MOJO IN CHINA

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The Legend of Bruce Lee

admin | 30 October, 2008 17:35

With 1.3 Billion people, you are bound to find a guy that looks like Bruce Lee!!!

The Legend of Bruce Lee is on CCTV 1 from 8-9:45 in China. Go watch it. It was originally meant to be shown during the Olympics, but it started after. Strangely, I think Chinese people know less about Bruce than Americans do.

This guy really does look like Bruce though. And you have to see his gestures... It's a mirror!!!

50 Moganshan Lu is the bomb

admin | 15 June, 2008 10:54

I need to go there more often...

The last time I was at 50 Moganshan Lu, I was working with the 'Nanking' movie crew at Art Deco. Zoe and I finally found a reason to go checking out second hand fleamarket for our friend Kuli.

The place is full of art studios, clothing designers, antique furniture stores, bookstores and cafes. It's the SoHo of Shanghai, but a bit smaller, more Chinese and trendier.

On our way out, I bumped into two Middlebury alums who also studied Chinese and now live in Hangzhou. They loved the place and would love to go back.

Here's more pics!

Speaking of the fleamarket, my boy Shige (You might recognize him as DJ Shige if you are around Shanghai) had his stuff on sale there and also runs his own little business on the side selling battle breaks and DJ equipment on-line and via e-mail at Scratch Temple. You can contact him at mail@scratchtemple.com. He knows his stuff.

HA HA HA: The Movie

admin | 02 June, 2008 10:42

HA HA HA

Yes, that's the movie's name. I think you know by now that it's a comedy. It features David Wu (You might have heard of him from Talk Da Talk) and one of my favorite comedy duos in China, The Back Dorm Boys. (They became famous in China and around the world for lip-synching a lot of Backstreet Boys and other English and Chinese pop tunes. See below:

Their expressions are just plain unforgetable...

Anyway, back to the flick. "HA HA HA" is a comedy about a baby from a rich family who gets stolen by a bunch of bad guys, but when the bad guys lose the baby, a poor family whose been trying a praying for ages to have a child gets the baby on their doorstep as a nice little surprise.

This movie (Like most Chinese comedies) starts off like a lot of Adam Sandler movies, really slow, silly and hard to follow, but as time goes along, you get into it. There are a lot of China related figures and themes in the movie, like the Chinese Boss who has a lot of money from some random business, the crazed internet bar junkies who think their lives are like an RPG computer game (played by the Back Dorm Boys), and how the baby flies into the poor couple's home via a huge pink balloon in the shape of a pig. (In China, the pig always stands for abundance and fertility.)

Give it a try!

The Forbidden Kingdon (Gong Fu Zhi Wang)

admin | 23 May, 2008 07:36

Jackie Chan and Jet Li... at the same time...

You know I had to do a post on this one. Zoe and I saw The Forbidden Kingdom just the other day. Actually, Zoe was more excited about this film than yours truly (Because she is more American than me!). When I heard about it, I wasn't all that shocked and amazed by it. I hear about Jackie Chan and Jet Li all the time out here. If I never learned Chinese and I didn't live in China, I would probably go nuts about this film. Even from it's trailer:

I thought the movie had some good fight scenes and it was nice to see Jet Li be goofy for a change (When he playes the Monkey King). Apparently he wanted to do a role like that for his daughter. The story isn't a real Chinese story by the way, and in certain ways, it's a bit no believeable, particularly for a Chinese audience. (I asked my wife if she ever read about anything like this in High School, she said very clearly... "NO.")

It's also interesting seeing Jackie Chan getting back to his "drunken ways". He's pushing 60 and he moves like a 12 year old in this movie. Really amazing. The role of the kid from Boston is something you see in too many US style Kung Fu movies (Look at The Last Dragon... LEROY!!!), but he's good with the staff.

I think the girl that plays the Pipa in the movie (Liu YiFei?) is going to get noticed in the states kind of like how Zhang Ziyi got noticed in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". To other parts of the world, she's the strereotypical attractive Chinese woman from China, who actually in China, looks normal. hehe. Hats off to Fan Bing Bing (the one with the long white hair). Besides looking like a videogame vixen, she's made a small place for herself in the Hollywood market.

