Archive for S. Peer

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Steve Peer once braved the frozen tundra of northern Canada as a reporter and photographer. He now calls southern China home and enjoys the humid clime more than the bone-numbing cold of his native land. He misses little of North America: Riding in the back of a Canadian air force transport plane and crossing a Chinese street both hold the same level of danger and excitement. After traveling extensively in south-west China he has plans to see and photograph more of Asia. When not shooting photographs or writing he works as an ESL educator and administrator at a private school.

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How to survive 12 hours in Bangkok

Bangkok: A city immortalized and lionized, through travelogues and innumerable films. A capital described as a tropical splendor; an ageless Eden of warmth, smiles, and Thai hospitality.

2Jun2008 | S. Peer | 1 comment | Continued
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Family Remnants

Writer and photographer S. Peer takes us on a visual journey through the remains of a Chinese Hakka village, now a museum in Shenzhen.

They fled. From China’s Jin Dynasty in 265 to the invasion of the Mongol and the resulting Yuan Dynasty, the Hakka people migrated as refugees from Northern China to the southern provinces. [...]

6May2008 | S. Peer | 1 comment | Continued
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The Tale of the Busted Busker

As I was waiting to meet friends for lunch I wandered to Sea World (hai shang shi jie). No, there are no killer whales or dolphins. Sea World is Shenzhen’s expat hang-out, an outdoor mallish area of international restaurants and shops. The centerpiece of Sea World is an old French-built cruise ship (seized for narcotics [...]

16Apr2008 | S. Peer | 0 comments | Continued
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Classroom Broken-hearted

Jim, or Jimbo as I nicknamed him, was a lot like a ferret, after consuming a gallon of nicotine-lace Red Bull. He was everywhere all at once, dancing around the classroom, rummaging through my desk, the king of the overzealous nuisance. We had spent eight months together, one period a day, five days a week, [...]

14Apr2008 | S. Peer | 1 comment | Continued
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A Morning at Guangxiao Si

Guangxiao Si, the Bright Filial Piety Temple is one the oldest in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province’s capital. History places the first temple buildings on the site during the 4th century, before mighty Guangzhou was a city. The compound is significant because Hui Neng, of the Zen Buddhist sect, was a novice at the temple during the [...]

13Apr2008 | S. Peer | 1 comment | Continued
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Lost in the Crowd

A young monk in Chiang Mai, Thailand, walks down a busy street, oblivious to the world around him. It is tradition for each male to become a monk. Most serve for a period of three months during their teenage years.

12Apr2008 | S. Peer | 0 comments | Continued
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Little Dragon on the Water

A statute of Bruce Lee, 李小龍 (Li Xiao Long, or Li Small Dragon), graces the Avenue of the Stars, in Kowloon, Hong Kong. The world-famous martial artist was immortalized with a 2.5 metre bronze statue in the waterfront park in 2005. The statue, now an extremely popular tourist attraction, was financed by the Hong Kong [...]

10Apr2008 | S. Peer | 0 comments | Continued
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Hong Kong Prayers

Prayers at the Tin Hau Temple, Hong Kong Island.
The Tin Hau Temple in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong is more than 200 years old. It celebrates Tin Hau, the taoist Goddess of the Sea, revered in Asia by sailors and fisherman. The temple can be found at the MTR stop of the same name and has [...]

9Apr2008 | S. Peer | 0 comments | Continued
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Chinese Gridlock

I spent an hour and a half sitting in the back of a taxi on a recent Saturday afternoon. It wasn’t by choice. The entire trip should have taken 30 minutes. I found myself mired a mile from home, watching the meter click over every three minutes, adding more jiao to my fare. Why? Three [...]

8Apr2008 | S. Peer | 0 comments | Continued