Abomvu ubuso

As part of an ACFS-organised trip, I have arrived in China, where I'll be for close to three weeks. The overnight flight was to Shanghai, then a connecting flight to Guiyang, where, after a visit to a local traditional vinegar factory (which is a lot more interesting than it sounds), a fast train was taken to Luzhou for the China International Alcoholic Drinks Expo in Luzhou. This city is famous for its beverages and even goes by the name "City of Liquour", by which they primarily mean baijiu, a very strong rice, maize, or sorghum brandy. The Expo itself was enormous, spanning multiple pavilions and attracting several thousand people. Most of the stalls were for Chinese companies and drinks, but there was also a good number of French, Italian, and Spanish wines, along with an extensive range of Thai products as the guest country of honour. The conference opening was enormous, and I found the keynote speaker's presentation hilarious, as he gave the impression that a "rational level of tipsy" was truly the sign of a "civilised society with enhanced emotion".

As appropriate to my own flexible approach to such things, I imbibed a few samples slowly over the morning before heading off to two museums in the afternoon: the Luzhou Museum and Luzhou Laojiao National Treasure Cellars, which were also dedicated to baijiu production and trade. One provided a historical approach, noting that historians of technology (e.g., Needham) consider regulated fermentation with yeast to be one of China's great inventions. An interesting aspect illustrated first-hand was how baidju is partially produced in mounds of cellar mud, which enhances flavour (science!). The second museum was more contemporary in style, providing a rather amazing collection of the grand variety of baidju bottles which are often stylised for particular years, horoscope animals, life events, and sports. The highlight of this trip was the DIY production of a baijiu blend, combining relatively recent products of different strengths and three syringes of older brews. Thankfully, they were for adding small amounts to our blend, rather than mainlining the contents.

Mention must be made of the Howard Johnson hotel where we stayed; it was modern, stylish, and with an incredible guest lunch on our arrival and a successive buffet feast three times a day after that. Sichuan province is, of course, famous for its chilli with a variety of colours and strengths, and for the powerful Sichuan pepper, which numbs the lips and tongue. Add these to liberal doses of garlic, ginger, star anise, wuxiang, fruit peels, spiced salt, and you'll quickly find out why the region's capital is a UNESCO City of Gastronomy. When combined with baijiu, it is clear that the people of this city, in particular, and of this province, in general, like their flavours to have a kick like the strongest mule. Whilst it was a brief visit to the city, one really got the sense that this indeed deserves the appellation of "city of liquor and spice" and is well worth a more regular visit.

Over the past few weeks, I have had the opportunity to touch base with music, fine art, and film. In terms of music, I have been in excellent company with successive evening concerts and picnics at the Botanical Gardens, including Basement Jaxx, Leftfield, and Cut Copy, all of whom are significant international acts in the electronic dance genre. This said, all three bands played a number of their most well-known pieces (e.g., "Red Alert", "Romeo" from Basement Jaxx, "Open Up", "Release the Pressure" from Leftfield, "Time Stands Still" from Cut Copy") with great acumen and with surprisingly clarity, which is not always easy at an outdoor venue. It will make for multiple reviews on Rocknerd, even though I have reviewed a Leftfield concert in the distant past. Plus, in a completely different genre, I must also mention attending an EP launch for folkish performers Crittenden Tyndall with Jack Marshall.

Recently, I also have the National Gallery of Victoria for two special exhibitions. The first is the Westwood and Kawakubo fashion exhibit, with Westwood offering reinterpretations of British styles, especially in punkish tartan and flowing gothic gowns, whilst Kawakubo often presents extreme creations that remind me of the Bauhaus style. The latter is the 75 Years of Women Photographers, a magnificent 20th-century international and Australian collection that included the sort of flair that I normally associate with surrealist and abstract painting; Dora Maar, Lola Bravo, Annemarie Heinrich all caught my attention in particular. As an example of interactive art, I was also invited to a "Rats and Barbells" craft event, where I made Gandalf the Rat.

Moving on to film, Nitul (who was also with me at several of the aforementioned events) and I saw "I Swear" (hat-tip to Rade), a new film on the life of John Davidson. Funny, sad, and sometimes frightening, it was an honest and sympathetic view of people with the condition, with more than an inkling of hope. On a entirely different trajectory, I also attended of the opening of a science fiction film festival with the independent film, The Man Who Saw Them Arrive", mainly about Colin Cameron a UFO spotter who was based in Kew. The enthusiasm of other UFO spotters in the room required me to remind myself that this was a science fiction film festival.

Finally, and also on a related note, I attended some valedictory drinks for one John Atkinson, who recently died well before his time (thank you, Helen D, for organising the events). In his professional work, he was on popular Australian TV shows including "Chances", "Out of the Blue", "Home and Away", "McLeod's Daughters", etc., most of which I have little interest in, although the last episodes of "Chances" were hilarious . Personally, however, we got along quite well. He was one of my first flatmates in Melbourne, and we shared a mutual interest in French aesthetics, which definitely included red wine, cuisine, new wave movies, and fencing. Over the years, we managed to stay in touch after he moved interstate, and he could always entertain with stories of misadventures. Ever living the bon vivant lifestyle with passion, he was well-suited to his profession and would have done well in future years. Again, we are reminded of the shortness of life.