Suzhou Museum, designed by the late I.M. Pei (West New Pavilion).

Nothing more aesthetically pleasing than black, white walls, blue sky, and I.M. Pei’s magical usage of triangle structure.

Time: Sept, 2025
Place: Suzhou

Summer on the outskirts of Shanghai: Just a day after Typhoon Co-may had us all indoors, everything returned to calm—river views, crab fishing, cloud watching, and planes overhead.

Chongming Island, Shanghai

I only learned about the late I.M. Pei in 2019, upon his passing. Reading his obituary, I was drawn by the beauty he created and the mark he left. I was also thrilled to see an Asian succeeding in a creative role and with this much impact.

After a long break, I’m back posting on Instagram—sharing my passion for street photography across Asia. If you love the streets, follow along at @qinchencq

I’m starting with a series from past trips to Hong Kong, with more to come.

Strawberry Music Festival in Beijing, May 3, 2025
Singer: Ma Di 马頔

Confession: I love ancient Chinese architectures. Always found these steel-free wooden structures elegant, timeless, and fascinating.

In the field of ancient Chinese architecture, Liang Sicheng stands out as a true GOAT.
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Wish everyone a good Year of the Snake! #YearOfTheSnake
Shed the old, embrace the new.

Photo: Adorable snake drawings by readers of Shanghai Library East Hall.

I recently accompanied a friend to buy a Labubu from a vending machine.
Labubu is a super popular toy character. We were buying a blind box from the Lazy Yoga collection, not knowing which yoga pose our #Labubu would be doing until we unboxed it. (1/8)

👋 Hi Bluesky! I'm Qin (pronounced keen), here to share nerdy observations about China's ever-changing life and society.

Former China reporter, video journalist, now tech content mkter in Shanghai (my hometown), still learning about China even though I grew up here.

Vid: Shanghai, April 2023