Overall, this movie makes me wonder... Why don't more people in China study Kung Fu? Noone knows it out here. Actually, a lot of When I saw this movie, it made me think that a ton of folks around the world think that in China, all we do out here is fight. Like, when I go to work, I have to battle 10 people at once, no weapons - just fists, bare-chested, on the Line 3 train (or 4) so I can make it to my stop on Hongqiao Lu... That's crazy!

Anyway, Zoe and I were pretty happy to watch this movie together. It's good family fun.

Nanjing... we back in tha building!

admin | 14 May, 2008 07:25

1912 in Nanjing

Once again, I returned to Nanjing and when I arrived, I realized so much has changed. Firstly, the town is a lot greener with more trees. Secondly, there are way more foreigners living there than I've ever seen. Lastly, 1912 has finally become a huge part of Nanjing's dining, nightlife and overall entertainment experience.

1912, as you might know, is called 1912 because in 1912, Nanjing became the capital of China with the country's first president, Sun Yat-sen. (Not far from 1912 is the Presidential Palace.) 1912 was a great time for Nanjing because it shows Nanjing at a time when it was bustling and becoming the true epicenter of China.

Almost 100 years later, it's getting back to that feel from 1912 at the formentioned entertainment district. Full of cuisines from Thai, local Chinese to KFC and more bars and clubs that you can shake a stick at. I perfromed there with Chivas last Saturday night at a place called Fei Bi Club (aka Phoebe Club). The place had a bit too much neon lights and metalic frames for my tasts (which is very common in Chinese clubs), so I did take a trip to Little Scarlet along with my wife, DJ Melkman, along with local friends Yuichiro (my Midd class mate and GT representer), Miki (From F&W and in-nanjing.net) and his girlfriend, and Kai.

If you're looking to move away from the 1912 spots, I would sugest two more places also worth checking out:

Nanjing's Underground Mall (aka Fashion Lady)

You want sneakers, high heels, dresses, shirts, hats and sunglasses for cheap (or relatively cheap), you got it all here. There's like 2-3 floors ful of tiny stores where you can bargain for all your clothing needs. I find that the fit for most of the clothes here is a bit small for me, particularly in the shoes department, but otherwise, it's great if you are a gal looking for a bargain and different styles that, chances are, other people won't have.

The place is full of people, I would recommend going on Sunday afternoon where it is a little easy to walk through. The spot is not far from Xinjiekou across the street from Dong Fang Shang Cheng Shopping Mall (which now has the real Gucci and Armani stores???) near the Jinling Hotel.

Planta

Planta is a Thai food/lounge/bar/club in Nanjing. It's pretty far away from other clubs and kinf of hard tofind because it's way behind some science building. When you areive at Planta, you'll find plenty of couches, dimmed lights and chill music. When I was first there with Aric in '06, there was noone there. Last Saturday, When I was there with Zoe, I thought I was at Glamour Bar on a Friday night. It was packed with people, Chinese and foreigners alike, all dressed in black with downtempo and acid jazz playing and folks schmoozing. Call it pretentious, call it cool, but this is a change for Nanjing, finally, an alternative for all.

Anyway, that's all for now. This Friday is Hangzhou at Lin Ping Ben Se.

This weekend in Shanghai... Which I will miss...

admin | 24 April, 2008 16:47

Brubeck Braid

I'm missing a weekend of good music to work in Suzhou and Jiangyin this weekend, so whoever is reading this and will be in Shanghai this weekend, please enjoy these for me!

Jazz superstars Matt Brubeck (familiar last name? Son of Dave Brubeck, who is a dope jazz pianist...) on the cello and pianist/composer David Braid are going to play some nice jazz/classical sets. Check out more at City Weekend.

Nas is supposed to be here tomorrow. Hopefully with no visa issues... It's at Racks... (Don't they also have one in Hong Kong?)

So while I slave away with Chivas 12 y.o., enjoy this weekend, ya'll! I'll have some updates on both cities, just like last weekend, for ya'll soon!

