Tancho - Sacred Birds of the Orient 东方圣鸟丹顶鹤

Anybody who visits Hokkaido in winter should consider a trip to Kushiro to see the beautiful tancho (Japanese cranes). My favourite spot to see them is at the Otowa Bridge around the sunrise time when the misty river adds to the dreamy atmosphere. In about one hour after the sunrise, the cranes would start to fly away from this warm resort during cold nights. More photos of cranes can be found in Tancho - Sacred Birds of the Orient.

冬日的北海道之行都应包括钏路一程，为了看日本丹顶鹤。我最喜欢的观鹤地点是日出时的音羽桥，这是小河水上含烟，更增加了神秘梦幻的气氛。日出后一小时左右，丹顶鹤就纷纷飞离这个夜间避寒之所。更多丹顶鹤的照片在相册东方圣鸟丹顶鹤中。

Happy Year 2013! 2013年快乐！

Just back to Beijing from the snow world of Hokkaido, in time to greet the arrival of year 2013 at home. May the new year be filled with beautiful new dreams, unforgettable moments and lively expectations. Let the life be "facing the open sea, with spring warm and flowers blooming".

刚刚从白雪皑皑的北海道回到北京，赶上在家静静度过2012的最后几小时，等待2013年的来临。愿新年里充满美丽的新梦想，许多难忘的时刻和活生生的盼望。愿我的生命如同“面朝大海，春暖花开”！

Orchids from A Dear Friend 好朋友抱来了一盆兰花

A good friend came to see me yesterday and brought these beautiful orchids. I've always loved orchids. Now these flowers are brightening up my room and warming up my heart.

好朋友来看我，竟抱来一大盆三株兰花。我始终爱兰花，如今这些花在家里静静地开着，养眼又暖心。

Silk Road in China Route Planning 中国境内的丝路

While trying to write a travel journey of our trip to sections along the route of the ancient Silk Road in China during the summer, I looked at this map I drew when planning the trip. It may be even helpful to people who are doing their own planning, with the distance between important stops and available modes of transportation.

计划写一篇丝绸之路游记的时候，又看了我做旅行计划时自己画的线路图，也许对正在做计划的人有一些用途，有各主要城镇间的距离和可使用的交通方式。

Little Snow Man 小雪人

Somebody loves snow as much as I do. It was such a delightful encounter with this little happy and proud snow man on the street side on my way to the subway station. I visited him again on my return, and sadly he'd lost some body mass from melting and the smiling mouth tilted too. I took a photo as well but do not have the heart to post it here.

有人象我一样爱雪。这个小小的骄傲而快乐的雪人儿，站在路边的矮墙上，在我去地铁的路上向我微笑。一次多么愉快的偶遇！回来的路上又去看他，却化得瘦了一圈，嘴也歪了，也拍了一张，但不忍放上来了。

Snow! 下雪了！

When I opened the curtains this morning, I got what I wished for. It is snowing! Rarely one has the right mood and time to sit in the bed and watch the falling snow from the windows for as long as one likes. That was what I allowed myself to do and to indulge. I've always loved snow - beautiful and pure messenger from the unreachable above. Perhaps I should consider a weekend outing on the Great Wall. 

早晨打开窗帘的时候，竟看到了我一直盼望的：下雪了！大概人们很少有时间和心情一大早坐在床上看窗外飘雪，想看多久看多久，而我在今晨允许自己这样沉醉了一次。我从来都爱雪，当它是美丽而纯洁的从上天而来的信使。也许这个周末该去长城。

Morning Exercise on the Bund 外滩晨练

A few visits to Shanghai are enough to change the perspective from which I view the city. When I was sitting at the open window of an old Shanghai hotel with some Tango music playing and pigeons making circles around their dwelling on top of a red roof, I sensed a unique romantic appeal of Shanghai that one can certainly indulge in.

In Shanghai one feels lighter, like a passer-by, fascinated by a fine mixture of imported and in-grown cultures that is the hallmark of the "Oreintal Paris". 

Tango in Buenos Aires 阿根廷探戈

Missing this scene and this day... about a year ago, I was watching with awe the tango danced at a street corner cafe in the District of San Telmo in Buenos Aires - the best Tango I'd ever seen. Now it's time to be out far again to catch inspirations from lives lived in a different world.

