What We Love This Week, Volume CXXI

Published May 8, 2015
China Symmetry Walking Soldiers

Soldiers march past Tiananmen Square in 2009, the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Source: The Atlantic

China Knows How To Do Crowds

China Symmetry Acrobats

Martial arts students practice for a stunt performance for the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympic Games. Source: The Atlantic

Surely, you remember the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, a staggering visual display that turned crowds into art. Well, the Chinese people have not lost that skill set in the years since. Whether the mass coordination is precise out of necessity (military marches and martial arts stunt performers) or not (outdoor yoga for pregnant women), these photos reveal the surreal beauty of both synchronized movement and synchronized stasis. From the frightening (SWAT teams performing anti-terrorist drills) to the whimsical (3,100 students forming a smiley face), see more at The Atlantic.

Chinese Symmetry Mist

Chinese Taiji boxing rehearsal for the opening ceremony of the 2008 World Traditional Wushu Championship in Shiyan. Source: The Atlantic

Alien Landscapes Here On Earth

Unbelievable Places Pamukkale Turkey

Pamukkale, Turkey Source: Bored Panda

The Giant’s Causeway, dragon’s blood, the Gate to Hell⎯not the ingredients of a Tolkien novel, just some places and things found here on this planet of ours. Dragon’s blood is a kind of tree found in Yemen (and also, probably, a metal band). The Giant’s Causeway and the Gate to Hell…you’ll just have to see for yourself. Yes, Earth is home to red beaches, pink lakes, emerald ice and all manner of alien-looking landscapes, if you know where to look. Find out where at Bored Panda.

Unbelievable Places Fly Geyser

Fly Geyser, Nevada Source: Bored Panda

Unbelievable Places Yemen

Dragon’s blood trees, Socotra, Yemen Source: Bored Panda

An Up-Close Look At The Devastation Of The Nepal Earthquake

Nepal Earthquake Aftermath Tower

Nepali forces excavate the Dharahara tower in Kathmandu, Nepal on April. 26, 2015. This as well as historic Durbar Square, both UNESCO world heritage sites, were severely damaged. Source: TIME LightBox

With over 7,000 dead and hundreds of thousands homeless, the numbers behind the earthquake that struck central Nepal last month are staggering. Here to put faces to those numbers are the haunting, devastating photos of TIME’s Adam Ferguson, one of the few professional photographers who had access to the areas now in ruins. View the gallery at TIME LightBox.

Nepal Earthquake Aftermath Boy

A Nepali boy stands amidst earthquake damage in the ancient city of Bhaktapur in the Kathmandu Valley on April. 28, 2015. Nepal had a severe earthquake on April 25th. Source: TIME LightBox

Nepal Earthquake Aftermath Tent

A displaced Nepali family take shelter in a tent in a park in Kathmandu, Nepal on April. 27, 2015. Source: TIME LightBox

author
John Kuroski
author
John Kuroski is the editorial director of All That's Interesting. He graduated from New York University with a degree in history, earning a place in the Phi Alpha Theta honor society for history students. An editor at All That's Interesting since 2015, his areas of interest include modern history and true crime.
editor
Savannah Cox
editor
Savannah Cox holds a Master's in International Affairs from The New School as well as a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, and now serves as an Assistant Professor at the University of Sheffield. Her work as a writer has also appeared on DNAinfo.