Chasing the Dragon: Back in China Again

It's been four years since my last jaunt to the Orient. And that was after visiting the continent three times in a 16-month period. So, yes, this was a fun revisit. We hit Beijing and Shanghai, spending more time in the highly-styley Shanghai corridor. Major changes have occurred since I was last there - the Olympics came and went, leaving behind some impressive architecture and, it seemed, a more-relaxed approach to Westerners. Also, the financial crisis took its toll, although both cities seemed as bustling and busy as ever.

Whampoa Club restaurant at Three on the Bund.

But the rampant construction that cluttered the streets of both cities with cranes, cement trucks and bamboo scaffolding seems to have dissipated. There's a new big tower in Shanghai - the World Financial Center, with a Park Hyatt hotel occupying the 79th-93rd floors of its 101 stories. And the "new" section of Shanghai - Pudong - is now a sprawling space-age urban landscape with shiny skyscrapers and Boca Raton-style gated communities containing McMansions. Some random thoughts and observations:
- Spitting (and exuberant loogie hocking) is still a big thing here, so don't be surprised if you get a little phlegm on your shoes.
- Apparently they make soup dumplings as big as tennis balls and stick straws in them, coconut-style.

 - Pollution is still bad but seems to have gotten slightly more manageable. Either that, or we caught some uncharacteristically sunny autumn days.
- The Great Cyberwall of China is still in effect. Last time I was there I was unable to use blogger or access my blog. Same again this time, and also no access to Twitter of Facebook in Beijing. In Shanghai, things were better, with access to all of those sites, although when I mentioned this to a hotel exec she said that was because I was logging on via the hotel's Internet connection. Apparently, household Internet users in China don't have access.
- Bookmarked for next time: Dinner at 100 Century Avenue, the 91st-floor restaurant at the top of the WFC at the Park Hyatt. Place was jazzy, fun and reminded me of the Setai.
- Best fashion discovery: cool Chinese sneaker brand Feiyue (apparently coveted by French hipsters). For $17 you get these sensational high-tops. Found at tiny sneaker store located at 130 Nanchang Lu (at Sinan Rd).

Fun with Films!

Heading out to the opening of the Palm Beach Film Festival tonight. Our film premieres Monday but the festivities start tonight. McSocialiates galore, I hope. The Palm Beach Daily named Foreign Devils one of three to catch at the festival! In the meantime, to get you excited for Foreign Devils, here's an out-take wherein our actor explains the "blind man massage."

Foreign Devils Trailer

Hey friends, our little Beijing movie is finished. We're getting the word out, submitting it to festivals, and hoping that it will steal the hearts of indie film lovers the around the world. So here's the trailer for Foreign Devils. Curious to hear your thoughts. If you like what you see spread the word. You can even "friend us" on Myspace.

Feel the Foreign Devils Love

New friend and fellow Miami blogger Verticus from Miami Vision Blogarama has a nice post about our film Foreign Devils. So far, he's our biggest fan, and he's only seen the trailer.

Fendi at the Great Wall

Fendi stages a fashion show at the Great Wall proving that China is where it's at these days.
"I think it's the first fashion show visible from the moon," Bernard Arnault, chairman of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, joked a few hours before 500 guests climbed steep stone steps to witness Karl Lagerfeld and Silvia Venturini-Fendi stroll down the 2,000-year-old structure to a rousing ovation. "It's a big sign that China is the place where things are happening today."

Canton Fair Adventures

Nothing can quite sum up the gargantuan entity that is the Canton Fair. Imagine approx. a bajillion square feet of expo space and hundreds of thousands of people walking the aisle upon aisle of vendor booths. It's like the Silk Road trading hubs of yore, except here everyone works with dollars and eat McDonald's for lunch.

