I am always a bit behind in writing and posting ideas. This post would optimally have hit the blogsphere, sometime, say, in the months before an estimated 22 million Chinese women conceived in order to give birth to babies before the end of the year. But alas, it’s too late to stop them. However, my …Read More
I remember there was a time when a blocking of a site was a covert and dreadful thing. A bit of a sign that you had “made it” as someone fighting the good fight. “Blocked in China” seemed like such a ‘thing to be’. Sure Amnesty was; and pro dem sites, those were a given. …Read More
In my first post here at Lost Laowai, I wrote about a student of mine who calls herself Nazi. She is, in most ways, a pleasant girl who studies hard and takes responsibility for her class. Despite bureaucratic tendencies, she hardly seems totalitarian. But a lot of friends, both online and off, told me I …Read More
Hi, my name is Zheng Xiaoyu, and the reason I look so happy is that I’ve just won a no-expense paid trip to visit my ancestors. That’s right folks, I have been awarded the coveted title of 2007 Chinese Scapegoat of the Year – an honour unlike any other. I mean, I had wished and …Read More
It’s been pretty hot today: a reported 30 degrees Celsius (that’s 86 Fahrenheit, if you prefer to count it that way), coupled with near 70% humidity that is tempered only slightly by a gentle, warm breeze. No complaints from me whatsoever. Being from the U.K., where the number of summer days can be counted on …Read More
There. I just coined a phrase. I’ve been doing some reading today (Note: that makes it a good day for me), and I’ve been seeing many articles and postings published by the China-focused academia or journalism community. Like the Nutty Yale Professor a while back, these articles leave me with a certain sour taste in …Read More
A couple of weeks ago I saw something that I’ve been trying to make sense of ever since. Here’s what happened: I was on a bus here in Suzhou, which drew up to a set of traffic lights at an intersection. To my right, on the corner of the road, I noticed on old woman …Read More
This is just going to be a few sentences long, but I was hoping people would check out the Manchurian Candidate’s website: www.kyle.cn It has a very interesting list of all the school killings that China has had (reported) since 2004. If you think the US is violent, check this list out.Read More
Time and again, I find the things I enjoy most about my job have little to do with teaching and everything to do with the absurdities I confront in the classroom. I wonder sometimes if this makes me a poor educator, but I don’t linger on it. My students have no books, their teacher has …Read More
The big news in China the past couple weeks has been about Western fast food chains (McDonald’s, KFC and Pizza Hut) underpaying their staff in China – particularly the part-timers. The issue was sparked by accusations from China’s top trade union that McDonald’s was underpaying their employees (Reuters/China Daily), in some places by almost half, …Read More
I think it is a fairly common phenomenon in China for foreigners to get angry and make snide remarks when we hear the government make comments about how they will have a peaceful rise to world power or how they will be number one by 2050. I must admit something in me shutters when I …Read More
Staying positive in China is a topic that has been making the rounds through expat circles of late. Whether it be John’s generally always upbeat blog (except when it comes to Spring Festival), the well-written “10 Reasons Why Living In China Is Great” or Rick’s soon-to-be-published post about Chinese do-gooders. Now, don’t get me wrong. …Read More
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