The #1 reason I don’t ride the bus (actually #1 is over-crowding – but fuck). Warning: Probably not best to watch this if you are sensitive to rather terrifying images and people screaming. Update June 7, 2009 Here are a few links putting the video in context. What Lessons Can We Learn from the Chengdu …Read More
Tweets are filling my screen with reports that Twitter.com and Flickr.com are both inaccessible in Mainland China. They join YouTube, as well as WordPress and Blogger blogs as the latest casualties in the Great Firewall of China’s war against free speech. Undoubtedly the blocks are in an effort to curb online commentary and the dissemination …Read More
People always worry able how they’ll be able to survive in China without being able to speak the language. Simple tasks like ordering food can be a challenge, especially in areas with few foreigners. This shouldn’t be discouraging though. You may get a little hungry, you may order some unexpected things, but you will survive …Read More
I am one of those people who associate music with times and places in my life. As the academic year in China comes to a close, a few songs stick out to define the highs and lows of the rookie year of my China experience. If you are about to start your own trip to …Read More
With the fateful anniversary just less than two weeks away, it’s not surprising that the sino-blogsphere is filling up with posts about [*TAM*]. It’s difficult not to comment on it. It’s hard to not feel a bit like there is a necessity to address what has now lain silent for two decades. The tragedy of …Read More
Let’s face it, China can be a pretty tough place to live. When you combine language barriers, gloomy weather (at least in Central and Northern China), culture shock, homesickness, and always having to smile to get your picture taken, it can be downright depressing. Back in the winter, I had a rather difficult time finding …Read More
One of the many things that is a bit of a change of pace for people new to China is the concept of bargaining. In the West we are used to relatively simple and painless transactions, someone asks for a price, we pay, both parties leave satisfied. However, in much of the rest of the …Read More
In typical “me” fashion, I’m figuring out my Mother’s Day gifts at the very last minute. Being that I’m nearly 12,000km from my mom doesn’t make it any easier. My standard go-to is FTD.com where I can browse through a few dozen flower arrangements, settle on something I think is pretty and says “mom” and …Read More
We expats have a strange relationship with the phenomenon of xenophobia. These occasional encounters of the red-neck kind are a two-edged sword for us bloggy types. They can be a morale-sapping reminder of inescapable ‘otherness’, whilst providing excellent grist for the expat mill, that sees us shaking our heads at the nonsensical society we have …Read More
“You know how every major city in the West has a China town? Well, I live in the opposite of that” Yes, I hate to say it, but I am a resident of one of the many laowai ghettos that exist in the major cities all around China. Whenever my family or friends from home …Read More
For those of you who have been in China know that “Hello! Where are you from?†is not an uncommon thing to hear from a complete stranger. However, last weekend while I was on vacation in Qingdao I was asked this in a rather uncommon way, that has got me thinking a rather uncommon thought.Read More
I need to rant. I was hoping I could hold my tongue on the issue, because I know what I’m about to say will only go towards stirring even the most moderate Chinese nationalist into fenqing-edness. But I can’t do it. This comment was the last straw.Read More
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