A Ramble in Macau

Ok, so yesterday was one of those 20-hour days when you're traveling and one thing leads to another and you're completely unprepared but then you realize none of that really matters. We started out in Hong Kong doing some filming (as a side project on this trip we decided to film a short with one of out actors from Foreign Devils. What can I say? Clearly we are indie movie-making machines. And we're insane.) First we filmed a bunch of scenes at the knock-off market called "Ladies Market" in Mong Kok but the girls who work there were really freaked out by the camera and got very testy and pissed at us. Plus, we were attempting to bargain for things and, according to them, we had "joke prices." They are tough as nails, those counterfeit market girls.
Next we did a scene at the Hong Kong Harbour - misty and golden at 4pm. Then we decided to head to Macau thinking it's like Las Vegas and they'll have ferries running to and from there all night. Turns out, that's not the case. The last ferry leaves at 7pm, and considering we got there at 6pm that meant we were going to spend the night if we wanted to see anything. So, with 2 cameras, one rumpled actor and no toothbrushes or clean clothes we decided what the heck, what happens in Macau stays in Macau. Yeah baby!
On the shuttle bus to the Wynn Casino we met this wacky dude Michael, a Persian Jewish guy from LA, or "Irangeles" as he put it. He was loud, funny and had a business plan for a toy/TV show. We decided he had to be in our movie. Luckily, he obliged. After running up to his room to shower and freshen up he met us downstairs at the Wynn's "Cinnabar" and we proceeded to film an improv scene with him and our brave actor (who was sustained by a dinner of Oreos on the ferry ride over). The Wynn was super-posh and an exact replica of the Vegas counterpart. Macau is definitely a rising world hot spot - the variety of people there was fascinating. Blond sorrority girls, wealthy gay couples, Chinese businessmen - and Portuguese street signs - totally worth seeing.

Evoking the Jetsons in Beijing

Tim Johnson, Beijing bureau chief for McClatchy Newspapers visits the still-under-construction Herzog and de Meuron Olympics Stadium (nicknamed the "Bird's Nest" by locals) and National Aquatics Center designed by Arup and posts about it on his fascinating blog. See photos of what the finished stadium will look like here. He talks to a PR rep involved with the Olympics committe who has this to say about the "wow factor" of these structures.

“You have much more of a Buck Rogers, gee whiz, Battlestar Galactica feeling to these venues then you would at any other Olympics. You’ve got a facility in the national stadium, dubbed the Bird’s Nest, that looks like something Godzilla would live in. You have the Water Cube filled with plastic bubbles all the way around it that the Jetsons might live in, something very futuristic and never before seen at any Olympics Game.”

“The difference here is that it is tied into the Chinese culture. You have yin and yang. The Water Cube, the main stadium which will be lit in red as fire. So you have the elements of earth surrounded by water and the dragon’s tail coming from the north and the Olympic forest. The entire Olympic Green structure has been looked at, not just mapped out for facilities but something that makes sense for the Chinese culture and the Chinese people.”

More Beijing Restaurants: Alameda, Ganges, Cafe Sambal

When filming ended we decided to treat ourselves to a real embassy-crowd meal. Alameda was named "Best Restaurant" by That's Beijing. It also got awards for best business lunch and best service. The lunch meal is a set price (68 RMB or about $8) for 2 courses and this is very pricey for China standards but normal for Beijing Western-friendly places which gives you an idea of how well you can eat for so so little. The food was great, not especially exciting - salmon with Dijon and crunchy cabbage, shitake mushroom soup, ricotta and pine nut fritters - but the setting was lovely, an airy glass-enclosed courtyard hidden in an alleyway off the main Sanlitun road. Lunchtime was busy and filled with expats and other assortments of Westerners. The service was great and it was one of the most relaxing meals we had in China. Come the Olympics this place will be PACKED.
On another night we headed to the non-imaginatively named shopping complex called "The Place," that is the kind of high-budget mall that is too expensive for most Chinese but are constantly being built and stand relatively empty save for Westerners and rich Chinese businessmen. We were attracted to The Place because it features a massive hologram roof awning over which ocean scenes and dolphins swimming are projected. It's strange and cool and was worth filming. We also wanted to try Ganges, a reputable Indian restaurant located in the basement level of the mall. Dinner was delightful with well-spiced saag paneer, eggplant and chewy naan bread. The restaurant was cozy with cushiony seats and Bollywood movies playing on flat-screen TV's. Overall, a nice experience. On our last night out we dragged ourselves to Cafe Sambal, a trendy Malaysian joint recommended in the Beijing Wallpaper guide. At this point we were pretty travel-worn and Sambal's rustic furniture (low wooden tables and stools, bare walls) and super-dim-to-none lighting was sleep inducing and not too comfortable. The menu seemed elegantly composed and not being too familiar with Malaysian cuisine we ordered a vegetable curry (fiery and piquant, not too heavy) and stir-fried vegetables that looked star-shaped when sliced. The food was interesting and the crowd seemed uber-chic (the restaurant is located in a romantic courtyard close to Houhai Lake) and it seemed like a great place to go for drinks or with a small group. But despite all the upscale restaurants and exotic cuisine, the best food discovery we made in Bejing was the woman selling sesame breakfast buns from a little stall in the parking lot of our apartment building. After a few times ordering with my Chinese-speaking friend, I learned how to order in Chinese (super-exciting!) , though after patronizing her stall for 2 straight weeks she pretty much knew what we wanted each morning and greeted us with a sheepish grin that communicated "I know you, Westerners, it'll be the usual?" These sesame buns were the Chinese equivalent of an egg-McMuffin, though much, much tastier. The buns are fried and crusted with sesame seeds so they are crisp and warm, the bun woman then slices them open, brushes the insides with a spicy plum sauce and fills in a fried egg, lettuce (and of course ham if desired). This fortifying sandwich costs less than 25 cents. We enjoyed these crispy spicy eggy pockets of goodness every morning on our 30-minute cab ride through Beijing traffic. Of all the people we met during our film shoot, we have a soft spot in our hearts for the sesame bun woman and her paint brush of plum paste.

