Owner: MoJo In China URL:http://www.mojoinchina.com Join Date: Mon, 21 May 2007 23:13:02 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Life in China as Radio DJ/MC/Translator MoJo sees it. Moved from Brooklyn, NY to Vermont to study Chinese and now resides in Shanghai living it up in the home of 1.3 million Chinese, MoJo brings you his thoughts, feelings and anecdotes on his life in Chin Site statistics:Click here
Ah Xin 2007-06-24 02:54:25 "Li Ge" (Farewell Song)I have my favorites in the Chinese mainstream music scene (I don't just listen to Jazz and Hip-hop, you know???). Lately I've been into this dude names A Xin. He's used to be in this band (and I forgot their name...) and he's from Taiwan. He's got this Jon Bon Jovi rock/pop thing going on for him, but he can hit those Axl Rose high notes in Mandarin like it's nobody's business. He's a really good artist and probably has one of the best voices out of China. He's all over the boob toob here. Check him out.
Beatboxing in China 2007-06-29 00:06:53 YanBian BeatboxersI love hip-hop and I love China
. I think people can see this based on my blog... Here's a little China/hip-hop treat for your ears, brought to you by DJVibe.com. These dudes are from YanBian, so they border North Korea. A lot of their influence is from the Koreans in their town, hence the heavy influence is such a Northern part of China. Check it out and enjoy.
Soulfire New Official Website! 2007-06-27 20:58:12 Grab a glass of Ballantine's and break out the Cohibas...Soulfire is online with a brand new look! It's got all you need to know about the show AND you can listen live! Check it out and "Ignite Your Passion For A Fine Life! Read more:Official
China Stock Market today... 2007-06-27 00:48:40 I'm not a big StockMarket
follower, but my wife is, and we both are buy stocks. Apparently, China
's stock market is going up in a big way. However, with all the buying going on there, there's the possibility of a bubble among Chinese shares, in other words... stock market crash very soon.
Catching up with Director Bill Guttentag by the Bund 2007-07-07 00:06:21 If you haven't seen it, go see it.As I said in previous posts, I worked on a movie about the Nanjing Massacre called "Nanking". Although I worked on the project for only 2 weeks, each day we filmed was intense and the deeper we got intoo the story, the deeper I got into what the Chinese went through during that massacre. Because of that movie, I developed an ever closer relationship with Nanjing and an understanding of the Chinese people and why China's ultimate goal is to be the best country it could be from now on...Last night, my wife Zoe and I spent an evening by the Bund and CJW with "Nanking" director Bill Guttentag and his wife, Marina. Over several glasses of wine and specatcular jazz from Shanghai, Philadelphia and Chicago, the four of us discussed Bill's visit to China to promote "Nanking", working with 50 Cent, hip-hop in China, and of course, why he chose to do the movie.Zoe, as a Chinese, was very interested in knowing why he made this movi Read more:Director
The Art Of War 2007-07-06 00:19:13 I lost my phone after DMC China last Saturday (Which was dope by the way!). I've lost the same phone at least about 6 times already, but always managed to get it back somehow. I guess it's destiny to let it go. But I got a new, slick Nokia for about USD 30 and I'm going to try to get my SIM number back at China Mobile today with my passport and 10 numbers I've dialed recently. Hope that works out.When in trouble, you must prepare early, Sun Tzu would be proud.I've been thinking about the book "Sun Tzu: The Art Of War" (Sun Zi Bing Fa) lately. It's one of the shows I'm working on for Soulfire. I've never read the book, but I've studied some exerpts from the novel in Classical Chinese class back in Midd. It's a part of China's army curriculum, Japanese business execs are required to read it for their companies, Brazillian soccer coaches use it in whooping the Brits (Sorry, Beckham... Good luck in LA!)... It's even been in the movie Wall Street: In the 1987 film Wall
1 Guangzhou woman saves 800 cats. 2007-07-11 04:30:23 Dozens of helpless cats trapped in wooden boxes in Guangzhou
Province.I've written quite a bit on stray cats in China, heck, I got a few myself, but dang it, this really takes the cake.A Guangzhou woman
