07/31 My Visit in China, Art, Culture and exporation in Singapore, Hawaii & Thailand

[Idiot Apathy]

*checks prices on tickets to shanghai*
hmmmmmmmmm....

[Icon]

Holy crap Jason, if this official I'll give up my rent, and other things i really shouldn't skip on!

I want to stuff my face with cheap food and go to another life changing workshop, immersed in a completely different culture!!! Hell yes!!!

...oh..and what the hell is the point of that fire hydrant?
:o

[Jason Manley]

*checks prices on tickets to shanghai*
hmmmmmmmmm....

Tuition will be cheaper...so that will help. We really want to make sure folks can make it to this. After visiting China, I am convinced it is a must stop for artists to visit. As far as other expenses...food costs here...5 bucks a day will take care of you easily enough...breakfast is 60 cents if you get a drink. Staying in hotels is also cheap. Airfare is the expensive part, but it should still be less than flying to SF and all related expenses of staying in a major US or Euro city.

Beers are 30-50 cents here, if that matters to ya. haha!

And taxis....a ride around the city today cost me 3 bucks. That same ride in SF would have cost me 40...just to put it all in perspective on how cheap stuff is here.

[Idiot Apathy]

30-50 cent beers?! I'm there.
Yeah flights aren't too bad actually.

[Jason Manley]

Yeah...LAX to Shanghai is 669 right now for August. From Denver was 883 plus tax and such.

[Sept13]

I'm getting more excited than I was about Florence! Great news Jason, can't wait for it to happen!

[Zaknafain]

nice photos, looks like you have a great time. I always enjoy travelogues
I think I will spend my money on that workshop, must be great in shanghai.

[kais]

oh noes.... why do you have to do it now? I'm going to leave China just before you do the event... too bad
anyways, great pictures, funny that water thing for the firemen

[paperX]

Massive Black/ConceptArt.Org Artist's Workshop: ASIA......
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OMG.....Mr.Manley sir.... you have no idea how excited I am about this right now, I'm so glad I'm in China right now pld:

Glad to hear that you're both having fun in Shanghai (watch out though, people in Shanghai have a reputation of being a pretty stingy bunch no offence to anyone )

Hope everything goes well with finding a suitable location, I can't wait to hear more news about event

PS: kung pao chicken is actually a Sichuan dish...the flavour should be much different in Shanghai...maybe the MB crew can come over to Sichuan some time, we have one of the major fine art universities in China here .

[Steph Laberis]

Oh my God you two! I would wish you both the time of your lives but you're waaaaaaaaaaay ahead of the game! I'm stoked that you set up this thread, I've never been to China and it's great to see your trip evolve like this.

JESS SEND ME A CRATE OF BABY CHICKS NOW!!!!

[Mitchell]

Amazing trip! I've never seen so many scooters in my life.

I'm glad you guys survived the KFCrap. I found a staple in my chicken once. ..a staple!

[Carnifex]

omfg those news are awesome! damn you got me stoked. i just hope you mean something around end of august...I'm SO gonna be there.
funny pics too,the box of chicks made my day have fun still,and watch out for those cars

[Evil_Sloth]

Oh man a WS in china? Thats about as close to Australia as it's going to get. #Starts saving#

[S.C. Watson]

Awesome Jason. Some of those pics are really striking.

[sve]

Those ones are so interesting, eyes are running in all directions . tasty textures:
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/att...1&d=1179822514

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/att...1&d=1179822156
beautiful in a very special way.
Thank you for letting us see this too...
In the picture with little chicks... heh, my computer doesn't allow me to see it clearly at day lights... I thought it was the pastry you ate all day... , looks very similar to fried deep dough...
Maybe we see more of this flea markets pictures and photos of street food and faces and situations on streets... the juice? thanks in advance, hoping for more...
Yumiko, you look gorgeous in all shots. You didn't buy this purse , I didn't see it in later photos .

[Justin.]

The cheapest flight I could find is 1400!!! D:

Leave Aug 7, return Aug 22

[Jessica Hook]

Those ones are so interesting, eyes are running in all directions . tasty textures:
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/att...1&d=1179822514

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/att...1&d=1179822156
beautiful in a very special way.
Thank you for letting us see this too...
In the picture with little chicks... heh, my computer doesn't allow me to see it clearly at day lights... I thought it was the pastry you ate all day... , looks very similar to fried deep dough...
Maybe we see more of this flea markets pictures and photos of street food and faces and situations on streets... the juice? thanks in advance, hoping for more...
Yumiko, you look gorgeous in all shots. You didn't buy this purse , I didn't see it in later photos .

Yes the textures here are unparalleled! I have been taking pictures of the surfaces and building up a texture library for work (i'm a texture artist at MB). Every building seems like it has lived through so much, the dirt and ravages of time, polution, neglect, they're are crystal clear and rich with history in every corner of the street

We'll be sure to take more pics of our daily interactions. The street food here is excellent, I haven't been the least bit dissapointed yet. I still can't get over how cheap it is!