Beijing Restaurants: Sichuan Cooking, LAN South Beauty

This article in the NYTimes about Chinese artists that have dabbled in the restaurant business got me thinking about the great restaurants we tried in Beijing and how I've neglected to post about them. So here they are. Coincidentally we ate at one of the restaurants mentioned in the article, Tian Xia Yan, a casual Sichuan cafe opened five years ago by the photographer Cang Xin in 798 Dashanzi Art Zone. We were there the day we shot at the Gao Brothers Studio.
Sichuan food is incredibly spicy. If it is prepared correctly it is spicy enough that your lips are tingling halfway through the meal and you think no amount of beer will quell the fire. But then you get used to it and the experience is lovely. That day we tried a tofu dish that looked like shoe leather, it had a tough and chewy texture and was dressed in sesame oil flecked with chopped chilis. I could not get enough.
An upscale place to try Sichuan cuisine is the South Beauty chain of restaurants. The chain, started by female entrepreneur Zhang Lan, is composed of uber-yuppy Asian eateries with over-the-top decor and an army of servers. During our meal we were waited on by no less than 7 white gloved waiters. We had eaten at South Beauty in Shanghai and the chain has 12 locations in Beijing, each one plush and quirky in design but the one most worth visiting is the LAN location. Designed by superstar Philippe Starck, the 6,000 square foot restaurant comprises the entire floor of an office building. The decor is literally every Starck idea on a wonky acid trip. He takes all of his concepts - the gaudy chic, the Alice in Wonderland thing, floor-to-ceiling drapes, the color red, Ventian chandeliers, lucite and layers it repeatedly. In addition to the bar, lounge, and vast dining room there are 15 private rooms, some with throne-like chairs for high-rolling business dinners. The staff seems to revere the restaurant so much that after our dinner one of our servers gave us an extended tour of the venue, showing us each and every private room. And the food?
The nice things about South Beauty is that their menu is basically the same at each spot and if you order wisely you can easily have a great meal for about $40 for two people which, considering the setting, is amazing. Their dan-dan noodles (above) are blisteringly spicy but so satisfying and we also tried their mapo tofu which was nothing special. I was puzzled by the choice of multi-colored sprinkles as garnish for sweet lotus root, it added a bit of crunch which was nice.
There are pricier items on the menu like shark's fin soup and bird's nest but that's not how we roll. On the plus side, the restaurant is Western-friendly and most of the staff spoke English so any questions we had about the food were easily clarified. LAN is a spectacle and ironically being ensconced in Philippe Starck-ness made me feel close to home, it was like a taste of the Delano in the Orient.(LAN South Beauty address: 2/F, West Bldg, China World Shopping Mall, 1 Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District.)

It's China, Man

Film making is non-stop problem solving. There is constantly an issue to attend to, whether it be logistical (umm, have we confirmed our locations tomorrow?), conceptual (should that actor be looking quite so tired right now?) or practical (where's a good place to get lunch for 7 people, and cheaply, please?). In order to emerge relatively sane from the whirlwind of maddening details one must roll with the punches. Be open to change. Be willing to compromise. Resist the urge to run in the opposite direction.

On Day 11 of filming we embarked on another restaurant shoot. This time it was in a restaurant that is actually open for business and would be open during the lunch hours when we would be filming. It was not ideal but it was the best we could get. The place is a charming Buddhist vegetarian spot in a Hutong. It has tinkling fountains, lots of plants and ancient Chinese decor. Plus, they were letting us film there for free, provided we bought food for cast and crew which was infinitely cool of them. When we had scouted the spot days before we decided on the airy outdoor courtyard for the business lunch scene, it had the most detail and lighting in the middle of the day would be less of a challenge. But when we arrived at the location on the day of the shoot they informed us that, sorry, can't let you film in the courtyard, it will disturb customers, maybe the backroom will be more to your liking. Well of course, no problem. Why? Because as Team Foreign Devils we forge ahead, we get the job done, we don't make details too precious. The room we used in the end looked great; very red and Chinese, very typical for a lunch with Chinese business partners. We managed to get extras by driving up to the Beijing Film Studios in the north of the city (where Kill Bill was filmed) where tons of actors just hang out waiting to get picked up for work. Kind of like migrant farm workers, except these dudes can play anything from a street beggar to a businessman. There are literally actors of all shapes and sizes there, had we gone there sooner, we could have cast the whole movie from the crop on the sidewalk. We agreed on their price for the day - 40 RMB, roughly $5, plus lunch - and transported them to the restaurant. After a quick jaunt to the Silk Market (really, the counterfeit market) I emerged with Paul Smith shirts and Armani ties, instant wardrobe for a total of $20.

