POSTMAN AND BIKE 07/11/2008
 

The postman's new bicycle sparkled in the sun. It's a model made by the Shanghai Forever (上海永久, Shànghăi Yŏngjiŭ) company:

 
 

It's not difficult to walk around China and spot poor translations, which makes it all too easy a target. For this reason, I'll try to keep this kind of thing to a minimum. However, this sign, in Qilihe District, was too good too pass up. Thanks to Jess for the spot.

 
 

On 7 July, the Olympic Torch Relay apparently went off without a hitch, but it was a bad day for trees in Lanzhou.

Firstly, the driver of the #71 bus decided to swerve onto the pavement outside the Xiguan Mosque, opposite our apartment block (directly behind the bus in the photo). It collided with a concrete telegraph pole (taking out electricity in much of the area for the rest of the day), which in turn toppled over, taking the tops off a couple of unlucky trees:

 
 

The Olympic Torch Relay passed through Lanzhou today. I decided to avoid the crowds, and instead took advantage of the traffic restrictions and walked up onto the overpass to try to get a clear picture of the mosque. To give it its full name: Lánzhōu Xīguān Qīngzhēn Dà Sì (兰州西关清真大寺).

Unfortunately, the sun was blazing down directly into the camera from behind the mosque, so the shot from the west side was impossible to control. I had to make do with this:

 
 

Just a few of the Olympics-related signs I've seen around Lanzhou recently. The Torch relay passes through Gansu this week. The revised route takes in Dunhuang (5 July), Jiayuguan (6 July), and Lanzhou (7 July).

As well as the explicit references to the Sichuan earthquake, there are also a few hidden ones. E.g. the use of 奉献 (fèngxiàn, meaning to 'respectfully give; devote', used recently in the context of charitable donations) and the mention of Gansu's low spirits (the south of the province was also affected quite badly). 

Strength in unity, fighting the earthquake, providing disaster relief:

 
 

Next door to the Bonsai Park is a small flower and fish market:

 
BONSAI PARK 07/03/2008
 

We found ourselves on Nánchāng Lù (南昌路) with plenty of time on our hands, and decided to have a walk around the Bonsai Park (金城盆景园, Jīnchéng Pénjĭng Yuán). It was a hot afternoon, better suited to just sitting under a tree (which seemed to be the popular choice among the park-goers), but we did a full circuit. When we finally did stop to rest, there was a woodpecker hammering away on the tree above us.
 

 
 

I was in the 'The East is Red Square' (东方红广场, dōngfānghóng guǎngchǎng. Map), taking photos of people feeding the doves (pigeons?). I got landed-on, and just blindly pointed the camera at my shoulder:

 
 

Liu Xiang is the reigning 110m hurdles Olympic champion. As well as a multitude of other endorsement work he does (clothes, milk, computers...), he's on the Coca-Cola Olympics Torch Relay ads on bus stops around Lanzhou. This one has been designed with the map of Gansu, showing the original route (before the changes to the schedule as a result of the Sichaun earthquake):
 

 
CPC BIRTHDAY 07/01/2008
 

Today is the 87th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. An apt day to post the following photos of a banner in the 8th Route Army Office of Lanzhou. It reads:

"Love your Party, love your country, love your people"

The banner is covered in messages of support for the victims of the Sichuan earthquake, sent by students from the Arts Faculty of Lanzhou University.