It’s not unusual to find misleading, distorted stories in the media. It’s also not unusual for me to wave off the distortions, because, well, I know better and I can glean something from the story anyway. Today, however, I want to direct you to this AP story about foreigners in China squeezed by pensions, taxes. […]
One of the things I like most about China is that, even though I’ve lived here for two (!!) years now, there are still surprises. For instance, when I found gummy penguins outside my office a couple of weeks ago. And then, in another instance, today, when I was at Wal-Mart after work buying the […]
The candy man staked out in front of my office today at lunch. Naturally, he and his cart captured my attention with all its colorful, sugary goodness. So many kinds of gummy candy! Gummy bears, gummy lychee, gummy Coke bottles, gummy worms, sour gummies…. Then, I noticed these! Gummy penguins! My sister introduced me to […]
I’ve spent the better part of this week not believing air quality data provided by one U.S. Embassy, as suggested to me by this Chinese official. From Caijing: “China’s air quality should not be judged from data released by foreign embassies in Beijing,” Du Shaozhong, vice head and spokesman of Beijing’s environmental protection bureau, said […]
I bought a giant mango. How giant? How about 1.5 kilograms of giant? That’s, like, 3 pounds. It cost me, though. I paid 30 freakin kuai ($4.71) for it. But it was good. I treat myself so well.
From Chinese Amazon. Like in the U.S., the book (Chinese edition) has already become the No. 1 seller on Amazon here, with the English version at No. 3, ahead of the Oct. 24 release. For those who can’t wait that long, I saw a street vendor selling a bootleg copy (or maybe a leaked real […]
If I ever had any doubts about the reality of a rapidly developing China, they may be tempered by the explosion of lunch time choices available to me right in front of my office. When I first started working here food carts parked on the sidewalk carried little more than unappetizing pre-prepared he fan, a […]
Rumor has it that Li Changchun was in the building today. Boss informed us this morning that the building elevators would be out of service around 10 a.m. because a very senior official would be visiting. Shortly thereafter, we observed from our sixth floor window an armada of shiny black sedans and SUVs and beige […]
Two-and-a-half years after I saw them last play in person, the Dookies still stir up some feeling of contempt and hatred within me. There they were last night, a whole new class of players, in Beijing of all places! I wore a white top with a light blue skirt and proudly stuck a Tarheel sticker […]