The shoot went well, the actor playing the business boss is Chris Verill, the director of the Beijing Actor's Playhouse and very funny. He was game for our next scene with him, dressing him up in touristy-emperor garb for a phone call.

It's All About the "Gan Bei's"

The Restaurant Shoot, a climactic scene. Our biggest cast on set thus far. We have extras. As in people. To manage. But first, before we can dress the set, we have to actually clean the set. By the good grace of kind friends we were able to use our friend's closed Spanish restaurant, Saffron. When we visited Beijing in November we had a supremely delicious and pleasant meal there, full of flavor and good feeling. But alas it was short lived; the restaurant closed four months ago. (Not to worry - our friends are moving on, developing other restaurant projects, and I know they will be great additions to the Beijing dining scene.) In the meantime, we had a dusty, musty, slightly mildewy space to recover. After a marathon shopping spring at Carrefour (like Wal-Mart) we arrived with supplies in hand: garbage bags, shot glasses, rags, gloves, brooms, cheap cheap Chinese wine (we're talking $1.50 a bottle; it's tough being an extra on an indie film), and candles. Instant ambiance! The place cleaned up nicely, there are still some striking architectural elements to the space like the iron staircase and rustic furniture.

Thanks to our clever casting director we found a guy to play the bartender a half hour before we started shooting. Our actors began filing in at 7pm and by 9ish the lights and all the props had been set. Now it was all about coordinating 15 people to mingle, chat and pretend they're having a good time. This was made infinitely easier because it seemed the actors were genuinely having a good time.

Until they sat down and started drinking The Great Wall wine. The first few "Gan Bei's" (Chinese for "cheers") were enthusiastic but by Gan Bei #24 the expressions were dragging. Luckily we are a team that knows when we have taxed our minimally-paid cast too much and after coaxing out the solo performances we called it a night at about 1am. But not before asking everyone to smash their glasses in an attempt to portray catharsis. Still not sure if that worked. We'll have to see how it cuts together. Breaking things on a movie set is fun; now I see why big-budget movies are always blowing things up. It's the only context where spectacle is tolerated.

Back from Adventureland

We have returned from our travels to the Orient. And we have safely transported all 40 tapes back home. We were a bit nervous at the airport and could not relax until we landed in Tokyo for what would be the first of 3 layovers until we got home. You'd think traveling for 36 straight hours would exhaust a spritely young woman, and you know what, you'd be right. I am nakkered. And I am loving this jet lag thing. I have decided not to fight but to just give in. Hell, I'll adjust some day. For now, naps at 3 in the afternoon are fine by me. I prefer China time, it's like I'm living in the future, man.

Is China is the Next Leipzig?

This article nicely sums up the current developments in China's contemporary art scene. A new Pompidou Center in Shanghai, and Saatchi investing in a Mandarin arts web site are some highlights.

Gallery Shoot

The Gao Brothers generously allowed us to use their studio space to film a few scenes. Their art is controversial - note the oversize plastic sculptures of Mao with breasts - and they've had various run-ins with the government resulting in restrictions placed on them for travel abroad and regarding their studio.

The deal they have worked out is that technically their studio is closed to the public but they are allowed to maintain the space and continue working. So going into this situation we knew there would be complications. We were supposed to try to get the scenes done quickly so as not to raise the attention of the authorities because, as the gallery people explained, anything the Gao Brothers do raises suspicions. Now, if you have ever had the pleasure of being on a movie set you know things take a really. Long. Time. So 4 hours into shooting (2 hours more than the gallery would have liked) and one take into a complicated scene the door to the studio burst open, three Chinese bureaucrats dressed in white shirtsleeves muscled in and proceeded to have a shouting match with the artists that went on for 25 minutes too long for comfort. Then one Gao Brother emerged and urged us to film this argument which one of our Chinese actresses, holding a camera, proceeded to do. We immediately started ejecting tapes from the cameras and depositing them in various actors pockets. This is it, guys, take the tapes and run! The commies are after us! we almost cried. But the thing is, the scene was not done and while the shouting match continued we continued to film the scene. Just keep going, we'll shoot till they kick us out. So we continued with the scene below which involves a conversation with three Chinese girls, involving wine and an adult magazine. Clearly a film production of which the Chinese censors would approve. Eventually the authorities left, and we finished the scene. According to the artists, this kind of fight is a daily occurrence there.

