As the govermen prepares to celebrate 60 years of the ruling Communist Party this weekend, Shanghai – typically a more westernized city – is being transformed into a propoganda machine. Not only does the famed red flag adorn almost every free space of real estate but the government has begun to scale back American presence through a more tightly controlled permit approval process for events and zero permission for billboard or storefront changeouts the month leading up to this weekends celebration. I can’t even imagine what beijing will be like in both good and bad ways. Coupled with the fact that I’ve been reading a history of Mao book it’s all very interesting to watch as it unfolds around me. Subtle, but not.

for the Nike Merchandising Center in Tokyo, i stopped in to see the digs and was met with a massive opening party and a brand new Nike Custom Yukata. Very impressive and a lot of fun. Great to see everyone!!

Chinese SNS Kaixin and BMW have opened up their Mini Space and their are some funny, cool, interesting Mini designs up there – this one is my favorite!

http://www.kaixin001.com/mini

JiYoung and I headed out to the Shanghai Zoo for our first time. It’s a cool place. Pretty beautiful with a solid lineup of animals – from bears to dogs!! Another crazy thing people do is FEED the animals!! This picture is people throwing bread to an adult bear. I was also able to wake up a sleeping polar bear by chucking bread over a wall to him. Fun times – this is definitely china.

JiYoung and I headed out to the Shanghai Zoo for our first time. It’s a cool place. Pretty beautiful with a solid lineup of animals – from bears to dogs!! Another crazy thing people do is FEED the animals!! This picture is the elephant holding pen, with some MAJOR heat going on. I was also able to wake up a sleeping polar bear by chucking bread over a wall to him. Fun times – this is definitely china.