Bangkok is a center of on-going development in Southeast Asia. Solemn Buddhism culture and lively night markets have developed side-by-side to create a modern, but chaotic city full of energy. Amongst the harmonious charm of the old and new…

The east end of Taipei is really growing and developing with many modern structures like the Taipei 101, the world’s tallest building, looming over the area. But off the main streets and in the back alleys, life is as usual as old buildings…

Singapore has been aiming for a nightscape that catches the viewer wondering, “Is this Asia or western Europe?” In this city of perpetual summer, lighting and air conditioning are necessities to be a modern city. Singapore’s intentions are …

Developing Shanghai is propaganda for the world to see, as the streets of Shanghai seem to explode at night under the glitzy lights of this nightscape. One night the groups of row houses were removed, and the next, modern architecture appea…

Competing with elaborately planned shop facades, intense Han River bridge illuminations, sign luminaries, and bare light bulbs, all flood the streets with chaotic lights. Multi-colored and thriving on pure energy, the different areas in Seo…

The infrastructure of Munbai is well built, creating a well-lit road surface from a horrendous traffic situation and colonial technology. In contrast, the chaotic bazaar boasts incandescent lights. Rich and poor, concentrated light and shad…

Rustic scenery and relaxing daily life co-exist on Jejudo Island, where we stopped for a luxurious stay at a resort hotel. White light from fishing boats dot the horizon and clarify the boundary between the dark night sky and black ocean wa…

Guangzhou on the north shore of the Pearl River Delta As the saying goes “Eating in Guangzhou,” Cantonese cuisine is prepared in a wide variety of ways using almost anything under the sun. Residents carry that energy into the lighting envir…

New development and activity at the fishing port generate energy in Korea’s second largest city, Busan. In sharp contrast with the dark waters, stores with flashy neon signs edge the perimeter of the bay and people sit mesmerized along the …

Tianjin is situated 150km east of Beijing and easily reached in a 30-minute high-speed train ride. Historically, foreign influence including the UK and Germany has shaped the western-style architecture and streetscape that this city is fame…

From post-Olympic pride to the celebration of the 60th Anniversary of China as a nation, China is a very vibrant place. In this country where government is central, we discovered elaborate, but regulated lighting, lighting embellished by ec…

Hoi An was once a flourishing intermediate city of trade. Now, the city is trying to protect the traditional streetscape to appeal as a tourist destination. The nostalgic lantern festival, which was held every full moon, is being reintegrat…

The largest city in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh, has developed into the center of economic activity for the country. The city is in the mists of a huge transformation with new building wherever you turn. We will have to wait and see how the street…

Putrajaya has been developed as the new center for government since its functional move from the former capital Kuala Lumpur. The city planning is very representative of the nation’s authority and symbolic in nature with a very elaborate li…

Georgetown is a town with a very colonial atmosphere. The entire city still has many surviving historical landmarks from its period of British rule and a collective colonial feel to its cityscape. However, it is very different then the beau…

Kuala Lumpur is one of the major cities of Southeast Asia. Recent economic grow has transformed the city, with numerous skyscrapers now dotting the skyline. The outdoor market is a conglomeration of people who seem to naturally congregate h…

Because of previous colonial rule and occupation by Spain, USA, and Japan, many different cultures are accepted in the Philippines. As with architecture or cuisine, the uniquely arranged culture is also visible in the lighting environment. …

Spring of 2007 in the city-state of Hong Kong; a million dollar nightscape along the waterfront, rows of neon signs create the streetscape, and everywhere you look construction sites for new skyscrapers. The transformation of the city is la…

Bangkok, a city in a swirl of on-going change. In our previous survey of Tokyo’s Kanda River, we discover that the backs of buildings face the river creating and area of dark contrast in the middle of the city. But here along the Chaopraya …

In Bangkok, the development of giant commercial facilities continues, as modern times blend with Buddhism to create the nightscape. The light from architecture, high-class restaurants, and shopping centers of these civilized, modern times a…