finds a truck with 800 cats in it. Now this isn't more than one truck with 800 cats, this is just one. If you want to think of conditions these cats were under, think about conditions on slave ships about 400 years ago. That should help.About 30 cats died in travelling and quite a few were injured as they were transported throughout China under nasty summer conditions in this truck. A Guangzhou woman found this truck, but the truck owners wanted to sell the entire truck of cats for some 3,500 USD (a lot of money in China), but bought it for about 350 USD. Phew... Great, now these cats don't have to go to the chopping board.BUT, they are now all at her house, she has no job and the landlady is threatening to kick her out. SO sad...Apparently this lady has a blog/BBS asking for people
Transformers: the Movie - Turning Heads (And Bodies) In China 2007-07-17 04:46:10 Changing State King Kongs: Transformers
is in China
!It's been such a big topic here that I HAD to do a post about it.Last week I saw Transformers with my wife the first day it came out in the theatres. That's a big deal here cause if you tried to order tickets for the movie on the phone or even tried to get tickets at the box office, man... GOOD LUCK!!! When we went to get tickets, we tried to hit up all the early evening shows and nothing. We luckily grabbed a show at 10pm. Even though Chinese people, in general, like to end their evenings early, ESPECIALLY on a weekday like Wednesday, the theater was packed, the movie cinieplex needed to show it on two screens and that's how it went down. Don't believe me, check out this pic:"Optimus Line"... DAMN!!For those that you that don't know, Transformers has been a part of China for a while. I can't tell you how many times I've been told of some man or woman whose parents bought them Transformers toys straight from Japan or Read more:Heads
NANjing, NANning and now there's a NANchang too? 2007-07-15 09:06:36 Is this guy looking to get shot??? (In Nanchang, Jiangxi Province)Well, it wasn't like the city was just recently, but there are a lot of "Nan" (South) prefixed cities in China. I guess it's like "New" in the states. (New York, New Jersey, New Mexico.So I just spent a day in Nanchang for a show at "Le Nest" with DJ DSK and Drummer extraordinaire, Sam Debell. (aka Mind Disorder or Unity Productions) Yes, the show was awesome and Nanchang people are great. Although I was only there for a day, quite a few things there caught my attention:1. The Weather - It's is HOT! Way hotter than Shanghai and more dry.2. The Local Artists - There's a small hip-hop community in Nanchang, but it's tight. I met a beatboxer called "Popper" (Sorry bboys, he does not pop... or lock, just beatbox.) He's got a crew with an MC and a producer/DJ. I wish them all the best of luck over there.3. The National Army Pride - This city has tons of statues, museums and square
MC Hammer in China!!! 2007-07-22 03:29:19 Turn Up Yo Speakers... IT'S HAMMER TIME!OK, it's not actually the funky headhunter himself... but I found this on Shanghaiist (my blogging roots! I'll post soon... when I have freaking time...).This cat is from Jiangsu Province. Nanjing (my old hometown) is Jiangsu's capital. I never heard of him... Don't think he's an actual MC, but when I saw this, I absolutely went nuts. The spins, the pants, the oversized blazer and, of course, the Hammer
dance... it's perfect.This just goes to show how much hip-hop has made in the world today... however, I think MC Qiang Qiang here is a little behind. I think his grandma in the back sowing her grandson a new sweater thinks so too.Anyway, enjoy the video, and more - at your risk... Pure entertainment, folks.(Also, check out this post on Public Enemy coming to China
. Shanghaiist, ya'll have to send me some love on this post for the refferals... C'mon!)
"The Shanghai Show" with Aric Queen 2007-07-31 17:26:08 Learn About Shanghai
!Aric Queen
(mentioned in previous posts in MoJo In China) has once again created a fresh and enlightening show about the coolest city in the world (after NYC, hehe) called "The Shanghai Show". Check it out and learn more about Shanghai. If you like this (and you better like it...), check out Part 2!BTW, is somebody's birthday coming up?...
