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
Hey, China! Got problems with Flickr? Try "YuPoo". 2007-09-12 23:03:51 YuPoo, I Poo, We all Poo!!Granted, the name isn't very amazing, appealing or appetizing in any way, it sounds like a punchline from a third grade classroom joke, but it's memorable as heck and it whoops the pants off of Flickr
(in China
). YuPoo works for me!Why doesn't Flickr work? It all goes back to the Great Firewall of China. I won't give a lesson on it all, but it stops me from doing the things I loved to do on Shanghaiist and still do with Mojo In China - upload personal photos and make full use of my 1800 RMB Canon!Disclaimer: YuPoo has nothing to do with the actual substance and YuPoo is only in Chinese. Learn Chinese, man! Read more:problems
Journey of the "Nan"s: Back home to Nanjing! 2007-09-11 19:56:41 At Fuzimiao in Nanjing
.Don't get it twisted, I've been gone for a bit, but MoJo In China ain't over. It always takes me some time to find some inspiration and news from this huge country worthy of throwing up on this blog. Today, we're in for a treat. I've gone over a few of the "Nan" states, as I like to call them... Now it's time to take a tour through the most popular Nan of them all. My former home, Nanjing.I decided to take my wife Zoe on a trip to Nanjing for a weekend. It was her first time there and I wanted to give her a pretty memorable time there. I think I planned the trip pretty well and we went to some of the city's hotspots.1. The Presidential Palace aka Dr. Sun Yat Sen's Mausoleum - Sun Yat Sen's home and office. Real big place with a lot of 20-30's office style buildings, a nice little creek nearby and it's all in the heart of Nanjing. Man, I want to be president...Salute! (pic of Sun Yat Sen meeting with American Military Chief George Marshall) Ba Read more:Journey
Business cards - Great for networking... but I sure feel bad for those trees... 2007-09-29 01:39:35 Gotta catch 'em all - Card-e-mon!My wife got her business cards the other day from her school and it made me think... Business
cards aremore than a necessity out here, it's a way of life. Every professional job I've had out here, whether I was an English Teacher, PR Account Exec, Law Firm Consultant, or a Radio Presenter, I was always given business cards. Even when I attended Nanjing-Hopkins, the school had business card templates for all it's students to use.Networking is a big thing out here. In Chinese, we use the word chuan zi to describe one's circle. What's more impotant that your circle are your relations with those in that circle, or your guan xi. Business cards here in China are a means to having greater guan xi and make you more powerful, smarter and cooler a.k.a. gain mian zi or face.Let's say I, a foreign Chinese language radio show host, met a successful Chinese CEO out here in China and we exchanged business cards. Our meeting and business card exchange was as far Read more:Great
, networking
Back To The Roots 8 by The Lab 2007-09-27 01:23:28 Long poster, but fun party.An official fixture in the Shanghai music community, The Lab's Back To The Roots Block Party is back for the eighth time. Wow... Come through for a fun time with great local DJ's and MC's - like Redstar!
Backwards Vacation #3: Dragon's Palace Cavern 2007-10-10 19:55:44 We're still in Anshun and but now in the DragonPalaceCavern
. The cavern is quite deep and it gets pretty cold in there. The place is kind of like Howe Caverns, but in Chinese. Another main difference between the two are the way the tours are run. Back home, I remember that checking out caverns was a more scientific experience. Something like, "This stalagtite has been around for 5 million years based on carbon-based studies from the University of blah, blah, blah..." But in China, the approach is different. Every crack looks like a dragon, certain rocks look like monks, or the first emperor, or emperess or some sort of Buddhist god. My wife finds it kind of silly, and as do I (Must EVERY rock look like a monk protecting a god?), but I found something interesting...The tour, nor the tour group members were very scientific in the way they describe these rocks, but they are very visual, imaginitive and physically descriptive. I think this says alot... I've been told that in Read more:Backwards
, Vacation
Backwards Vacation #2: Huangguoshu 2007-10-08 19:08:36 Look out below!!Let's take a trip to Anshun in Guizhou Province, China. Anshun is about a 2 hour bus trip from the Guzhou's capital, Guiyang. But you can't mention Guiyang without talking about Anshun.Why?Because the biggest waterfall in Asia and one of the biggest in the world is in this tiny, countryside town of 370,000 people (Yes, that is a tiny town - in China!). That waterfall is called Huangguoshu.Look at all the green! And it's not money!Of course, when Zoe and I arrived at Huangguoshu during the holiday, there were tons of people, but that didn't stop us from taking in the sight of this massive natural wonder. Who would have thought that Anshun, a countryside town that most people in the world, let alone China, don't know about has such a great wonder?With China hustling and bustling to make that money and develop into the world's greatest industrial and economic dragon, we tend to forget that China maintains and celebrates its natural beauty, because this is what made Read more:Backwards
, Vacation
