[size=117]
[color=darkred]After his retirement press conference on the 20th, Yao Ming was still surrounded and bombarded by various media/press and entertained quite a few interviews on Thursday and Friday.[/color]

[color=red]Finally, he managed to squeeze out some time last night, that he took his parents and his best friend in Houston, Andy Yao Anhong to go to watch "Artistry on Ice". [/color]

[color=darkred]Artistry on Ice which was formed last year in Beijing by the Olympic/World Champion couple, Shen Xue (申雪) and Zhao Hongbo (赵宏博), is an annual tour that puts the world's best figure skaters under one roof to present the artistic side of the sport.

The 2011 version of Artistry on Ice themed as [b]

[size=117][color=red]Photos of some of figure skating stars in the Artistry On Ice.

Patrick Chan
[img]http://i1.sinaimg.cn/ty/o/p/2011-07-23/U6604P6T12D5671425F168DT20110723115935.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i0.sinaimg.cn/ty/o/p/2011-07-23/U6604P6T12D5671435F168DT20110723120043.jpg[/img]

Shizuka Arakawa
[img]http://i1.sinaimg.cn/ty/o/p/2011-07-23/U6604P6T12D5671423F168DT20110723115919.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i2.sinaimg.cn/ty/o/p/2011-07-23/U6604P6T12D5671428F168DT20110723115955.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i2.sinaimg.cn/ty/o/p/2011-07-23/U6604P6T12D5671432F168DT20110723120017.jpg[/img]

Sasha Cohen
[img]http://i2.sinaimg.cn/ty/o/p/2011-07-23/U6604P6T12D5671439F168DT20110723120117.jpg[/img]

Alexei Yagudin
[img]http://i2.sinaimg.cn/ty/o/p/2011-07-23/U6604P6T12D5671424F168DT20110723115928.jpg[/img]

Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao
[img]http://img1.gtimg.com/2/236/23662/2366219_550x550_0.jpg[/img]

Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo
[img]http://img1.gtimg.com/2/236/23662/2366271_550x550_0.jpg[/img]

[img]http://img1.gtimg.com/2/236/23662/2366222_550x550_0.jpg[/img]

Li Zijun
[img]http://img1.gtimg.com/2/236/23662/2366225_550x550_0.jpg[/img]

Han Wenjing and Sui Cong
[img]http://img1.gtimg.com/2/236/23662/2366223_550x550_0.jpg[/img][/color][/size]

[size=117][color=darkred]

As his diehard fan, I knew that Yao Ming loves water sports/swimming as before he took up basketball fundamental training in the sports academy, he used to be trained as a goalie for water polo.[/color]

[color=red]Therefore, it did not surprise me a bit[/color] [color=darkred]when he, Erik Zhang Mingji of Team Yao and friends went to watch the Final of women's 3-meter springboard this afternoon (July 23) in Shanghai Oriental Sport Centre at the 2011 FINA World Aquatics Championship.[/color]

[color=darkred]And Chinese athletes did not disppoint him, as Wu Minxia (a Shanghainese) and He Zi won the gold and silver medal in the event.

When reporters asked him whether he had ever dreamed to become a diver, or whether he will let his daughter Amy trained to become a diver, Yao Ming cracked into laughter and quipped: "If I'm a diver, the springboard would probably crush and break in the middle; as for Amy, I won't restrict her in what she wants to do, but when was the last time you see a men or women diver over 1.80 meter tall???"[/color] [/size]

[img]http://i2.sinaimg.cn/ty/o/p/2011-07-23/U5997P6T12D5671778F168DT20110723180748.jpg[/img]

[img]http://sports.people.com.cn/mediafile/201107/23/F201107231744512755318093.jpg[/img]

[img]http://sports.people.com.cn/mediafile/201107/23/F201107231744511876717314.jpg[/img]

[img]http://sports.people.com.cn/mediafile/201107/23/F201107231744511036830381.jpg[/img]

[img]http://sports.people.com.cn/mediafile/201107/23/F201107231744502126028876.jpg[/img]

[img]http://sports.people.com.cn/mediafile/201107/23/F201107231744511282915383.jpg[/img]

[img]http://sports.people.com.cn/mediafile/201107/23/F201107231744511176822009.jpg[/img]

[img]http://sports.people.com.cn/mediafile/201107/23/F201107231744511091786141.jpg[/img]

[img]http://sports.people.com.cn/mediafile/201107/23/F201107231744503024416479.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i0.sinaimg.cn/ty/o/p/2011-07-23/U5997P6T12D5671776F168DT20110723180740.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i0.sinaimg.cn/ty/o/p/2011-07-23/U5997P6T12D5671780F168DT20110723180804.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i0.sinaimg.cn/ty/o/p/2011-07-23/U5997P6T12D5671775F168DT20110723180732.jpg[/img]

Thank you, pryuen, for these interesting pictures.

