Author Archives: Will Moss

Not enough radiation in your skull and other problems with retail

Modern Beijing, as distinct from the leafy, 1960s loufang neighborhoods and the hutongs, is an unlovely town at the best of times. No acreage of hanging glass curtain walls can make up for the viscerally alienating nature of the razor-edged, … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Not enough radiation in your skull and other problems with retail

Seoul and the fermented stingray of perdition

I’ll say this for Korea: Recently I’ve had reason to evaluate, and at a national level they have by far the nicest, softest bathroom paper towels I have encountered. Fluffy, soft and absorbent, neither the splinter-bearing roughage nor the instantly-disintegrating … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Seoul and the fermented stingray of perdition

And you thought the milk business was so wholesome…

The milk business in China just can’t seem to stay out of trouble. A couple of months ago baby formula maker Synutra found itself the victim of allegationsthat its product was linked to early puberty in girls. Its shares ate … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on And you thought the milk business was so wholesome…

Alibaba’s Alizila is PR. Be proud!

I just read a post from Forbes’ Hana Alberts on Alizila, a homegrown company news site for the Alibaba Group. Alibaba has hired an experienced journalist, Time Magazine veteran Jim Erickson, to develop the articles for the site: Erickson isn’t “selling out” … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Alibaba’s Alizila is PR. Be proud!

Absolutely the last post on nasty furniture…

…at least until I move again, I suppose. Imagethief is pleased to report that he has found  a suitable apartment all of 100 meters away from his current apartment in China Central Place. Among this apartment’s distinguishing characteristics are its … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Absolutely the last post on nasty furniture…

Hey, baby, come up and see my tiger bedspread

Our ongoing exploration of the bizarre furnishings of Beijing apartments has entered what appears to be the “oriental love nest” phase. Surely we must be getting close to the end. Today my eye-sockets were cauterized by this: As you’d expect … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Hey, baby, come up and see my tiger bedspread

The last king of Guanhu

Continuing my exploration of the zaniest fixtures and furnishings in China, this weekend I looked at a lovely apartment in Greenlake Place (Guanhu) that was thoroughly trashed by this living room set: When I finally get around to overthrowing that … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on The last king of Guanhu

Journey to the planet of the electro-squids

It’s time to move. We’ve been in the same place for nearly three years. It’s been good, but Mrs. Imagethief’s business is growing, I’m spending some of my time working at home, and let’s not even get into the whole … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Journey to the planet of the electro-squids

Imagethief and the lost apartment of Qin Shihuang

Recently Imagethief and family went to Xi’an for a weekend. As everyone does, we went to see the terracotta warriors. That was fine, but the real highlight of the trip was the apartment we stayed in, which was decorated top-to-bottom … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Imagethief and the lost apartment of Qin Shihuang

Poorly thought out adventures in commuting

In the grip of my darkest and most bourgeois moments I actually considered buying a car and hiring a driver. So, it’s come to this… I thought, as I hovered over a digital map of Beijing. I have to get … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Poorly thought out adventures in commuting