Thank you for the compliment! No, I didn't end up buying any new bags yet, I actually haven't bought anything yet... I've been doing more of "reconnaissance" or price checking at the different places. Many of the things you can find at more than one place and for different prices. But since I can't speak a word of Chinese I can't haggle too well, so I remember the places with the lower starting price, hehe. When we take our Chinese speaking co-workers with us, they haggle for me! When we went to a gallery, I saw an art book that I just had to have, it had the work of a Chinese artist (I assume he was Chinese) that I knew I wouldn't find anywhere else. But it was the last copy of the book so the gallery person said she would not sell the book to me, it was the "gallery copy," not for sale. That's when my co-workers stepped in and started haggling for me, I have no idea what they were saying, but after what seemed like a 2 minute heated debate, the woman gave me the book for FREE! with a smile no less. My co-workers had succeeded in convincing her how much I liked the book, and that the book was old and in bad condition because the pages were bent from all the people thumbing through it, and the cover was imperfect from people handling it since it was the last one. Haha! I was so happy! She musta been a good woman too

[Jason Manley]

The cheapest flight I could find is 1400!!! D:

Leave Aug 7, return Aug 22

thats silly to pay that much. you should be able to find a ticket to LA for 300 bucks or so and then you can get an LAX to Shanghai Pudong airport from there.

Dont buy tix til we get the dates set up though k?


J

[sve]

Lovely people
Thanks for more interesting info, Yumiko... that's nice memories already about this place .the picture with the little doggy getting a shave... You didn't order it, right? for dinner .

[Ninja_ASSN]

o boy o boy... I really hope I'll manage to save some money for this. To visit Asia is one of my goals in life And here is another good reason to travel all the way there besides culture differences and sight seeing!

[Rudeone]

o boy o boy... I really hope I'll manage to save some money for this. To visit Asia is one of my goals in life And here is another good reason to travel all the way there besides culture differences and sight seeing!

Same here, my flatmate and I been talking about traveling to china (and japan) for a while now. I have always been fascinated with the far east.
I own a book about Shanghai with beautifull b/w photography, ever since I got that book Shanghai has been on top of my list of places to visit.
The workshop would be an awesome reason to finally do so, hopefully my budget will allow it too...and please let the dates be in the first or last week of august if it's going to be august, so I'm still able to visit Holland's greatest music festival heh...

Loving your stories and pics guys, I'm so jealous!

[Friso]

aw I guess the tablet-pc will have to wait

[GriNGo]

Nice, an opportunity to go to Shangai! I'll work my ass off to be there.

[Jason Manley]

So, after our rather yucky experience at KFC we decided to go on a quest, the next night, for great food. We found a place in a very beautiful and western feeling area (it could have been Laguna Beach or Scottsdale Arizona) after getting a suggestion from our friends at CCP Games (the makers of Eve Online) to hit up a massage spot called Dragonfly's.

We hopped a cab (riding in them feels like what I imagine riding a motorbike in TRON would feel like) and drove across the city. There are some very beautiful European feeling areas of Shanghai. It is almost like many cities within one city. It can be very old and antiquated or brand new with digital screens and flashing lights. One kilometer to the next is very different. The cab driver let us off at Donghu Road and we got out to find a spot to eat.

We settled on a new restaurant which serves Japanese Kobe beef and cooks it on hot stones. We opted for the "hot pot" and four waiters proceeded to cook for us, serve us, and tend to every need. We took a little pic of the setting, and it does no justice. It was world class food. As good as any I have eaten in San Francisco or NYC. Except, it was only 13 dollars each. HAHAHA! I love it. Next we went to get 2 hour massages from the Dragonfly Spa and Retreat. No, it was not "sexy massage". Amazing and sooooo cheap too. After all the stress of traveling, that was the best night we could hope for.

This morning we woke up to the rain, and went down to an old market with Abe (AKA Dirty Iron on the CA mainpage) for breakfast. We ate tasty breakfast treats called Tian Tang Tuan which look like boiled eggs with blacktop inside them but were sweet and deliscious. I ate them until I could fit no more. I found my new favorite breakfast item. At 60 cents per person, I can easily afford it too. Yay!


j

[Justin.]

Eew, your description was dead on... :X

Are those the same as those small white balls that people eat in anime all the time?

[CaptainInsano]

yeah, I forgot what those are called but they are served hot. They're soft and suprisingly sweet. MMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!

Btw... great pics Manley.

[Interceptor]

Great photos.

Exciting information as well. Hopefull we'll have a bit more time to prepare for this. I know alot of people have already bought thier flights and tickets for Comic-Con. But Shanghai seems like a brilliant idea for a workshop.

[sve]

Thanks... I feel I'm addicted to Shanghaii stories already... Hopefully you will write them even when you are back in SF and years later... Every evening, strictly at 10pm...
I never heard about this dish...is it made from milk? sort of cheese maybe? is it really sweet? was it hot? how it is on the teeth, soft?
My friends told me Shanghaii breakfast is a very cool thing.

The skyscrapers in fog are beautiful, city is melting in the air. May I ask where were you standing when you took those photos?

[Icon]

I have a friend who went to china for a month and came back 15 pounds heavier...now I understand why!!.... My god I don't think I could hold back! I'd eat everything that looks edible! Culinary delight! Add those magnificent cityscape, different architecture and an intensively creative culture!! This workshop is looking better and better!

man, I need to start working out and getting my metabolism to a crazy level... I'm gonna need it @_@; Yumiko good luck!!!

[Carnifex]

wow,wouldn't have thought there's so many different settings in shanghai-second pic looks like it was taken in prague or something. beautiful pics,can't wait for you to announce further details.