The new iPhones (and by this I mean the iPhone 5, and later models) have a nifty panorama function to complement the impressive cameras they already have in their phones. I have added a gallery of two panoramas I have taken recently, and will hope to add more after each ensuing trip out of town. The two there at the moment are Labrang Monastery and Xining.
I took advantage of the May holiday to head to Labrang for a couple of days. It was wonderful to get out of town. I hadn't ventured out to Labrang for nearly 8 years (since August 2006), and the differences were mind-bogglin. Roads were paved, the city had expanded and (blanket feature of modernization in China spoiler alert) added a handful of high-rise buildings. The monastery was mostly as I remembered it, but monastic and secular space seemed more clearly delineated... or perhaps I can just recognize the difference better now. I didn't see any monks playing Counterstrike in internet cafe's this time. There are also three (count 'em) coffee shops! It was a very interesting experience. The panorama here provides a (basically) South to North (left to right) look up the valley from the hill where the thangka is displayed during Smon lam chen mo (on the eest side of town) After returning from Gansu, my wife and I took a stroll to Xishan (West Mountain). I took a panorama there too, but it was a depressing one. I remember sitting on West Mountain with two good friends back in 2009 and marveling at how one could see across the valley almost unimpeded. Five short years later, a depressingly large number of (here it is again) high rises dominates one's line of sight. The image goes West to East (Left to Right) through Xining, and is taken from Xishan (which despite being called "West Mountain" is located in the Southwestern part of town). If you wish to see the images, please follow this link
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About TimAs you can see elsewhere on this webpage, I conduct research on ethnic minorities in western China. This blog offers semi-academic musings on the minutiae of daily life out here--the sort of information otherwise destined for footnotes. Categories |