Gyms in China 2007-08-05 00:45:24 Rain is the official spokesperson for my gym in China
So what if he's from Korea, Rain knows how to run the Asian market and Asia's biggest market, China, is moving towards one goal: To be the best in athletics.Rain's got the body for it, tons of Chinese Olympic athletes are working their butts off to go for the gold (and they already are in international competition), now it's time to get the people off the couch and in the gym.Contrary to popular belief (in the west), most Chinese DON'T know Kung Fu and any kind of martical arts for that matter. You might see a lot of old folks doing the waltz on the street or doing a bit of Tai Chi, or some white collars coming home from badminton practice with their colleagues, but more and more people out here are hitting the gym.My wife Zoe and I recently joined a gym my my house at Cloud 9 Mall (Which is like a whole city in one building! It's got everything!) and at the very top, you got Weider-Terra Fitness. Lot's of dudes pumping iron l
Looking for escape within the big city? Take a boat ride in Zhongshan Park! 2007-08-06 18:35:34 Grandpa with the gray hair is gettin' down, yo!I spend all day in a studio. I could be at SOULFIRE or rapping over beats from Redstar. While being behind the mic is a freeing experience, it can also be a tiring one.Yesterday, my wife and I found a new way to relax while enjoying the great outdoors and not have to fly a plane, drive a car or even take a train (or subway or bus for that matter) to get there. The weather was decent, and I was with my wife looking for something romantic, new and fun to do so we decided to take a boat around Zhongshan Park. It's a cool ride, you can see plenty of old dudes playing the erhu and flying kites and old ladies dancing and doing taichi. Also some young folks hanging out (and making out) with their girlfriends/boyfriends.The boat was 30 kuai (about $3.50) including a 20 kuai deposit. (If you don't bust open the boat,You'll have enough to get a meal!) The water isn't the cleanest, but you can relax on the boat and do a ton of people watching. ( Read more:within
What's On Tonight: Back To The Roots 2007-08-10 21:50:29 For some good and origional Chinese hip-hop. Stop by 4Live and check out Back To The Roots. It's run by The Lab and it's got your boys, Redstar. Come through! Read more:Tonight
The county of the 'Nan'S'. Next stop: Nantong. 2007-08-14 18:04:58 Lately, I've been on this China 'Nan' thing. No, I'm not talking about 'Nan' bread, I'm talking about how there are so many cities in China that begin with 'Nan'!!!Today I'm taking a tip with DJ Mick over to Nantong. This isn't my first time there. I actually went there while I was a student at Nanjing-Hopkins to open for Singaporean C-pop star Liang Jin Ru.From what I rememeber, Nantong is a very industrial town in Jiangsu Province, just 2 1/2 hours away from Shanghai. Apparently, Nantong makes more money than Nanjing (capital of Jiangsu), but as I mentioned earlier, Nantong is heavy on industry, so I expect to see factory after factory and a bit of light smog in the air...
Xie xie, Li-Tong 2007-08-13 18:57:33 Redstar performing 'Friends' featuring Shanghai's first REAL songstress, Li-TongI'm sure some of ya'll already heard of her, so I'll just cut to the chase. If you're lost, go check out Li-Tong's blog at alive not dead. She's makin' things happen. Trust me:So I first met her at Soulfire hosting a show, saw her bust out a vocal on the show and was sold from that point on. Got her into the studio to work on a song with my group, Redstar. After all the lyrics were written and chorus was prepared (by yours truly and DJ Sickstar), we got all the info over to Li-Tong and made it happen. he recording was a success and so was our perfromance at the last Back to the Roots.Many thanks to Li-Tong for working with on this. we'll be in touch. For all those that want to hear 'Friends' check it out on Redstar's myspace site at www.myspace.com/redstarhiphop. DON'T SLEEP! THIS IS CHINA!