Backwards Vacation #1: Talib on Performing in China 2007-10-07 20:57:02 I hope to spend the next few posts on how my vacation went down. Keep your eyes posted. I'll put up stuff soon on my Guiyang trip with my aweseome wife, Zoe! But for now, we're going to work backwards starting with Yue Festival stuff.Here's a video by me with Talib Kweli on performing in China
. Sorry for the poor quality vid, but listen to what he says and tell me what you think. By the way, I was backstage for his performance and Talib was well recieved. I'm quite proud of this educated Brooklyn brotha. Very inspirational.Here's Redstar with Talib Kweli. Pic is kind of shaky, but yeah, that's us.Thanks for taking the pic, Siesta!The Yue Festival was a good time and I hope there will be another next year and for the future... heck, hope Redstar gets to perfrom there as well! More vacation stuff to come!Be on the look out with Redstar and Busdriver at 4live. Live music in China isn't dead. Read more:Backwards
, Vacation
, Performing
Smoking in China 2007-10-30 18:36:17 C'mon man... even Mao's doin' it, dude!In China
, people smoke like chimneys... no... even worse, smoke stacks.China's top product is cigarrettes (the 2nd is alcohol) and people out here spend tons of money on Zhonghua and Hong Shuangxi cigarrettes cause it's tradition out here. Hong Shuangxi, which means "red double happiness" in Chinese, is a Shanghai brand and is usually distributed in packs at weddings where the cigarrette's "double happiness" meaning relates directly to the married couple.It's hard to walk around China and not get a whiff of a freshly lit cigarrette, or even worse... talk to someone who just smoked! Get a mint!It's a big part of the culture out here and my boy Fred sent me this article from WSJ on cigarette smoking in China.The article is quite true though... smoking is a man's thing and in certain situations, a way one makes friends. Dated... I know, but it really works. Generally men trade cigarettes out here in hopes of making a new Read more:Smoking
Mr. Tsang - Family Business CD 2007-10-28 19:09:02 Urban Magazine - Left: Edison Chen, Right: Mr. Tsang's FamilyBusiness
CD - Keep you eye on the panda!!Last Saturday at Eno (Art by Us, Them, and You), DJ Mr. Tsang (ranked Shanghai's number 5000-something DJ) released a mix CD of Hip-Hop, Funk, Lounge and all kinds off-the-beaten-path music with a Chinese influence. Of course, Redstar is on the CD with our song, "My Show Sux".The CD really is something else. It mixes elements of international, no pop music with Chinese flavor and soul. If you in Shanghai, get this CD.Who said art in China was dead?
Beyonce In Shanghai 2007-11-04 23:06:42 Feng Le Zai Ai Qing Li (My literal translation of Crazy in Love.)It was about 5 months ago when my wife Zoe and I sat at Cold Stone Creamery at Cloud 9 Mall for "The Ultimate Ice Cream Experience" and I came up with the ultimate question... ("Will you marry me?" was in February, folks...)M - Who do you think will be the next foreign celeb coming to Shanghai
?Z - Christina just left... Maybe Justin?M - Yeah, he's cool, but what about Beyonce
?Z - Nah, her market presence isn't that strong out here...After a million Beyonce Samsung Anycall commercials later... She's here, TONIGHT!!!I was right lao po!! Emma should hire me!!!Anyway, enough with the boastful, "I was right, finally" husband talk, Beyonce is in Shanghai tonight and I got tickets! (Zoe wins by default anyway... she loves Beyonce.) Aparently all the front row 2000 kuai ($250) tix were all sold out. (Like I could afford them.)I hope her show goes well tonight. I'm a bit iffy on her reception out
Pandas + China = Concept Art 2007-11-04 22:59:10 In the end... She got paid to do this.This one was sent to me from my homegirl/college buddy Venessa. You can check out the entire article about this fashion show at Xinhua. Holler.I guess zookeepers won't have to tranquilize this one, folks. Read more:China
, Concept
Stampede at Family-Friendly Carrefour in Chongqing 2007-11-12 18:46:01 Stampede at Carrefour
A stampede happened at a Chongqing Carrefour where 3 people died and 31 were severely injured.Before I begin, a little background information. Carrefour is France's answer for Wal-Mart, except Carrefour's market presence in China is super strong and is know for their super low-priced sales.But I wouldn't want to be Carrefour's PR guys on this one.Apparently there was a bottle of cooking oil that was on sale for the day and the price dropped from about 50RMB (~$6 -- Or more since the Dollar is dropping!) to 11.5RMB (~$2) and the lines for this oil were crazy. Things in China are getting more expensive at a fast rate and any way to grab that good deal is basic instinct around these parts, even to the death? Read more:Family
, Friendly
RIP Donda West 2007-11-11 20:10:14 RIP Donda WestI don't know Kanye, but I've felt kind of a connection to him since performing hip-hop and studying in Nanjing. Kanye West's mother, Donda West - an English professor and former Nanjing visitng faculty, passed away last Saturday.Donda was a visiting professor in Nanjing. in 1987 (anyone know which school?), which to me, is crazy because I couldn't imagine what Nanjing looked like in '87, and it must have been a wild experience. She even brought her son Kanye along for the journey. I heard that when he was in Nanjing, Kanye spent time breakdancing (ahem... breakin' for all my real bboys and bgirls out there!) on the streets on Nanjing. Imagine that, a 10 year old little black kid amongst all these Chinese onlookers. I don't know if it is or isn't true, but it sounds like that family has made the best out of any given situation.My regards go out to the West family from China.