怀念这一天、这一个场景：布宜诺斯爱利斯街头的探戈，大约是一年前，让我惊艳，记忆中看过的最好的探戈。又该远行了，去一个不同的世界，看一看不同的生活。

Something that has not changed 物是人非

The deep autumn rain feels colder and wetter when it washes down leaves and brings the City of Beijing into early winter. Yet the fan-shaped Gingko leaves are showing their most vibrant colour, the very scene that stayed the same as 20 years ago, when I left the city for a young woman's adventures.

One normally doesn't get the feeling of "things are the same and people no more" in the ever-changing Beijing nowadays, but when the beautiful Gingko leaves fell, dancing in the air before landing in front of my walking feet this morning, my heart was tightly gripped by such a feeling - a cold, wet and thick tenderness. There may be some knots made along the long thread of life. At these knots, an old time dies and a new one takes over. Aren't these Gingko leaves flying through the knots, through the dead times into my living days?

物是人非的感觉在北京这样快速变化中的城市不太常有，而今晨雨后深秋的银杏树叶飘落在我脚前的一刻，心里瞬间充盈了这种感觉，浓浓的湿湿冷冷的温柔。马良说“时间里一定是有些节点的，在这些节点上，一段时光死了，由另一段接替她。” 我想，这银杏叶不正从死了的时光里飘进我现在的日子中来么？

Rational Patriotism 理性爱国

"Gold Week" refers to the long public holidays in early October for the celebration of the founding of the People's Repbulic. Beijing became an exceptionally livable city during this year, when millions of its usual residents, composed of many migrants from other provinces, were gone for their family reunions and leasure travels. The overwhelming crowds and traffic disappeared unless one craves for foothold on the Great Wall or a view of the Kunming lake.

Strolling along the streets in the inner city of Being was pleasant and that's what I did during the whole 7 days off. One day outside the Russian Embassy, a group of high-school students came by in their school uniform, holding small red national flag and a slogan, which says "Rational Patriotism". I smiled, knowing the young kids were doing their share to oppose violent behaviors during the anti-Japan protests some days ago in major Chinese cities. 

The Great Wall 长城

I was hiking the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall at 4am for a sun rise view. There were few other people before or behind me in the distance recognizable by their moving flash lights, but many a time I was completely alone in the darkness, feeling my way up along the unrestored wall. My senses were wide open, grabbed by the feeling of undisturbed freedom coupled with a rising tripidation as if something was hiding in my invisible surroundings.

It turned out that the humidity was too strong in the air and the sun could only vaguely shine through the clouds. It was soothing though to have the morning breeze gently drying the sweat from hiking while hearing the cheerful noise from the birds and insects and following the extension of the Wall into the far away mist. 

清晨4点我开始爬金山岭长城去看日出，从摇曳的手电光可以看到前后一两拨人，但大多时候我是黑暗里单独的行者，每个感官好像都灵敏地张开，有种自由与恐惧同在的感觉。

这一天的潮湿空气正酝酿一场雨，太阳光微弱地从云层后漫过来，没有期待中的日出景象。但是清晨的风吹过，感觉到额头上的汗，鸟和昆虫在叫，往脚下结实的城墙上一坐，看城墙向远处延伸到雾里，那惬意让人忘了遗憾。

It's Raining 下雨了

The weather of the last three days has been so gloomy that one really wishes for a pondering rain to wash the grey thickness in the air away. Only spatters of light rain came last night and this afternoon. Better than nothing. The gloom continues though. 

过去三天的天气阴郁的让人向往一场痛快的暴雨，把空气中厚重的灰色冲走。昨夜有雷声，只带来几阵小雨，却比没有强。阴郁却还在继续。

Dusk View in Tarangire National Park, Tanzania 坦桑尼亚Tanrangire国家公园黄昏一景

It's been a few very clear and beautiful days in Beijing. At dusk today, the greyish but very clean blue color of the sky reminded me of that I had in Tarangire National Park in Tanzania. That colour really sticks to my memory.