CSBA - China Street Basketball Association 2007-08-12 09:21:11 Trailer for 2006 CSBA.Next to working the mic at yesterday's successful back To The Roots Program, I, along with Tangking from Redstar, mc'ed an event for the CSBA, also known as the ChinaStreetBasketball
Association.The CSBA does actually exist and it's growing strong. Lots of kids out here in China strap on thair sweatbands and hit the courts showing off their crossovers and fresh lay-up. You might even find an Allen Iverson look-a-like.Anyway, yesterday's event was a game against New York's very own Mount Vernon Knights. They are all from NY and came to China excited and not really knowing to expect (well, playing basketball of course) Their flight was long, but they had fun playing agaist the Shanghai X-Battle team.Here's the interesting I noticed between the two teams (besides the fact that The Knights won 98-50 something...): Organization. The Knights came out in all Nike jerseys and shorts with their numbers alrerady printed on, while the Shanghai Team got the cheapest o
Buses to and from Nantong suck. 2007-08-16 18:14:29 China buses are quite gangster.Like I said the other day, I took a little trip to Nantong. The show went well and Dj Mick ripped it up. The Nantong Scarlet crowd is pretty good, even for a Wednesday.BUT the bus over was one crazy ride and so was the bus back, so I'm making this post into two parts dedicated to my fun trip, both conveniently named: The Bus Over and The Bus Back.The Bus OverGot on the bus and luckily I could fit into my seat cause there was no space between my knees and the seat in front of me. I thought the folks in front of me had their chairs in the reclined position... NOPE!!! All the bus seats were like this.The glass on the windsheid looked like they had bulletholes. Now China doens't allow folks to have guns unless you are the police or your in the mafia, and the mafia won't make their guns so obvious to the public... So this leads me to believe that this bus was used during World War II and it caught a couple of strays picking up folks.Next up, there was a poi Read more:Buses
Barganing in China, Le Sportsac, and Blind Foreigners... OH MY!!! 2007-08-16 07:19:59 Hey! I thought it was real!!!Heard a great story today via my wife and some of her clients on Le Sportsac, fake goods and not so smart foreigners in China
. A lady heads to West Nanjing Road and Chengdu Road to check out the fake market, it's a building full of fake goods: t-shirts, jackets, watches, belts, shoes -- and especially BAGS. This one lady was in for it and here's how laowai (foreigners) screw up the barganing process in China.Lady gets a Le Sportsac bag (like the one above, I'm not really into these bags, but apparently, some people are.). If you know anything about Le Sportsac bags, then you know they are expensive (Like 150 USD -- about 1,600 RMB). Lady gets a Le Sportsac for 30 USD (350 RMB) at the fake market and thinks she makes a steal. Of course, like any real sales person/hustler at the fake market, the sales person says: IT'S REAL!! NO LIE!! Lady belives hustler... ahem -- sales person.Key words: FAKE MARKETLady takes bag to REAL Le Sportsac store about 5 blocks Read more:Blind
Survivor: China 2007-08-22 04:01:55 The Americans are coming!! And they brought cameras too!!! AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!For all the Westerners (mainly those wacky Americans) out there, you all probably know that Survivor is coming to China
. For all the local Chinese out there, check out the clip above. This is Survivor, ya'll. Ten contestants (or some number, I don't know I watched maybe three full shows of Survivor in my entire life) go to an "exotic" part of the world, live off of the little resources they have in the wild and not get booted off the show by the TV watching audience...HARDCORE!!! IN CHINA!! WHAT?!?!?!?Wait a sec... China...I LIVE IN CHINA!! CHINA IS HARDCORE???I guess when I think of Survivor: China, I think of this:"- Can you survive rush hour through People's Square?- Avoid spit balls from oncoming bus windows in Tiananmen?- Run away from homless men and women on the subway with their cute and dirty three year-old daughter begging you for money and telling you "Uncle, uncle... I am hungry
China V-day weekend at Shanghai's Jin Jiang Amusemnt Park 2007-08-20 20:07:54 Life's a carousel at Jin Jiang Amusement ParkThis past weekend was China
