Vidya B. Viswanathan

POSTCARD: Sorry, I Speak Your Language

It's not a lesson of language; it's one of patience.

The Revealing

TSIM SHA TSUI, Hong Kong — They bought flights for it, booked tours, braved injury, and shirked work. Some bathed

Sometimes I Stare, Sometimes I’m Stared At

NORTH POINT, Hong Kong — Vignettes from the Island Line. A fish jumps out of a woman’s plastic bag in

Allston Residents Work To Find Voice as University Expansion Crawls Forward

Just two years after his inauguration, former University President Lawrence H. Summers penned a 5800 word letter to the Harvard

Allston Community Deals with Development

Just two years after his inauguration, former University President Lawrence H. Summers penned a 5800 word letter to the Harvard

Allston, Brighton Forum Hosts Yoon

When Boston City Councillor Sam Yoon ventured into residential Allston last night to meet with the Allston Brighton North Neighbors

$500K To Refurbish Allston Community

Harvard and the Boston Redevelopment Authority launched the Harvard Allston Partnership Fund on Monday, which will provide $500,000 in grants

Residents Protest Vacancies in Allston

See related interactive map of Harvard's Allston properties. Following Harvard’s decision last month t

Allston Dwellers Fault Harvard

Residents erupted in anger at the Harvard Allston Task Force meeting last night as they responded to Harvard’s recent announcement

Residents Voice Infestation Concerns

Amidst wrangling over potential construction slowdowns at last week’s Allston-Brighton neighborhood task force meeting, one resident asked the group to

Once the dream "castle" of the young daughter of a European expat in Shanghai, the Moller Villa is now a hotel, public garden, and popular place for couples to take photos.

The Shanghai World Expo Cultural Center sits like a UFO in the middle of the Expo Park. It is one of the few Expo buildings that will be preserved at the site for future use.

A sign in the China Provinces pavilion introduces its Western province of Xinjiang as "a harmonious land." Xinjiang has been a site of tension between Uyghur and Han Chinese, reaching a height in the July 2009 ethnic conflict. Since then there has been tighter government control of the region, including stricter controls on its Internet.

The Republic of Korea pavilion at the Shanghai 2010 World Expo. The tiles contain Korean script. According to a Korean friend, some say silly things like "if you wash your hair with laundry detergent, tomorrow, your hair will be itchy."

An "Obama Mart," actually a supermarket, right near Yuyuan, a traditional Chinese garden.

The dizzying view of Shanghai at night, featuring the Oriental Pearl Tower.

Nanjing Road East, a glitzy pedestrian walkway crowded with shops, restaurants, and tourists.

An elegant pile of garbage in one alleyway.

A canvas bag bearing a typical image of Mao propaganda, merged with Obama's face and name. References to Obama and America crop up in many random places. There is even a club named "Obama Club."

Inside an old Shanghai one-story apartment with peeling paint and rusted pipes, a man does work while watching a popular replay of the NBA final. The area around his home, Tianzi Fang, has preserved its antique charm despite its residents leasing spaces for restaurants, boutiques, and cafes that bring both local and tourist foot traffic.