The scenic Guilin city centre
 
Renowned for its unique and picturesque scenery, Guilin is considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in China. I wasn't sure what to expect spending after 2 peaceful days in the Yangshuo countryside, but I was quite pleasantly surprised by the city's greenery and relaxing atmosphere [...]

Main: Camel hill in the background; bottom right: Moon hill
 
It has been years since I last visited China ( Hong Kong and Macau don't count), and Guilin has always been on my mind, so I suggested it to a friend who was also keen on exploring this part of China.
Our original plan [...]

Taiwanese cinema enjoyed its peak from the early 80s until mid 90s. This was the New Wave and second New Wave period during which many talented directors made their marks. Apart from the art house cinema's favourite, Hou Hsiao-Hsien, there are also Wu Nien-jen, Tsai Ming-liang,now the most famous Taiwanese director, Ang [...]

Sweets/ candies packaging
 
I have always been a fan of Japanese packaging but when I was in Taiwan, I was quite excited by the creative and humourous packaging especially with food. From tea to honey, rice, candies, crackers and cakes, every package has its own style and uniqueness. Here are just some snapshots [...]

The beautiful ArtYard is a relaxing place for tea, coffee and craft shopping
 
Dadaocheng:
ArtYard ( 67, Sec. 1, Dihua St)- Converted from a historical building built in 1923 near the Xiahai City God Temple, the airy and relaxing ArtYard is consisted of a craft shop, art gallery, tea room and cafe. Some [...]

Top left: Dadaocheng wharf; top right: Xiahai City God Temple; Main & bottom: traditional shops and food stalls

 
After visiting the Lin Liu-hsin Puppet Theatre Museum, I decided to explore the flavourful and historical Dadaocheng district. Walking towards the museum, I couldn't help but notice the beautiful colonial architecture that are rare to [...]

There are many arts and crafts museums in Taipei but I found these two museums particularly unique and charming, especially for those who are interested in traditional arts and crafts. Suho memorial paper museum is located in a busy business district and can be easily missed, but once inside, the museum has [...]

The Red House in Xiemen

 
The reason why I want to emphasise Taipei's bid to become the next World Design Capital ( after Cape Town in 2014) is because their effort can be seen and felt while I was in Taipei. They even dedicated a website for this, so they are quite determined [...]

Bamboo street's bamboo and rattan handicrafts

 
When I first started writing this blog, I was slightly reluctant and hesitant. Although I love to share with people, sharing with the public about my life and inner thoughts seem slightly out of my character.
However, over the time I have learned to use this as a [...]

 
Like I mentioned in the previous blog entry, in recent years, Kaohsiung's city government has been investing a lot of money and effort aiming to turn Kaohsiung into a more competitive and livable city, and one of the city's biggest project was the development of an old pier full of abandoned warehouses.
Similar [...]