Chengdu Living

You could always count on a passive indifference to marijuana smoking in China from the authorities, but that attitude may be changing. Internet dealers have come to the attention of the Chinese media.

A recap of the most talked-about and well-loved stories on Chengdu Living in 2012, including a best-of list of forum posts.

In a milestone event for Chengdu’s cyclist community, hundreds converged at the center of Chengdu to participate in the Natooke alleycat bicycle race.

Known for minimal aesthetic and bright colors, fixed gear bicycles are appearing everywhere around Chengdu. I interview Jacob Klink, proprietor of Natooke Chengdu Bicycle Shop about this exploding subculture.

Last fall I spent six weeks working with a video production crew to tell the story of Chengdu. We ended up with three shorts: Mind, Body and Spirit, that present an inspiring picture of Chengdu’s culture, people and traditions.

Kung Fu dominates martial arts in Chengdu, but there is a small band of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners in the city. I met with Jamie and he demonstrated chokes on me before politely answering my questions.

I’ve been seeing a graffiti tag appear with ever greater frequency over the past year and I wonder: who’s doing this? I found out and interviewed him. Hear his story and check out his artwork inside.

Over the last 6 months, I’ve been raising my half-Chinese child in China, his home country. Recently I’ve been noticing how they treat him: they love him too much.

Lu Xun, one of the fathers of Modern Chinese Literature, is in the process of expelled from China’s textbooks. Read inside to learn more about what’s happening.

I love Chengdu, but I gotta go. I took a job as copy editor in the antithesis of the ‘Du: glitzy, glamorous Shanghai. Here’s what I think about these two cities after spending 10 years in Sichuan.