Valentine's Day, so (once again) I showered the wife (and myself, hehe) with gifts and fun activites the entire weekend. We saw Cirque du Soleil's Quidam in Pudong, did some shopping in Esprit (Old school for the states, but extremely popular here for their sales), and went to the amusement park.Now I've been separate amusement rides in China (bumper cars and a ferris wheel or two) but never an entire amusement park. But you have to rememeber, an amusement park is more than the rides: it's the food, the sounds, the people and the culture, so last Saturday, Zoe and I took a trip to Jin Jiang Amusemnt Park.First of all, the place was packed (like everywhere else in China). Secondly, we were near a bus station, which means there's a lot of wai di (outside of the city) people coming in from out of town for a day trip to Shanghai
, to check out one of the city's hot spots (besides The Bund), the amusement park.En
What questions do YOU get asked in China? 2007-08-19 19:45:22 Cool song by XIV called 50 Questions.I was just checking out this video by my man XIV up in Beijing (representing Beijing first hip-hop group, Yin Tsang), and I found some inspiration to get up a post this Monday morning. Here's the top 10 questions
I get asked almost everyday in China
:1. Where are you from? (Standard question... I get this from foreigners too, except Europeans, they can smell the "American" on me.)2. Wow, America, that's a great country! What are you doing in China then? (This one makes me feel like I made a mistake living here!)3. How much do you make per month? (I just met you, man!)4. You are black? (Me:Yes.) But you don't look very Black. (What does black look like???)5. You are American? (Me: Yes.) But you don't look American. (Assuming I should look, ahem - white... thanks, media!)6. Do you watch the NBA? (White people get this too, it's ok. NBA is big out here.)7. What cities have you been to in China? (I hate this questions because it takes me a
NFL in China 2007-08-26 19:45:47 American Olive Shaped Ball is coming to China
!!This post is not about cooking, not about what you should put in your martini's or nachos, but about my favorite sport in the world - Football, American Football. And the NFL (National Football League) is looking to make waves in China. (Like another American sports leaague we know and love, the NBA.)Now this is a tough one. I agree that China's market is huge and that there's so much potential for football to grow out here, but I've talked with a lot of folks about American football in China and most say it's a very violent sport for very big people.Now, Gong Fu (aka Kung Fu) isn't the most peaceful sport in the world either, but then again it is culturally rooted. There are thousand year-old stories that every student in China must learn about heroes and heroines that were experts in Kung Fu and they made China such a great place full of wonder and excitement...Football heroes?... Only on ESPN...I have to admit, The NFL isn't givi
Congrats to all Soulfire Champagne winners! 2007-08-23 18:05:18 Happy Soulfire champagne winner Kinka Yang and MoJo. (He even got an autograph pic of host, Jenny Zhu!)I along with several Soulfire colleagues took a trip to Hangzhou last Wednesday to meet and greet the winners of Soulfire's champagne sweepstakes: Kinka Yang, Zong Yin and Jin Lei (who was away on a business trip, hope we'll meet again sometime soon!).Shocked and amazed Zong Yin is wondering: "Can I actually drink all of this?"It was great to head to sunny Hangzhou where we met up with two out of three friendly winners offering us plates of fruit and letting us relax in their luxurious spots while we gave them a free case of champagne covered in beautiful wrapping and all.Ater this trip, I realized how great it is to travel, even if it's only about 30 minutes outside of your door. It's good to move around and see how people outside your own neighborhood live.Hey Peter, where's MY free champagne???Hangzhou, as a beautiful city (With Xi Hu -- The West Lake!), has beautifu Read more:Champagne
Special Olympics in Shanghai 2007-09-26 18:38:57 China has heart.With all the buzz going on about the 2008 World Olympics
, we forget about those games that hit home. That's right, the Special
Olympics, an event that raises awarness and the importance of physical fitness for the mentally disabled. This is China's first time to host this event, and a lot of time, money, people and, most importantly, care has been invested in this event to make it happen. It's happening from October 2nd -11th.China has made huge steps in developing the physical fitness of this nation (as I've mentioned in previous posts), particularly since winning the Olympics Bid in 2001. China will be the first country to host the World Olympics, the Special Olympics and the Paralympics all within the span of a year. A huge step for a huge country.On to other Olympic news, my friend Mike Longe is competing to become an official Olympic Torch Bearer and he needs your help!Mike Longe, for as long as I've known him, has always carried a strong Chinese (even though Read more:Shanghai
