![Daniel Lau's "Wave of the Day" Barrel [photo: Jesse Warren]](http://www.lostlaowai.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/SHO2012-DanielLauBarrel-200x200.jpg)
Growing up on the Great Lakes in Southern Ontario, surfing was always an abstract thing. It was something you did in video games, or watched in movies. It was exotic and a bit magical.
This past weekend the family and I had an opportunity to attend China's longest running surf competition, the 2012 Skullcandy Surfing Hainan Open. I'll admit, I had no idea what to expect, but ended up having a blast.
The eve…
Surfing Hainan Open, China's longest running surf competition, hits the shores of Hainan's picturesque Riyue Bay this November 4-5.
For the first time ever, competition organizers are expecting the lion's share of the 40 competitors to be Chinese nationals; a big milestone for the sport, which is just starting to come into its adolescence in China.
Commenting on the event, Surfing Hainan founder and event organ…
After the blast that was sepatakraw and field hockey, I knew that I needed more. The games were only around for two weeks, and when else would I get the chance? I mean, I don't exactly have plans to move to London for 2012, or Rio for 2016. So I set out for more tickets, unavailability be damned!
November 20 - Football (aka Soccer)
After trips all over the metropolis, I decided to settle close to home. I knew …
The 16th Asiad is winding down here in Guangzhou. I'll be honest, first I was excited about the event, then angry at all the construction, then angrier that I couldn't get tickets, then excited again, then confused, then hungry, and finally back to excited. Now I find myself sad that they will be ending soon, and plotting my trip to Korea for the 2014 version of the event! I was lucky enough to take in six and a…
China has called up its first black athlete in the form of 19-year-old Ding Hui, who is in fact mixed-race. The ace volleyball player (pictured, below right) has a Chinese mother and a South African father, and speaks only Putonghua (Mandarin Chinese) and Hangzhouhua (the dialect of his home city, Hangzhou).
It will be good to see Ding Hui (丁慧) in action on TV, when he is actually brought out to the public later t…
Photo by ShyaldAs the de facto editorial desk for Lost Laowai, I tend to get a lot of e-mail touting all the amazing things that "YOUR READERS WANT TO KNOW ABOUT". I, perhaps overly liberally, trash the majority of them.
However, having just received notice that the 1st World Mind Sports Games is coming to Beijing, I figured I better post about it - these are clever folks, and there's no telling what they'd do to …
The Story
Pastor/Professor Eddie Romero came to Beijing to "speak for those who can't speak for themselves," i.e. imprisoned dissidents Hu Jia or Shi Tao and others. He did some guerilla mural painting in a few Beijing hotel rooms, which is pretty ballsy for sure. Check out one of his videos below. Lets be thankful that he's Christian, otherwise he might have had dynamite strapped to his chest.
A Somewhat A…
Well, they're over. With the barbarian hordes headed home and 1.3 billion Chinese looking around asking "what now?" - here are a couple links to some amazing moments captured on film during the course of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The first is a slick collection from the New York Times complete with a bit of audio commentary, the second is a random collection of Olympic images (warning butts and boobies abound) …
If ever an argument needed to be made for watching less TV, the groups of Western "Free Tibet" protesters that have snuck in to China are it.
There's a four-page article running on the Washington Post's site which explains in detail the mission of a group funded by Students for a Free Tibet (cue Mission Impossible music - or that 24 countdown tone).
I mean, I respect that these folks want to stand up for a caus…
The streets are clean, the people are smiling, the transportation is free and the staff is able and willing to answer any and all questions. Is this Beijing or Disneyland?
The city cannot be compared to any other city in Mainland China. All construction has stopped for the games which not only helps eliminate some dust in the air but more importantly cleans up the noise pollution of drills and jack hammers that …
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