Long Vacations Cut Short, Traditional Holidays Finally Observed 2007-11-11 18:23:00 Enjoy that vacation you've always wanted, and not have to wait till may or October holiday!!My wife just told me some great news that's been on the boob tube for a bit. Those long, all-China vacations like October holiday and May holidays are gone forever starting next year! China, like most countries in the world, will offer workers their own choice as to when they want to take those weeks off during the year. This is apparently due to the disadvantages these long week vacations have on China.Generally, NO ONE works during these holidays and everywhere is packed and it's hard to purchase or book anything in this country... hotels, airplane tickets... anything. The more flexibility for these vacation times will distribute the number of vacationers out evenly through the year, rather than everyone taking off from work at the same time. (Imagine a 1.3 billion-person pilgrimige/exodus of sorts. Massive. Don't get it? Read this. )Next up, one-day holidays like Mid-Autum Festival, Tomb Read more:Vacations
, Short
, Traditional
, Holidays
, Finally
Fall is OVER. Welcome to China Winter 2007-11-18 18:19:40 Today, it's darn cold. Winter in China
is here and it's time to get those heaters ready and jackets zipped up.Winter in China can be a somwhat magical experience. Why? The air is a lot chillier which means the the air feels cleaner and fresher than it does in China's hot and sweaty summers. Also, it's more of an excuse to visit people's homes or stay in your home and have a nice little get together or be a bit lazy.The only issue is home insulation.Home insulation is China is pretty weak. The time it take for the water in your sink to become hot is even longer because the pipes run through concrete walls which are already cold as it is. Also, the walls and windows here for the most part are either not thick enough or well inslated enough to truly keep you warm (unless you are staying at a 5-star hotel or own a villa - maybe).The heater in your room will add some comfort, but the air will get dry. Humidifiers are key. Your skin feels like it wears down and becomes sandpaper after a Read more:Welcome
Linkin Park In Shanghai 2007-11-18 00:40:11 Lin Ken Gong Yuan (Linkin
Park in Chinese)Last time I saw these guys, I was with my boy Skek in Montreal, Canada in 2004. On the way over, we blasted Hybrid Theory, Reanimation and Meteora and sang every word like it was no tomorrow.Now... My wife has given me one of the best tickets I've ever been given: Tickets to see Linkin Park
in Shanghai
at Hongkou Soccer Stadium.It's a cold day today... But I'll dress super warm to see these guy rock the stage at the open-air stadium.Rumors have been spreading over the last two years as to whether or not Linkin Park will make a trip over to China. Their lyrics, loud style and emotional cntext have been viewed carefully out here by the government and people in China. But LP has a following and a market out here. So I hope this is all a good show.By the way, Beyonce was great, except one thing... the crowd had trouble responding to her performance. I think a lot of them were either scared or just couldn't understand Beyonce's very American En
Soulfire Blog and Shelter 2007-12-02 23:11:27 Soulfire Blog is up!Soulfire blog is up at Sina. Check it out and leave your comments.On other things... Check out The Shelter
in Shanghai opened up by DJ V-Nutz. That's all for now!
NPR about Hip-Hop in China with MoJo and Redstar 2007-12-13 18:15:08 Redstar on NPRWe're on NPR, but this isn't about self-promotion, it's all about hip-hop in China
. Check out the article here.Enjoy!(Thanks for the interview, J!)
