Alexander Stuart

I greatly enjoyed this piece about the whole NSA/leak story from my pal Frazer Rice's blog, which is called, not unreasonably, FrazerRice.com. Perhaps what surprises me most about all this is how much I'm not surprised by NSA snooping. I feel that Google, Facebook, AT&T and my beloved Apple know all that stuff about me anyway (not to mention LinkedIn). I guess I'm just not paranoid enough anymore - I feel I could have a Hunter S Thompson weekend in Vegas and no one would care. I rather expect full valet service from the NSA now. A car with a driver would be nice - as long as it took me where I wanted to go, rather than a one-way trip to some undisclosed location. I guess it's being white and British-born (privileged, as my wealthier-born Chinese-American wife is always pointing out) - I feel that I could still engage in some pretty nefarious activities, and the NSA/FBI/CIA wouldn't get hot under the collar (hopefully they'd be pre

Photograph Copyright  ©  2013 Alexander Chow-Stuart. An astonishingly beautiful and thoughtful gift from my friend David Tait of a jade Buddha that comes from the land he loves so much, surrounding Mount Everest. David just summited Everest for the fifth time, to raise money for the NSPCC and for a vitally needed educational programme in schools to raise children's awareness of the risks of child abuse, of which David sadly was a victim as a child. The Buddha sits on my desk by my keyboard, where it shall remain for as long as I am in this body (and perhaps after) - which I hope will be a very long time. A million thanks, David. Namaste.

All photographs courtesy of fearless-in-beijing. This post is mostly an excuse to show some beautiful clothes and beautiful women, but it's also to promote Gabrielle Bonheur's wonderful blog and Facebook page fearless-in-beijing   北京街头风格   - which captures the spirit and energy of the New China perfectly. These pictures are from the opening of Stella McCartney's new boutique in Beijing , and display a truly elegant collection in white. As Gabrielle notes on her blog, the prices of Stella's clothes for the Beijing boutique are accessible only to China's rising middle class - a $300 bag, for example, represents a full month's salary for many in China. But China is changing fast, and there is a rapidly growing sector of the population who both aspire to and can afford these prices - and who represent a major culture shift in China's recent history. China is at a great turning point, and the growth of boutiques like Stella

FoundersCard - a new mark of success. CNNMoney has called it, "The elite 'Black Card' for entrepreneurs." TechCrunch said it "gives entrepreneurs elite programs and networking traditionally reserved for execs of Fortune 500 companies." Developed in 2009 and launched in January 2010 by entrepreneur Eric Kuhn , FoundersCard is an elite members' card that offers a truly valuable range of global benefits to its cardholders, including upgrades and discounts with select airlines, such as Virgin Atlantic, Cathay Pacific and Jet Blue; international networking events in cities such as Los Angeles, New York and London, with high-achieving entrepreneurs and accomplished individuals in technology and media; a discount on  AT&T iPhone bills (based on minimum criteria for the data plan, etc); and even a special arrangement when you open a new account with First Republic Bank. Welcome Pack - Photo courtesy:  Michael Gross Photo. Members speak v

Zhao Wei's So Young is a phenomenal success already in China. Leading Chinese actress Zhao Wei's feature film debut So Young has proven a huge box office success in China, taking 350 million yuan ($56 million) in its first week. Its nostalgic theme - a love story set in the 1980s and 1990s - has connected in a big way with Chinese audiences. Hopefully the movie - based on  the  best selling  Chinese novel,  To Our Eventual Lost Youth , by  Xin Yi Wu  - can expand its success internationally. Zhao Wei is a megastar in her native China. Also known as Vicki (or Vicky) Zhao , she has built a formidable reputation as an actress, pop singer and now director. She is one of the  "Four  Dan  actresses" in China (四大花旦), along with  Xu Jinglei ,  Zhang Ziyi  (best know internationally for Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ) and  Zhou Xun . ( Dan originally referred to female roles in Chinese opera - but, aside from their box office power, you could l