Ashanti and Zhang Xue You do a duet?

admin | 23 April, 2008 18:02

The Way That I Love You by Ashanti

OK, I lied... there's no duet, but is it just me or does Ashanti's "The Way That I Love You" sound a little like Zhang Xue You's (Jacky Cheung) "Yi Qian Ge Shang Xin De Li You" (how to translate... A Thousand Reasons That Cause My Pain...). Check out that piano! Is the riff from a classical song or something?

"Yi Qian Ge Shang Xin De Li You" by Zhang Xue You (Jacky Cheung)

Anyway, Zhang Xue You's is first to begin with... Just look at the video! He's got that early 90's look going on there. You can't miss that.

Both are great songs in my book.

Cool vid on The Lab

admin | 23 April, 2008 10:33

Check out this video on The Lab (Shi Yan Shi) in Shanghai and check out how these guys live, eat, sleep and breathe DJ! (In Mandarin Chinese)

(Towards the end, there's a bit of a surprise... for you AND me both!)

MoJo in Good Magazine

admin | 23 April, 2008 06:23

Chillin' with the China peeps

Firstly, I want to apologize about MoJo In China's mysterious disappearance from the web. It's been about a year of MoJo In China and we've grown up A LOT... Which means my website expired. But we're back with more posts.

Speaking of getting posted, internationally, I was recently featured in Good Magazine about Strangers in a Strange Land. Decent name for a post, but I defeinitely don't feel strange here... Wanna see strange? Go to a third (or second if you in eastern or southern China) tier city karaoke or club at around 12am. That's strange.

Good Magazine has done some really good stories lately on China, particulary leading up to the Olympics. I bet all the Tibet related stuff going on in the world is really blowing up their mag. Anyway, thanks for the article and great pics, Ariana! I'm still waiting for my copies!!!

Chinese MSN users aren't very happy...

admin | 16 April, 2008 14:40

The heart of a bilion people coming at you on MSN

If you go on MSN messenger, and you got friends from China on your list, check out their names... Most likely you'll find a heart and CHINA in bold letters next to the heart. It's a freakin' phenomenon, man. I have about 30+ people on my list with hearts all over the place... (See Example...)

I thought it was Valentine's Day... again!

This is a new and interesting form of support by most Chinese MSN Messengers for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics in response to comments made about China from CNN and other media outlets we all know and love. The topic? It's one that I hear about all the time everytime... Tibet (Xizang in Mandarin) and the Bejing Olympics.

Check out this Chinese blog post on the topic and the comments below.

Thoughts?

UPDATE: Now people are saying don't shop at Carrefour, don't buy French products... What is this? World War II? Oh well.. At least Carrefour won't be as crowded now... =)

Nas in Shanghai

admin | 11 April, 2008 11:28

I'll believe it when it's all 100% confirmed.

More info here...

Congrats to Jay-Z and Beyonce!

admin | 07 April, 2008 12:14

It's official!

This doesn't particularly relate to China, BUT it's interesting to me!

Congrats to Jay-Z (Brooklyn!!) and Beyonce for tying the knot. Welcome to the club!

Now, let's get you guys both to China this year for a show! To Jay-Z... Yeah, you tried to come through once before... I wrote about that. We all know you got that big $150m tour coming up with Mary J. Blige. Make it happen in Shanghai, homey... Beyonce did it with Chivas!

And now... for another MoJo and Zoe karoke favorite... Upgrade You.

China Eastern, Strike, What?

admin | 07 April, 2008 09:04

A stike in mid-air? Get outta here...

There are two things in my life I believe to be unheard of: 1. A strike in China 2. Pilots having a strike in mid-air.

That's what happened this past weekend with China Eastern pilots where 200 pilots in mid-air flew back to their original airports after taking off.

How did they break the news of the strike to the passengers? They didn't. They just said that the weather was unsuitable for flying and that they had to return to the original airport. And so the strike began.

The China Aviation Authority says it didn't happen, but that might be them trying to save face. Apparently, pilots are upset about being overworked and underpaid. China Eastern is dishing out the punishments...

As for me, I like China Eastern's prices... They are quite low... maybe that's why the pilots are upset...