China Christmas 2007-12-09 18:38:39 It's begining to look a lot like Christmas
!Sadly, this will be my first Christmas in a long time from home in the US, but I'm celebrating it with my new family out here in China
and I'm excited.Little do many know, but Christmas is getting big out here. I stopped by Carrefour in Gubei last night and the place is stocked with Santa hats, Poinsettas and table top plastic Christmas trees. Anything you need for Christmas decoration, they got it - and for cheap.It's a great time for shopping out here. XinTianDi is all over it. All the stores around the area are ready for big sales and deals over this Christmas holiday. Even JiuGuang near JingAn Temple pulling out all the elevator music versions of "Sleigh Ride" and "Jingle Bells".My only concern is do people out here know the true meaning of Christmas? Half of the name says it all: Jesus Christ. Now I'm not going to go into a faith/spritual tangent or eveangelistic push over here, but I don't see as many crosses or
More on The Yue Festival 2007-12-20 17:43:51 Here's a video I found on Shanghaiist on the Yue Festival
. It's a few months late, but whatever, it was such a revolutionary festival for Shanghai and China. I hope it happens again next year. Split Works did a great job. Look for your boy in the video.Video's kind of late, but it's nice to check out.For more of my posts on the event, click here and here.
Beatboxing in Taiwan 2007-12-19 23:18:17 Check out this cool duo beatbox skit from Taiwan
. Sent to me by my Co-worker Flora. Enjoy!
Assembly and My Blueberry Nights - Chinese Directors are hard at work!! 2007-12-19 17:50:56 Chinese movie directors are making it happen this year!!!Here's a new and super intense war movie by Chinese Director/Actor Feng Xiaogang called "Assembly
". My wife Zoe and I watched the movie's preview party last night on CCTV 6. There were about 10,000 audience members and tons of Chinese celebs at the party and they were all pretty hyped up about the flick. The movie takes place during the Chinese civil war in the early 20th century and is about a soldier who watched all his army comrades die in a bloody and violent battle. Based on a true story, Assembly is guaranteed to move you. It should be out in the states and around the world, so if you get a chance, watch it. Jerry Bruckheimer, eat your heart out. Here's the trailer: My Blueberry
Nights, starring Norah Jones, is a movie by another critically acclaimed cult movie director, Wang Kar Wai. You might have heard of him from Chongqing Express and 2046. I'll be performing at the My Blueberry Nights Shanghai release par Read more:Chinese
, Directors
How Hip-Hop is made in China 2007-12-17 21:35:01 OK, this isn't REALLY how it's made out here, but it's a funny and popular commercial in China
. But Redstar will NOT collab with this guy. Sorry.
New Addidas Olympic Commercial 2007-12-17 21:05:52 I see this commercial everyday on the metro out here and it's amazing. 1.3 Billion people... 1 Beijing Olympic
Games in 2008. Enjoy! Read more:Commercial
Bus Taxi - Order one and avoid the 4 kuai fee! 2007-12-26 11:27:39 Bus Taxi (Ba Shi Chu Zu)Winter's here, and there are those days where you don't want to snuggle up with 20 million other people on the bus or the metro. For 2 kuai (about 25 cents), that ain't THAT bad, BUT if you want to ride in style, you don't have your own car, and you still want to have enough for a coffee after your ride (Limos are like, what... 1,500 RMB/200 USD per hour here...) the taxi is the way to go... But I warn you, don't just ride any taxi, take the Bus... Ba Shi - that is. (Strange how a taxi company is called Bus... That's like calling your cat "Dog". Unforgettable, I guess.)In Shanghai,like most big cities around the world, you can order your own cab to pick you up from point A and take you to B. But all cab companies in Shanghai add a four kuai service charge, except one... Ba Shi Chu Zu. There is no servoce chage and should pick you up from where you are (as long as you are in the center of the city) within 10-15 minutes.So if you are in town, need Read more:Order
MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM CHINA! 2007-12-24 08:58:59
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU AND YOURS ALL THE WAY FROM SHANGHAI, CHINA!TO ALL MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS BACK HOME, I'LL BE BACK SOON WITH MY WIFE... COME TO CHINA, WE GOT AN EXTRA ROOM!TO ALL OUR PEEPS IN CHINA, ENJOY THIS HOLIDAY SEASON AND DON'T BUG US UNTIL 2008!! BAH HUMBUG! HAHAHA!HAPPY HOLIDAYS!Love, Peace and Hair Grease this holiday season!-- MoJo and Zoe
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