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China and Africa
Xu Jinglei in Cape TownPosted by Maya Alexandri, March 31, 2008 1:58 PM
Maya Alexandri is currently traveling as part of actress / director / blogger Xu Jinglei’s entourage in South Africa, and will file reports about the trip for the next week. A multi-ethnic city, Cape Town has long been home to dislocated populations. Some of the populations come to Cape Town voluntarily, seeking economic opportunity. Historically, the Portuguese, Dutch and British sought their fortunes in Cape Town. More recently, Cape Town has attracted "economic refugees" from other African countries. This morning, at Green Market Square — an outdoor market with stalls selling African jewelry and souvenirs, like ostrich eggs and springbok hides — Xu Jinglei and her team haggled with traders hailing from all over Africa. By contrast, some of the populations had no choice in their move to Cape Town. By noon, Xu Jinglei's team was shooting photos and footage in Bokaap. An historic neighborhood of brightly-painted houses, Bokaap had been home to slaves who the Dutch had imported from India, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia in the eighteenth century, and who'd subsequently been freed. Called "Cape Malay," this population was part of the larger mixed-race group in Cape Town known as "coloreds." Still other populations seem to have stumbled into Cape Town by accident. In the afternoon, the team gawked at penguins, waddling, nesting, feeding and swimming at Boulder Beach. These polar birds had not merely settled in Africa, but had selected the Indian Ocean side (that is, the warmer side) of Cape Point, despite the presence of significantly colder water on the nearby Atlantic Ocean side. The confluence of voluntary, forced and accidental migration imparts a richness and variety to Cape Town that prompted Xu to observe that getting to know the city required a longer stay. Ismail, a colored resident in Bokaap whose family has lived in the neighborhood for 300 years, went further: "Cape Town is where civilization below the Sahara started." Your correspondent hazarded that Cape Town seemed to be the birthplace of "melting pot" multi-culturalism. "That, too," Ismail agreed. Below are some photos of Xu from the last few days: |
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Comments on Xu Jinglei in Cape Town
I know understand why Xu has the most popular blog in China. I am presuming that all her blog posts are as exciting as these wonderful dispatches from "your correspondent" Maya.
jeremy. could you reqest maya tell us what Xu had for breakfast this morning? and did she manage to buy the ostrich egg or was she priced out?
on tenterhooks
a faithful reader
Faithful Reader, I almost spat at the screen. Couldn't have put it better myself.
Profound. Asian girl "discovers" mysterious Africa with a gaggle of photogs snapping shots of her doing kitschy tourist stuff.
Reminds me of this (except this girlie is 10x hotter! Sorry about the collateral pRon):
link
if you don't like the posts, don't read. have you ever complained about the job ads on danwei? or podcasts about boring business internet pseuds? no. so why don't you just scroll on by.
not faithful but not demanding reader
yeah and xu is hot!!!
More photos please! I like the posts but I want more photos.
Springbok is one word, and it's the Bokaap. Just shows the distortion of Western Media. Ai, ai, ai.
Xu jing lei is a beautiful and clever girl,i love her forever!
我怎么搜不到她的投名状中的激情片段?有知道的么,PLS GIV'ME A LINK
love you both. a good private English teacher and a smart student.