Yue Festival 2007-09-25 18:43:31 Yue Festival
at Zhongshan Park on October 5th!Howdy ya'll. There's a lil' hoedown happenin' on October 5th. Whooo wee! it's gonna be a rootin' tootin' good time!!Ok... Let me stop... the Wild Wild West talk isnt working here...October 5th is the Yue Festival. Got a lot of great bands, Faithless, Ozomati and a musical onslaught of other local and international bands. Personally, I'm very excited about the performance by my Brooklyn brother (Didn't know he co-owns Nkiru Books with Mos Def! Small world!!) /hip-hop educator/the man Jay-Z calls extolls as the best lyrical rapper -- TALIB KWELI.Talib's take on performing in China is on-point and very real: "China has long been a dream of mine" says Kweli. "It's gonna be a privilege to connect with the country that will shape our planet's destiny."He's so right, shaping our planet's destiny. I can see where he gets it from. His dad and mom are college profs.By the way, the Shanghai Yue Festival is hosted by n
October 1st, China National Day is here!!! 2007-09-25 18:23:49 National Day is coming up! Raise those flags!Yes, it's China
's version of July 4th, except in the Fall and there's a lot more Chinese people running around in this country visitng every spot in and out of China for a week. It's bananas.I don't think you guys really understand how crowded it gets... Here's another video:They say that every human being needs at least three feet of personal space. National Day is when you give back those three feet away to the entire nation, litterally.I'm off to Guiyang with my lovely and smart wife, Zoe. She set up the trip... well... kind of... she used Ctrip and got us a good package. I've never been to Guiyang, nor Guizhou before, but I've heard a lot of great things. Apparently there's a few waterfalls to check out and stuff like that. I just know one thing... when 1.3 bllion people are on vacation at the same time, everywhere's gonna be packed! Happy National Day!Say goodbye to space and hello to body odor! Read more:October
, National
Remember: Wednesday, September 25th China's Moon Festival 2007-09-23 08:51:10 It's that time again...Just want to send a reminder to all you guys out there, whether you're in or out of China
. This Wednesday
the 25th is China's Moon Festival
. Check out that full moon cause this is as round as it gets all year long!The meaning behind the moon festival is really cool. Finally, it's one time of the year where the moon is complete and for those relatives and loved ones that are far away, you can share the moon with them and remember each other together.And on that note, here's a little diddy by Tao Zhe aka David Tao called "Yue Liang Dai Biao Wo De Xin" (The Moon Represents My Heart). This is a new and more R&Bish version (Respect to Deng Lijun! R.I.P. Keep the moon bright for us in heaven!!), but it's perfect for the '07. Enjoy!Dedicated to my lovely wifey, Zoe! Read more:September
, Remember
H&M in CHINA!!! 2007-09-20 19:58:49 Kylie Minogue helps my blog and H&M become popular. Kylie in SH for H&M Grand Opening on April 12th!OK, so this post is a little late, yeah, yeah... But the big news isn't in H&M's initial opening... it's in H&M's growth.Yours truly just picked up a copy of H&M magazine just outside of my complex. I took a picture with the lady so kindly handing out the magazine on the store to all passer-bys. (She needs the picture to show her boss!!) She told me what this was all for, and of course, it for the openig of H&M at Cloud 9 Mall, only two blocks from my house! I'm starting to see kind of a "Starbuck's trend" with H&M, cause you can find a local friendly H&M in just about any neighborhood in Shanghai. H&M's marketing team must be really tired, cause they work their butts off to get Shanghai's attention. Tons of signs around, but no date on the exact opening, the suspense is killing there people! (Opening is September 27th at Cloud 9 Mall
Typhoon (and MoJo) in China 2007-09-18 21:16:36 See that grey cloud? Under all that is me...Wipha's the name, and blowing crap down is it's game. My wife was off from work cause of it, I've cancelled two important meetings because of it and it knocked down my make-shift closet on my terrace... But it is by NO MEANS "Ripping Through The Shanghai Area". At least not the city center.Apparently, my wife checked out the news today and about 200,000 people were evacuated frm Shanghai's suburbian areas yesterday afternoon in preparation for this typhoon. As for central Shanghai, there have been some strong winds and a lot of rain, but, man... People are taking advantage of this "typhoon" and taking a day off to RELAX! Read more:China
, Typhoon
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