The Writing On The Wall

They scribble their messages hoping to find some semblance of meaning in the effort, but eventually the succumb to futility. All that remains is the writing on the wall they’ve left behind. The irony is after many years have passed, people will happen upon this writing, and in their effort to make sense of it, …

Liu Xiang’s Nightmare

He dreams about these obstacles. There is no unobstructed path. Whereever he turns, they are blocking his escape. He will never be free of them. The only difference is that in his dreams he does not run towards them, but runs away. This work by @thebeautythatstillremains is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.5 …

He’s Got The Blues

The drummer likes to bang the drums. He is noisy and blessed with rhythm. He does not have many friends. When he’s on stage, he’s in a world of his own. The rest of the band does not understand him but they couldn’t do the show without him. The drummer’s got the blues. And he …

Heroes

They plaster their heroes onto the walls and billboards so no one ever forgets them. They will forever be larger than life, a paragon of what’s possible, a reminder of your own failures. They look down upon us as all heroes should, and they have reached a level of immortality we all dream of. But …

Sunny Side Up

They say that street food is a form of culture. It is historical. People have been eating the same things for hundreds of years. It informs their way of looking at the world. But no matter how you look at it, it isn’t vegan. This work by @thebeautythatstillremains is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share …

Patriotism

Nothing stirs the heart in a patriot like the site of her nation’s flag blowing agains the blue sky. This work by @thebeautythatstillremains is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.5 China Mainland License.

The Minstrel

An artisan works for money. An artist works for love. The minister governs for civic duty or illicit bribes. The minstrel plays for the laughter of god above. An artisan makes the same piece every day. An artist never does the same thing twice. The minister ignores the cries and cheers of the people. The …

The Definition Of Cool

cool |ko ol| fashionably attractive or impressive: I always wear sunglasses to look cool. • excellent: [ as exclamation ] : A computer you didn’t even have to plug in. Cool! • used to express acceptance or agreement: If people want to freak out at our clubs, that’s cool. This work by @thebeautythatstillremains is licensed …

Dried Fruit

In times of drought or social upheaval, famines can occur. It’s not that there’s not enough food. The problem is the food is not distributed in a way that the poor have access to it. People are starving to death while others in the city are as fat and jolly as can be. This does …

Flowers In Beijing

Where Flowers Come From

Farmers used to plant seeds, and let things grow gradually. They plowed, sowed, and watered the ground, plucked up weeds, fought battles against crows and insects. If all went well, they would have life. Now, farmers bring in their plants on trucks and put them in the ground already in bloom. This kind of activity …