My favorite and the best Chinese R&B Artist is Fang Da Tong

admin | 04 April, 2008 14:06

Fang Da Tong aka Khalil Tong

You've probably heard of Zhou Jie Lun (Jay Chou), Tao Zhe (David Tao), Lin Jun Jie (I think his alias is JJ Lin), and Wang Li Hong (Ummm... Wang "Leehom") reigning in as the current (and "only") kings of Chinese R&B... Well get ready, cause there a new soulful flavor in town, and his name is Fang Da Tong!!

Don't let the quirky glasses fool you (Glasses are smart! So what we can't see?!), he's got more soul and blues in his pinky finger than mosts artists have in their whole body out here. He's got fans too.

By the way, he writes his own music, plays guitar and piano... He's an artist. With a capital A. His recordings do his live shows no justice, however, but it all sounds good to me.

Here's a few videos you can check out... The first is his big hit called "Love Song" which might remind you a bit of Jon B mixed with Tyreese and the second one is called "Nuan" which means "Warm" in Mandarin Chinese. "Nuan" is a mix of Musiq Soulchild and Babyface... I think he gets Justin Tmberlake on this one!

But don't take this guy as a carbon copy of American R&B, his lyrics carry a ton of Chinese depth, thought, and life with some soulful flavor and smooth harmonies that will brighten your day...

(This isn't an ad, ya'll... I think a Chinese dude making amazing R&B in Chinese perfectly is a miracle! And as an artist myself... It is needed.)

Mr. Fang, if you are reading this, connect to Redstar on Myspace. We'll make a real Soul/Hip-Hop album for China. Believe that.

Redstar video for Fullbright Scholar Angela Steele and Lila Babb and their project, DONG TING

admin | 04 April, 2008 12:29

Enjoy.

Redstar

Qingming Jie aka Tomb Sweeping Day

admin | 29 March, 2008 20:13

Tomb Sweeping Day, 4/4

Hey All! It's your boy MoJo again with more China, straight from China. Just want to first send my apologies about DJ Kentaro yesterday because Redstar actually sadly did not perform last night... But there will be more chances to see us do our thing!

Back to the post. Last Friday at work, I checked my schedule at Soulfire and realized that we have a day off next Friday. This is great since we've worked pretty hard these days trying to makes our shows so great, that starting in April, we'll also be broadcasting in Chengdu on Ming Jiang Radio!

So on 4/4 (which is kind of funny cause that's "si si", which sounds similar to "Dead Dead" in Chinese), most folks will be off for Qingming Jie also known as Tomb Sweeping Day.

In short, Tomb Sweeping Day is a big holiday in China all about visiting the tombs of your ancestors, sweeping their tombs and leaving them gifts like flowers, wine, chopsticks and stuff like that. Frequently people burn paper that looks similar to old money.

This is a very old and traditional holiday in China, and for many people to get off this day is China next step in helping people rememeber and take the time to celebrate this holy holiday in China.

I ppersonally don't have any relatives to visit out here, and my wife says that we don't either, but I wouldn't be surprised in on Thursday, I get a call from Dad and Mom telling me that we're headed to the Temple for some reason...

It has begun...

admin | 25 March, 2008 08:00

The Olympic Torch is lit and ready to go!

After years of commercials, widespread reminders and TV ads... The Olympics Torch is on the go through 5 continents!

But y'know... there will always be some backlash...

Protester

Anyway, with al that's going on with the world and China, the show must (and WILL) go on.

To tell you the truth, I'm most focused on who will be the FINAL torch bearer for this year Olympic games? Will it be Yao Ming (Get better soon!) or Liu Xiang? Hard to say...

Look for Urban Culture in China via Urban Magazine

admin | 21 March, 2008 10:07

Urban Magazine

Who said China doesn't have street culture?

Urban Magazine is a free, Chinese language mag on urban life in China. They cover mostly Chinese street fashion and gear, but also get into a bit of hip-hop music and general hip-hop trends in China.

Again, it's free and you can pick 'em up at The Lab.

On this month's cover, China's bad boy of 2008 Edison Chen is on the cover... No dirty pics though... I just read this copy and it's cool with a bunch of old school pics of Nike in China in 1984 and Eno's premium line mixing street wear with Chinese minority attire. Slick.

On the topic of urban lifestyle and music, if you are in Shanghai tonight, do check out Quality Control/The Lab Second Year Aniversary at The Shelter with Redstar and DJ Roli Rho.

