I will come back and have a better chat with the nuns.

Hundreds of Santas in the historical district of Beijing on the Houhai Lake bridge. In the back you can see the Bell Tower.

Christmas in China and Santacon

December 27, 2015

Christmas in China is very different. It's not a holiday. No time off from work. No special holiday sales. It's just like every other day. Except for those that celebrate Christmas, of course. There are several places with decorations, but many of them set it up only a couple of days before the 25th, and if previous years are any indication of what will happen, only take them down in March.

Just like many other cities in the world, Beijing has a Santacon. I would guess 99.9% of the Santas that attended where foreign, from places that celebrate Christmas. So here are some pictures I took during the 2015 Beijing Santacon.