Known as the Hardcore Santana, a Kunming driver, recently drove a Volkswagen Santana up and over a pedestrian bridge. "The driver reportedly pulled out of traffic on the third ring road, driving the wrong way for a short distance, before pulling up onto a pedestrian bridge and driving to the other side of the road. The driver then proceeded to not allow a man carrying a baby up the stairs to pass. After a short stare-down, the man with the infant retreated down the stairs, obviously annoyed." [Read more http://www.gokunming.com/en/blog/item/2297/video_kunming_driver_crosses_pedestrian_bridge] Having trouble imagining how this was possible? See below. One of Kunming's many pedestrian overpasses and its stair access. I use this particular overpass almost every day of the week. I can only dream of the day the Hardcore Santana decides to try his stunt on my overpass. (Alas, and in spite of what some purported witnesses may have you believe, my Chinese fender kicking days are over.) Any clearer now on the above sign? Not really. Will I step out with less trepidation tomorrow? Hahaha.......... Click on images to enlarge
Only in Mojiang and interestingly only to readers of English. The Chinese translation mentions nothing about the sun smiling, it only turns. [A mini-bus awaiting departure at Pu'er city bus station]
Google Translate can't be blamed for this one. And good quality broadband internet is available everywhere in China and often for free. China's Great Firewall however can still throw up the odd 'server error'. This 'translator' (term used loosely as he clearly knows nothing about his target language) has struck gold. [FYI 餐厅 cāntīng means restaurant or dining hall] [unknown original source]
Perhaps you already know that "drag racing is a competition in which specially prepared automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, most commonly ¼ mile (1,320 ft (400 m)), with a shorter 1,000 ft (300 m) for some Top Fuel dragsters and funny cars..." Did you also know that "before each race (also known as a pass), each driver is allowed to perform a burnout, which heats the driving tires and lays rubber down at the beginning of the track, improving traction..." etc etc etc And there I was thinking they were just showing off. [Thanks to Wikipedia] The winner!
[*http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/articles/2013-01-26/201301251359104896657.html]
One afternoon after my usual 口语 class we decided we had time to go for a short walk up the mountain behind my house to look for the small contemporary art community I'd heard about where a young Australian artist's exhibition was in its last days. Our expectations were a little disappointed, however we were not let down by the larger than life street signage in the area. I dubbed the North Jinding Mountain Street sign adornment the 'Yunnanosaurus' only to return home and find that such a creature did once prowl the region just northwest of Kunming in Lufeng county where the remains of 20 incomplete skeletons have been found[1]. In fact according to another source[2] since 1938, 24 categories 33 species and hundreds of complete dinosaur fossils have been unearthed in the area.
From conversational Chinese via bad art to early jurassic period prosauropod dinosaur remains in one small leap: life seems to be always thus here in Kunming. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yunnanosaurus [2] http://www.toptrip.cc/destination/spot/yn_lufeng.htm [Animatronics thanks to Paul Hider - Kunming friend, classmate and resident, blogger and science fiction nut] |
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