I just found out Roli Rho's been to Shanghai about 6-7 years ago to play, so that goes to show that Shanghai's history in hip-hop and the international scene goes pretty far back.

And China's Premier is...

admin | 18 March, 2008 14:42

Wen Jiabao (I think he's thinking... "You press guys give me a headache THIS BIG!!")

Honestly, I didn't know Wen Jiabao was going for re-election until today. I used to not understand why most people in China didn't know about Chinese elections... but now, I understand. It isn't like another election (slash paegant) happening this year that everyone in the world knows about.

(Actually, the news for the American Elections is bigger than most Chinese news... Shhh... Don't tell anyone!)

Anyway, I checked out the boob tube today and saw Premier Wen in all his glory while I was at my favorite Lanzhou Ramen place... It was so ironic because while in the Lanzhou Ramen spot, as an American, I listened to Premier Wen (in very clear and slow Chinese) talk about all my favorite issues (Both begin with a capital T...): Tibet and Taiwan.

I want to keep my blog, so I'll just leave it at that! But I'll say this... There a lot of changes and things happening here in China...

(But I loved being able to have a great Strawberry Milkshake with my wife last night at Metro Town.)

Will Chinese Hip-Hop ever take itself seriously?

admin | 18 March, 2008 14:09

Dragon Tongue Squad

I read this article on the Dragon Tongue Squad in the UK Royal Opera House a few minutes ago. Once you open the page, bam... there's one out of 5 stars for the perfromance. I read City Weekend's post about Yin T'sang's latest album, and you can check their review here...

Two stars... and that's from a magazine IN CHINA...

I know these groups and they are good people. So what's with all the bad press? It's aweful... but is it the fault of the reporters or the fault of the artists themselves?

Reporters will see what they want to see and report stuff as they see it. Hip-hop has been generalized and stereotyped in so many ways. When groups from China come out with repeating already used terms such as "Hustler", "bling" and talking about "gangsters",and dressing like someone you're not... They need to stop it and think about something different to discuss and a new way to express interesting material.

Then again, reporters need to open their mind about hip-hop in China. Why? Because a lot of rappers out here are rather limited lyrically due to censorship, China's exposure to the ouside world (particualry recording hip-hop music in China) has come of age since the last decade), and China is still searching for it's VERY OWN hip-hop culture... Don't diss it until it's ripe and ready...

But maybe that's what hip-hop needs out here... It needs a kick in the pants and for some people to wake up in this country and start taking things to the next level. A more serious level that demands respect.

One that note, some shameless self-promotion...

Redstar is opening for DJ Roli Rho at The Shelter this Friday Night for The Lab's Second Year Aniversary Series and we'll be at Pause this Sunday, also at The Shelter. Do yo' thang, Gary.

Respect Is Given If You Take It. Redstar Is Revolution.

Back To The Roots. This Saturday. It's March Maddness.

admin | 03 March, 2008 10:24

A lil' bit of shameless self promotion won't hurt...

A lot of folks ask me, "When can we see your shows?...", "When can we see you perfrom?...", "Who is Redstar?"

Well... Do yourself a favor, stop asking and come out to Back to the Roots this Saturday (3/8, Happy International Women's Day!!) at The Shelter.

Experience great music and great fun in China.

"Xie Xie Ni Men De Pei He."

Linger (Hu Die Fei)

admin | 02 March, 2008 12:53

"Linger", the movie

Last night I checked out a movie with my wife called "Linger" its a cool movie about a lady who loses her lover in a car crash and three years later, he comes back in her imagination from pergatory to help him become free (like a butterfly) and go to heaven. It stars Li Bing Bing and one of the memebrs of F4, (old boy band from Taiwan). The story is simple, yet romantic with hints of the paranormal. Great date movie.

Li Bing Bing is a popular actress from Heilongjiang province (waaaay up North!). Her most recent claim to fame is being the first Asian spokesperson for international luxury products merchandiser, Mont Blanc.

Watch out Zhang Zi Yi, here's Bing Bing!

Li Bing Bing pictured with Chow Yun Fat (one of my favorite Action stars!)

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