[size=117]
[color=red]Just 2 days after his retirement/commendation ceremony in Beijing, Yao Ming was on the road again[/color] [color=darkred]for his philanthropist activities as well as fulfilling his commercial endorsement commitment to China Life Insurance who had announced a week ago that despite his retirement, they are going to extend his endorsement contract for another undisclosed terms and years upon the expiry of his current endorsement contract.[/color]

[color=red]He was seen in the opening ceremony of the annual 3rd China Life Insurance Summer Love Camp in Xian of Shaanxi today in his capacity as China Life's Global Ambassador.[/color]

[color=darkred]Around 50 surviving orphans from the Szechuan Wenchuan earthquake, Qinghai Yushu earthquake and Gansu Zhouqu landslide will take part in a 6-day summer camp; accompanied by volunteers, these orphans will tour the 2011 World Horicultural Expo, visit one of the 8th Wonders of the World, the Terracotta, as well as the Ming Dynasty City Wall Ruins.

Yao Ming greeted and encouraged the orphans to enjoy their camp and to make new friends, and they exchanged gifts; one of the Tibetan orphans gifted Yao Ming a white silk khata, which is a traditional ceremonial scarf used in Tibet and Mongolia that symbolizes purity (of heart) and compassion, as well the beginning of a relationship. Another orphan gifted Yao Ming with a self-drawn caricature of Yao Ming. Yao Ming reciprocated the orphans with a full set of his knuckleheads in Houston Rockets uniform. [/color][/size]

[size=117][color=red]Photos at the opening ceremony of this China Life Summer Camp.[/color][/size]

[img]http://i742.photobucket.com/albums/xx67/pryuen/yao2-29.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i742.photobucket.com/albums/xx67/pryuen/yao3-26.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i742.photobucket.com/albums/xx67/pryuen/yao5-23.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i742.photobucket.com/albums/xx67/pryuen/yao1-31.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i742.photobucket.com/albums/xx67/pryuen/yao6-23.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i742.photobucket.com/albums/xx67/pryuen/yao7-20.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i742.photobucket.com/albums/xx67/pryuen/yao8-20.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i742.photobucket.com/albums/xx67/pryuen/yao9-13.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i742.photobucket.com/albums/xx67/pryuen/yao11-5.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i742.photobucket.com/albums/xx67/pryuen/yao10-13.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i742.photobucket.com/albums/xx67/pryuen/yao4-27.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i742.photobucket.com/albums/xx67/pryuen/yao12-4.jpg[/img]

[size=117][color=red]Geeeeeeez, the Big Man just NEVER rests.

Yao Ming flew back to Beijing from Xian and was in a product launch yesterday (July 28 ) for Beijing UniStrong Science & Technology Co Ltd,[/color][color=darkred] a high-tech company specializing in Global Positioning System (GPS) technologies, as its official Company Image Spokesperson (and actually its 4th largest shareholder when Beijing Unistrong went public and got listed in the Small and Medium Enterprise board of the Shenzhen stock market).

http://www.yaomingmania.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14647

Yao Ming had been endorsed by Beijing Unistrong ever since 2005, and his endorsement contract was further extended for another 5 years back in 2010.

Beijing Unistrong is currently the leading product provider in China on positioning, navigation and timing adjustment with a domestic market share of around 40%.

