China

This is a new photo from the Great Wall of China. It is taken from a rickety cablecar, climbing up a hill in Simatai. We passed an older blind gentleman playing an erhu on the way to the cablecar on the hillside. I was pleasantly surprised to hear the small erhu all the way up on the way to the wall in the cablecar.

On our way to the 2008 Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony. Kitty was wearing a gorgeous red dress - making her easily the best-dressed and prettiest spectator.

2008 Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony crowds. Around 100,000 spectators, performers and staff attended the event. The ceremony was directed by Zhang Yimou, who's movies I've been admiring for years. The Ceremony was the greatest spectacle I have ever witnessed, opening with 2008 fou drummers and finishing with this scene of the athletes pouring to the National Stadium.

I brought several packs of fuwa, the Beijing Olympics mascots. They made for an interesting composition in my carry-on.

The Egg, officially known as the National Centre for the Performing Arts, massive brand new building of outrageous design. It is fully surrounded by water, and the reflections make for a symmetrical composition.

Vase with a tiny tree inside Forbidden City.

Temple of Heaven

Another shot of the Great Wall of China. The subject might not be immediately recognizable; the squiggly vertical line in the center of the frame is indeed the Great Wall, and watchtowers are visible on the right side of the frame.

Emperor Qin Shi Huang (aka Shih Huang-Tih, "First Emperor") started building the Wall in 221BC. He established the Qin Dynasty after uniting the various peoples of China for the first time in history. He is the same emperor who build the massive Terracotta Army, and was introduced to western popular culture in the visual fireworks of the movie Hero.

This section is near Beijing. I went for a classic sepia tone in this shot to emphasize the ancient magnificence of the Wall.

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The Great Wall of China is immediately recognizable in this shot.

One of the lesser-known facts about the Wall is that its main function was not to physically stop northern "barbarians" from entering China. It is clear that although the wall is 5-8 meters (10-18 feet) tall, it is possible to scale for any determined enemy force. The main function of the wall was to act as a massive guard post and means of communication in case of such an invasion. The watchtowers were guarded, and signal fires and smoke signals were used to signal enemy presence. The messages were passed from tower to tower, reaching generals faster than any messenger could.

The Great Wall is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it is a fitting symbol of Chinese unity and longevity. This shot is striking for me as it gives a glimpse into the incredible hardships humans had to endure to build over 6000 kilometers (4000 miles) of the wall. Although the Great Wall is, well, great, it is minute compared to Mother Nature's creations.

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This was shot in a small village on Li River near Guilin (Gweilin) in the Guangxi province in Southern China. Guilin is widely considered to be one of the most picturesque places in China, and I agree completely - the area is highly recommended to anyone interested in travel photography, or just to see the stunning scenery.

This elderly gentleman was relaxing in a doorway, and I was struck by the contrast between his weathered looks and the colorful laundry. I motioned at my camera, he chuckled a bit in agreement and I took some shots. This is one of my all-time favorite photographs, and at the same time one of the first "real" photos I've taken.

See a map of where this photo was taken!