To the cunning vendor at Tianzifang: I ate both of those marshmallow-filled, synthetic durian flavoured sticky rice skin balls, whether I wanted to or not. On principle. If you're going to charge foreigners the same price for one sweet as you charge your countrymen for two, you'd better be sure laowai doesn't have enough stealth Chinese … Continue reading Tianzifang
My hotel in Shanghai is a beautifully restored art deco building, with lavish appointments including marble windowsills and bench tops, decorative crown mouldings and tasteful decorations. Entering the hotel, with bell boys making eye contact as they greet you, a subtle floral scent welcomes you as you make your way down to the reception. There … Continue reading Sensory contrast
Flower bloomed too soon Showing the promise of pink Inside browned petals.
Being in China without ready access to the internet made it simple to focus on the present, observe my thoughts and write about what I was experiencing. I need a strategy to continue thinking and writing now I'm home and have broadband and 4G on tap. The internet has been a compulsion ever since I … Continue reading Internet
A white woman practices tai chi earnestly. Her movements are precise. She bends deeply, flexible and strong. Her face contorts in concentration. She studies with an honoured master. A calligrapher sets up his materials A brush, a pot of water, the path His movements flow like his water As he dances his ephemeral poetry. The … Continue reading In the People’s Park
I was looking for the historical district along the canal when I took a wrong turn down a street full of bridal dress shops, and in between the bridal dress shops, bridal accessory shops. And in between bridal dress and bridal accessory shops, alleys with racks of bridal dresses and tables of accessories. I soon … Continue reading Wandering
East Side "Every corner is suitable for making poetry", and Here I sit, a freshly minted poet In a pagoda on top of a hill Surrounded by bamboo and birdsong Overlooking Sunzu's parade ground. Artist, scholar, and warrior are all one. North side Clouds melted in tea fragrance Now surrounded by tea bushes and the sound … Continue reading Tiger Hill
Sarah Bonnar 