The product they launched yesterday is called China Position, a Cloud Computing based cross-platform, cross-network, cross-industry techology platform claimed to be the first commercially viable Cloud computing based applications in China that marked the entry of China's satellite navigation industry into the "Cloud" time.[/color]

[color=red]Here are some photos of the Beijing Unistrong product launch yesterday. [/color][color=darkred] Yao Ming was seen in the photo jointly launching the "China Position" Cloud Platform together with Liu Jingnan of China Academy of Engineering, Xu Deming, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Land and Resources and Bureau Chief of the National Mapping Geographic Information Bureau, and Guo Xinping, Chairman of the board of Beijing UniStrong (from left to right).[/color][/size]


[img]http://i4.hexunimg.cn/2011-07-29/131878576.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i7.hexunimg.cn/2011-07-29/131878580.jpg[/img]

[img]http://img.article.pchome.net/00/52/73/36/12_500_pic.jpg[/img]

[img]http://image.xinmin.cn/2011/07/29/20110729093306446922.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i6.hexunimg.cn/2011-07-29/131878568.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i2.hexunimg.cn/2011-07-29/131878570.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i7.hexunimg.cn/2011-07-29/131878571.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i1.hexunimg.cn/2011-07-29/131878572.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i4.hexunimg.cn/2011-07-29/131878573.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i3.hexunimg.cn/2011-07-29/131878574.jpg[/img]

[size=117][color=red]I posted about his interview with Sohu.com that he plans to switch from playing BIG basketball to SMALL golf.

http://www.yaomingmania.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15198[/color]

[color=darkred]And in the past 2 days, there was this photo circulating in Internet and various Chinese basketball forums that[/color][color=red] Big Yao is REALY SERIOUS about picking up golf !!![/color]

[color=darkred]He was seen here playing golf in Shanghai's Sheshan International Golf Club.[/color]

[img]http://i742.photobucket.com/albums/xx67/pryuen/yaogolf.jpg[/img]

[color=darkred]I have read that he had recently moved to a new house in Song Shan District from his old Xuhui District. And Sheshan is in Song Shan District; it is renowned for its luxury houses/villas as well as its grandeur view of Huangpu River.

So Sheshan International Golf Club could be pretty close to Big Yaoi's new home.[/color]

[color=red]Don't you guys think his R11 driver is tooooooooooooo shooooooort ???? [/color][/size]

[size=117][color=red]Well it had been quite a quiet 2 weeks for Big Yao.[/color]

[color=darkred]But he was seen today (August 16) in Shanghai with selected players from his Shanghai MAXXIS Sharks in a marketing promotional campaign called "Cheer For The Earth" for his commercial endorser of Shanghai MAXXIS Sharks, MAAXIS Tires.

The campaign had been launched since July, and its main purpose is to promote environmental portection awareness amongst car users. During the campaign which will last this whole summer, car owners (with MAXXIS tires) are titled for free checking of their trie pressures and have their tires refilled/inflated at MAXXIS sales outlets.[/color]

[color=red]Photos of the advertisment of the Cheer For Our Earth campaign, as well as Big Yao during this afternoon's activity. He seemed to have gained a few more pounds !!![/color][/size]


[img]http://img3.cache.netease.com/sports/2011/7/12/20110712160525c23eb.jpg[/img]

[img]http://img4.cache.netease.com/photo/0005/2011-08-16/7BJF8FC500MK0005.jpg[/img]

[img]http://img3.cache.netease.com/photo/0005/2011-08-16/7BJF8IJ300MK0005.jpg[/img]

[img]http://img3.cache.netease.com/photo/0005/2011-08-16/7BJF8GJV00MK0005.jpg[/img]

[img]http://img4.cache.netease.com/photo/0005/2011-08-16/7BJF8DMB00MK0005.jpg[/img]

[img]http://img4.cache.netease.com/photo/0005/2011-08-16/7BJF8ECR00MK0005.jpg[/img]

[img]http://img4.cache.netease.com/photo/0005/2011-08-16/7BJF8EHO00MK0005.jpg[/img]

[img]http://img3.cache.netease.com/photo/0005/2011-08-16/7BJF8G8C00MK0005.jpg[/img]

[img]http://img3.cache.netease.com/photo/0005/2011-08-16/7BJF8HRR00MK0005.jpg[/img]

[img]http://img4.cache.netease.com/photo/0005/2011-08-16/7BJF8I3700MK0005.jpg[/img]

[img]http://img4.cache.netease.com/photo/0005/2011-08-16/7BJFLT3H00MK0005.jpg[/img]

[img]http://img3.cache.netease.com/photo/0005/2011-08-16/7BJFLSML00MK0005.jpg[/img]

[size=117][color=red]The official presser from MAXXIS Tires on Cheer for the Earth.[/color][/size]

[quote]

http://www.moderntiredealer.com/News/St ... -Ming.aspx

[size=109]August 18, 2011[/size]

[size=150][color=red][b]Maxxis