Awesome China

Drone pilot and photographer Joshua Turner visited Shanghai, China, where he managed to fly his Iflight quadcopter alongside the nation’s tallest skyscraper. Currently, the third-tallest building in the world, the sleek 2,073-foot-tall Shanghai Tower looks incredible through the lens of Joshua’s GoPro11 Mini camera. He also flew around a few other tall structures.

Chinese sign maker Star Road Factory has perfected an infinite neon effect by sandwiching LEDs between sheets of acrylic and a mirrored backing to create an awesome infinite light effect that looks even cooler when changing perspective. They have another TikTok channel that shows off more of their work.

There aren’t many products that can be made by the millions, but hardware like screws are one such item. This video from SatisFactory Process takes us inside a facility in China that cranks out mass quantities of screws every day. Machines straighten coils of steel wire, cut, shape, then thread the screws before they’re heat-treated for strength and washed.

Zinc carbon batteries are the cheapest kind of batteries you can buy. Alkaline and lithium batteries last longer, but that doesn’t make this factory video any less fascinating. Miracle Process took their cameras inside a Chinese factory that uses an army of machines to crank out millions of zinc-carbon batteries each year. Turn on captions.

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are found everywhere these days, so they must be produced in mass quantities. Scotty Allen from Strange Parts scored a tour of China’s World Semi factory for a fascinating look at how they crank out millions of RGB LEDs that can be programmed to change colors. The automation used in the process is truly incredible.

Most cotton candy is produced by spinning heated sugar in a special appliance until it forms thin strands. But this talented candy maker shows how a traditional Chinese cotton candy can be made by spinning hot, caramelized sugar in the air and inserting a skewer of caramels in the middle to catch the candy floss.

This water slide in Tianjin, China, gives riders a chance to float down the side of a mountain in a raft. The slide is made with glass panels on its sides and bottom and offers 360º views of the tree tops and surrounding scenery. For more thrills, there’s a more sketchy looking slide that hugs the side of a cliff.

The Smithsonian Channel takes us near Shanghai, China, where what was once a rock quarry has been transformed into an extravagant luxury resort. Architect Martin Jochman of JADE+QA designed the structure that appears to be just two stories when approaching from the top, but is actually a 16-story tower that blends into the rocks.

Moyun is known for performing covers of popular songs on a traditional Chinese string instrument called a guzheng. To bring out the rock sound, a guitarist and drummer join her for a fantastic cover version of the Guns N’ Roses hit Sweet Child O’ Mine. Where do we go now?

With over 1.4 billion people, China generates a lot of waste. In 2017, it created a new problem. After shared bicycle programs cluttered streets with more than 25 million bikes, the government enforced fleet size limits, and countless bikes ended up in massive graveyards. Guoyong Wu’s short film uses aerial photography to show just how big the problem got.

This science fiction series comes from Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. It’s based on Liu Cixin’s Hugo-award-winning trilogy about the first contact between Earth and an alien civilization and its far-reaching implications on humanity’s future. Coming to Netflix 1.2024.

Shanghai, China firm 100 Architects designed this vibrant outdoor space inspired by hot lava. Instead of drab concrete, it’s been decorated in brilliant shades of red, orange, and yellow. The park includes lots of play areas, including an obstacle course, see-saw, and merry-go-round, along with a jogging path for adults.

Atulie’er village is situated on the edge of a cliff in Sichuan, China. Historically, it took villagers a half-day to climb a series of 17 wood, rope, and vine ladders to get there. The China Traveller takes us on a tour of a more recent addition to the community, a metal ladder made from pipes that offers a more direct, but still exhausting route.

Apple and director Peng Fei celebrate the Chinese Year of the Rabbit with a story about a young man’s love of opera and his dedication to his craft even in the most challenging times. The vibrant take on Through the Five Passes was shot on the iPhone 14 Pro and is a great showcase of its cinematic capabilities.

A typical flute measures 26 inches long, but there are various smaller and larger versions. In this video from Chinese TV, musician Zhang Qihui plays a series of wind instruments, starting with a tiny one that fits in her hand, working her way up to a massive instrument that needs two people to cover its holes while she blows.

This crazy grass skiing attraction at China’s Wulan Mountain lets riders zoom down a smooth, grass-covered hill on a single-person cart that rides on narrow-gauge rails. The video shows just 11 seconds of the 40-second ride, but it looks like a blast. Apparently, it’s quite the climb back to the top of the hill if you want to ride again.

Goldthread takes us inside a factory that makes special good fortune candies, each of which has a meaningful Chinese character in its center. Using soybean, black sesame, and maltose, their artisans handmake each rope of candy by stacking contrasting layers then stretching them smaller and smaller to reveal the letters.

If AC/DC came from China instead of Australia and Scotland, their music might sound something like this guzheng cover by musician Moyun. If it sounds somewhat familiar, it’s because her arrangement of Thunderstruck was inspired by Luca Stricagnoli’s version of the song.

Rather than using paint, artist bihuashiyuge uses plaster as her medium. Here, she shows off a bit of her sculpting technique as she creates an intricate 3D relief image of The Great Wall of China. Her 3D dragon is equally impressive.

Most wedding banquet halls are either permanent structures or set up under a tent. But this unique vehicle from Chinese event company Hanchuan Ximen Bridge Liangming Etiquette Co., Ltd. packs an entire mobile reception hall and dining room into the back of a tractor-trailer rig.

In Chengdu, China, they use special misting trucks to remove dust from the air. Recently, one of these trucks sprayed its fog machine into the sunshine at just the right time to create a dramatic rainbow, set against the backdrop of the 728-foot-tall Tianxi Twin Towers.

Chinese artist 超哥的烧火棍 aka “Super Brother’s Fire Stick” shows how he creates a mural using a flaming stick of wood as his medium. We’re assuming he moves quickly and frenetically so as not to burn himself. Be sure to watch until the end for the reveal.

HypieLab’s deck features images inspired by the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West (西遊記). The cards have illustrations by artist Sin Yee Lam, based on mythical characters like the Monkey King and Pigsy. A premium edition is printed on black core casino stock, and they’re also making Wukong coins and a skinny Go deck.