I’m a busy guy. Or at least that’s been my long-running excuse as to why I don’t spend more time practicing my Chinese. Fortunately Skritter is making it harder for me to live by that self-defeating mantra with the release of their new iOS app. Out just yesterday, the Skritter mobile app is set to …Read More
If you’re like me, you probably perk up anytime you hear about a movie being made in or about China. Having one made about expats living in China was a first though, and so when I first heard about Shanghai Calling, a romantic comedy about American expats living in Shanghai, I was pretty keen to …Read More
I’m a week away from finishing my first academic year as what can loosely be described as a university teacher in China. Someone told me that I should write some kind of retrospective/memoir, but that sounded like far too much work. I mean, I’m on holiday in a week. I’ve begun the wind-down and I’m …Read More
For a bleeding-edge tech company, it’s sure hard not to feel Google’s been a bit slow to acknowledge and address a phenomenon that anyone in China has been witnessing for years — search results are censored. In a new video and blog post, the folks at Google illustrate the problem and explain that they will …Read More
Ah, it’s Laowai Crackdown season again. Time to cringe as we watch the latest laowai misbehavior on viral video and self-righteously point out that we would never ever think of acting like that. Time to feel a bit indignant about getting stopped and asked for our passports outside the bar because he didn’t stop anybody …Read More
I’m currently in the middle of a bike trip from Beijing to Hainan. This isn’t my first ridiculously long bike trip, I did something similar in 2008 when I went from Hainan to Beijing. But, unlike 2008 it’s a lot more ambitious. Not only did I start from a much lower level of physical conditioning, …Read More
Yet another for our “Bad Laowai” category.Read More
A beautifully colourful shot from Australian-born John Horstman. The photo was taken in the Panjiayuan Markets, Beijing, China.Read More
We know you are here legally. No no, please put your passport away. We don’t need to see it. But for that friend of a friend that’s working on an F or an L visa, you may want to pay attention to the following: Articles across the English-language state media are reporting that the government …Read More
One thing you find out pretty soon if you come into contact with Chinese society is that although most Chinese may not follow any organized religion, that does not mean they are immune from holding superstitious beliefs of all kinds. Superstitions relating to traditional Chinese medicine or to feng shui are of course widespread, although …Read More
They want to help. They really want to help. And whether you want it or not, they are going to help. It’s one of the best things about being in China, and one of the worst. There are always people around willing to lend a hand. And not just willing. They are determined. When we …Read More
As a group, foreigners in China tend to be hit with their decent share of scams. While certainly not alone in their potential victimization, rare does a week go by my (Chinese-registered) phone doesn’t ring with some identity theft scam, China’s criminal element definitely have an eye out for the comparatively affluent and possibly unknowing …Read More
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