这几天北京特别晴朗美好。今天黄昏太阳刚刚落了的时候，天空那种干净的灰蓝色让我想起在坦桑尼亚Tanrangire国家公园的黄昏，天是一样的颜色，在记忆中挥之不去。

Lamma Is Still Home 南丫岛还是家

Every time I return to Lamma Island in Hong Kong for a visit, I still feel so much at home. Yes, one has a lot more to do in Beijing, but the village atmosphere on Lamma never fails to put one at home as soon as one touches down at the pier. 

And it's so clear and clean, perhaps especially so for somebody who is flown in from the polluted capital. Even it's the dusk before imminent thousand storm, the warm light peers through clouds and outlines such refined shapes of houses, boats, people with tender strokes.

I miss Lamma.

每次回到南丫岛，总觉得回了家。也许北京的确有更丰富多彩的生活，但是南丫岛好像一个村落的气氛总是在我踏上码头的那一刻，让我从无例外感觉到家一样的身心放松，

而且那里干净清澈，大概对一个刚刚从污染严重的北京飞来的人尤其如此。虽然雷暴随时就到，黄昏温暖的阳光仍然将村屋、船只、人用柔柔的光线勾出精致的轮廓。

我想念南丫岛。

Torn between Homing & Roaming 在安定与漂流两种愿望中挣扎

This morning when I was sorting out my photos from the trip to Antarctica, the urge to leave home and get on to the way struck strongly. My heart is yearning for its freedom in roaming. Be it African Savannah, the Patagonian glacier, Antarctica snow storm, or a small quiet village in remote China. No matter where, but not home. I must have a heart, half of it a fair lady and the other half a vagabond.

今天早晨整理在南极拍的照片，心被一种强烈的上路愿望撅住了。这一刻，心呼唤非洲的原野、南美的冰川、南极的风暴，或是中国远方一个安静的小村落。无论哪里，只要不是家。我的心一定有一半是窈窕淑女，有一半是流浪汉，它才会这样在安定与漂流两种愿望中挣扎。

Corner Tower at Night 華燈初上

This was when the first lights of the Corner Tower of the Forbidden City were lit, quite a serene view. 故宫的角樓剛剛亮起燈，天還未黑，靜美。

Photography Enthusiasts at Corner Tower 角樓的攝影發燒友

There was a light shower in Beijing late afternoon yesterday. The air was washed clear and the lighting was one of those desired one with good contrasts. With moist in the air, it was possible to see some colours when the sun sets. Seeing the the sunset would be around 7:40pm, I hopped onto my bike and charged torward th moat outside the forbidden city, thinking it would be a chance to take some nice picture of the corner tower, which is one of my favorite architectural scene in Beijing. I got there at 7:20, and the light was already off the tower, but in the still blue sky there was beautiful pink clouds. At the moat, I was not alone. Many tripods were set up and many heavy-weight cameras were at work. I enjoy the feeling of being among people who share my hobby and share the moment. Happily, I took a photo of them before I turned my focus on the corner tower.

昨天傍晚飄了一陣小雨。空氣漂洗了一下，很清爽，光線正是我們喜歡的雨後的那種。因為空氣里的濕度，估計日落時會有漂亮的色彩，於是登上車，往護城河飛奔，隔河望故宮角樓是我最喜愛的北京建築景致之一。預報日落在7：40左右，我在7：20趕到了。角樓上已沒了光線，但背後的粉紅色的雲霞橫跨藍天。護城河畔，我並不是唯一來拍角樓的。許多三腳架早豎了起來，重量級的相機在不停地工作。我喜歡這種與人分享一個美妙時刻，與人分享一個共同愛好的感覺。開始注視角樓之前，就先拍了這張攝影發燒友合影。

Orchids with Double Exposure 兩次曝光的蘭花

This morning the orchids at home are in their full blossom. One of my two favorite flowers, the other being lotus, orchids stand out from hundreds of flowers for their otherworldly refinement and superior beauty. As a major Chinese symbol and art motif, it is emblematic of exquisite and perfect human character.

I tried double exposure in taking some photos in order to create a surreal, pure and peaceful atmosphere. It seems to work. 

早晨看到家裡的蘭花盛開。這是我最喜歡的兩種花之一，另一種是荷花。蘭花以其超凡脫俗之美傲視群芳。作為中國文化輿藝術的一個符號，它象徵着高貴完美、不趨炎附勢的人格。

我試圖用兩次曝光去表現一種虛幻、純潔、平和的氣氛，好像有點作用。