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Showing posts from May, 2013

Nanyang The Movie – a pre-visualization of chapter 1

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Prelude: To the south of China lies this vast and timeless land that the Chinese call Nanyang, or the Southern Ocean. The region encompasses all the waters and lands of southeast Asia, the Malay archipelago and beyond. Since ancient times the Chinese have sailed the seas of Nanyang in search of the vast riches that is the stuff of dreams. Many have become fabulously rich, others paid with their very lives. Through their enterprise great cities have sprung up linking peoples of many skins and tongues through their common desire to trade. It is in this romantic setting that my story unfolds. “Nanyang” tells of two brothers Seng and Hock who, separated during a shipwreck and after many twists and turns in their lives, eventually come face to face on opposites of the law. The outcome marks the turning point in their journey from boys to men. In telling this tale, I myself have embarked on a journey of a thousand miles. This little video says I have taken the first step. ...

Bumming around the Bund in Shanghai

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  The Bund offers a spectacular view of the Pudong business district on the opposite side of the Huangpu River with its gleaming skyscrapers. The promenade is the place where selfies are a must. The Bund is the pride of Shanghai, if not of all China. It is the strip on the west bank of the Huangpu River where the foreign powers first settled, just north of the old city. It is home to many historic buildings of different architectural styles influenced by the multicultural heritage of the foreigners who carved out their own quarters collectively called the international settlement. It is a great place for the visitor to bum around as there are many sights, sounds and tastes from its cosmopolitan past to be savoured at a leisurely pace. At nightfall join the throngs of locals and tourist on a stroll along the bund for a spectacular view of the skyline. The old Meteorological Signal Tower is a historic landmark built in 1907 at the southern end of the Bund. A cafe and bar with ...