Here the actresses pretty themselves up. Thier wardrobe was provided courtesy of Miami-based designer Krelwear and, frankly, they look smokin' hot.

And here is the cast enjoying a much-deserved "lunch" at 4 pm. It's not a complete day of filming in China unless you think you'll get arrested at least once.

Beijing Bicycle

Bicycles figure prominently in our story. The streets of Beijing are a treasure trove for vintage bike lovers. I came across this classic walking through a hutong. The wheels, the plastic bag, and the color could each tell their own story.

Kitchen Scenes

I think deep down I secretly wanted to film a cooking movie. Something along the lines of Eat Drink Man Woman. Sumptuous shots of produce, chopping, sauteeing, julienning, a veritable orgy of comestables. Neither the script or the production schedule would allow for indulgent cooking sequences. But I managed to convince our team that since Thomas's character is a restaurateur, it would be natural for him to be furiously making omelets the morning he fights with his girlfriend. So off I went to the market with the adorable Chinese parents of the friend whose magnificent apartment (and kitchen, above) we were using as the set for that day's filming. We spoke no common language, except that I know Chinese numbers so I could figure out the cost of things (I hold the purse strings of this operation). We communicated with lots of smiles, hand motions and a few confusing moments. We returned with a bounty of shiny eggplants, cilantro, tomatoes, prickly cucumbers, yellow peppers and asparagus. Unfortunately, Thomas, talented guy that he is, can not cook to save his life and watching him chop a tomato was quite sloppy and maybe even a little violent. Luckily, Li, a chef, was on hand to be a body double (really a hands double) and did some rhythmic, camera-worthy chopping.

Beijing Traffic Fun

Film making allows you to step outside your comfort zone and do things you would never normally do, save for the sake of the film. And indeed everyone we are working with is being tested above and beyond the usual limits of sanity and perseverance for the good of the movie. We decided it would make a great frustration scene if one of our actors walked around a busy Beijing street trying to futaly hail a cab. We chose an intersection near the Third Ring Road for this moment. Not only did it require our actor to walk into the middle of a 6-way intersection involving bicycles, mopeds, tricycle carts, and motorized rickshaws (and various other modes of transportation one finds on a typical Beijing street), it also required 2 people to film the whole thing.

The irony is that is was not as dangerous as you would think. Traffic in Beijing is thick with people and vehicles but it also really cautious. Cars are slower, more reactive to pedestrians have less tendency to rage and make rash moves.

Construction Junction

Construction is a theme of our film. Beijing is undergoing a massive building boom, not only in honor of the Olympics, but because the city has an insatiable urge for more space. There are cranes everywhere you look, construction crews working through the night, tractors beeping their horns behind you every other minute. On our second day of filming we decided to improvise a scene by running the dialogue through the streets of a Hutong. Peeking behind a fence we found what appeared to be a tent city on a construction site near a very developed part of town.

"Foreign Devils" Day 2

We're calling the film "Foreign Devils," a rough translation of the Chinese word "laowei," a term used to describe Westerners. The plot interweaves the storylines of both Western and Chinese characters. It's an interesting challenge balancing the narratives of a diverse group of people. Our movie also takes place on a 24-hour timeline which makes some things easier - wardrobe stays the same for everyone, continuity issues are minimized - and other things really difficult like matching the right outdoor light to the time of the day in the movie. We are all over the place on this one, mostly because scenes can be unpredictable and light is constantly changing. Plus, Beijing pollution makes every day a gamble; some days it's sunny, other days the smog and haze make the city look like a gloomy metropolis.
The more I get to know this city through the filming, the more I come to appreciate the multitude of possibilities here. Because the city is densely populated and filled with history, you never know what you'll find. The photo above was taken on our second day of filming with our two leads. We happened upon this garbage heap with two wicker chairs perched atop, presumably, their final resting place. Our actors are a hearty bunch, game for anything, and braved the mess for some impromptu pics. Next, we filmed the two of them riding on a single bicycle around Houhai Lake. This was accomplished by riding behind them with a camera clamped to a second bicycle. Guerrilla film making at its best.