Sigh

Headed back Here

And just to make it even more lovely, i read more about Chinese products ONCE AGAIN making consumers sick and otherwise doing everything they should not be doing.

My lady wants to stay just one year or so, because in 2011 a chemical plant will be built just a an hour or so down river from us. And it makes her feel nauseous to have me buy baby stuff here in the US -- although the same stuff is available in China -- because she does not dare buy stuff over there.

there is, of course, a silver lining. Its called Dujiangyan, Qing Cheng Shan and the Min River. I keep that in my head along with the courtyard enclosed home i dream of -- it can still be all good, even in the very belly of the belching beast.

Eli Sweet, An American Rapper in Chengdu

Here is Eli and my main man Kaffe doin their thang on NPR. Peep it and pass it on. Its the real deal ya'll!!!!

Back in the Du part Du

So I am back in the Du and it feels all right. As soon as I get here and start meshing with my real people again i realize that my work in China will never ever be done. There is so much to write, create, document and promote ... I am tied to here forever. But as I decided a long time ago -- I can do these things best from afar, bring that which i know to people who aren't in the know.

anyway. I spent two days in Qingdao ostensibly to attend the showing of a collection of Qingdao and Chengdu paintings. The art was pretty amazing.

There was one piece in particular.

a gray city scape of your average Chinese town: rickety stone staircase leading down down down through stacks of shamble houses with aluminum garage doors on either side. An old man is squatting on the left hand, just a few concrete blocks above a prostitute all in red, smoking a cigarette as she stares at nothing. further down is a man in shorts, looking down and rubbing the back of his head as he stares at the oven that makes him his living. He is skinny enough to have his ribs stick out, but hardy enough to look stacked not thin. the wires that bring them their daily opium from the TV coil down the staircase into the shadows below, tangled impossibly until they reach a node, where they are attached expertly, then tangle again as they head down pell mell to the next node.

I thought of the city of Hanyuan immediately. Hanyuan is where my gong fu brothers live, The place was hit by the earthquake in May and is a den of gangsterism, corruption and random ass beatings. Here is a video of the local cats doing their thang amidst the rubble .. peace to my man Faryao ...

Some ill from the Du

My man Chengduxi, who put up my Auryn tattoo back in the day -- had to get it recolored by Poh in Pai, but so what -- he's got his sights set on the art scene .. he was once a drummer, still is, now he paints and generously puts it up for us to peep. (Chinese language only, but the images are universal, yo ..)

and here are a couple pics from my new home in the Dirty Du (Chengdu for ya'll not in the know).



my fragrant lil hybrid jasmine ...



Gimpy, the one that made it



and this one's for Mika, who wished it ...