I’m ringing in the new Chinese year in Sanya, which is the opposite of Beijing. It is an extremely popular destination, especially in the winter, for Chinese (and Russians) since it is situated on the tropical island of Hainan and southernmost point of China. I learned from Wikipedia that it’s actually on the same latitude as […]
I have a love-hate relationship with Chinese laws. 国务院办公厅印发贯彻落实国务院关于进一步做好利用外资工作若干意见部门分工方案的通知 Notice of the General Office of the State Council on Issuing the Plan on the Division of Work among Departments to Implement the Several Opinions of the State Council on Further Doing a Good Job in the Utilization of Foreign Investment (Translated title here, here and […]
This past Monday marked the third anniversary of my landing in Beijing for the first time (after the 2002 family holiday and my summer internship). What was originally envisioned to be a one-year stint as an editor for a state media website has now stretched into a fourth year of prowling the motherland. I must admit, […]
Because I usually post before shots, I will post an after shot this year: While the first year, dinner was a cozy affair, and last year it was a party affair, this year fell somewhere in between. I had been looking forward to hosting Thanksgiving ever since we moved to our current place in February […]
The prestigious China Daily has published another masterpiece, this time a photo essay of sorts that really captures the harmonious party atmosphere of the Party Congress. These are scenes from around the country featuring people from all walks of life (bonus favorite phrase of the Chinese English-language press!), all intently, joyfully and dutifully watching their […]
I watched the election results come in yesterday morning at work (and yes, I was also proudly wearing a sticker). I don’t know if the stuffy office environment, in which I’m the only American, subdued the atmosphere, or if I was just feeling calm from a strange feeling of confidence. I watched as multiple news […]
Last week, our home Internet began crapping out. Everything took ages to load, to the point where they just didn’t load. I accidentally did something to the router and had to call a repairman to come over. Ever since then, Google barely works and I can’t connect to my VPN anymore. I don’t know what […]
The Times published a translated letter by Bo Xilai, fallen comrade, to his former paramour. If you thought I would write about how it reveals him to be an ambitious, yet reflective, 26-year-old, well, you’re wrong! I’m going to instead focus on this quote: I am particularly fond of the maxim that you copied down: […]
From the FP Cities issue, two opposing views of Chinese cities: 1) They’re all the same, says Isaac Stone Fish in “Unlivable Cities”: Why are Chinese cities so monolithic? The answer lies in the country’s fractured history. In the 1930s, China was a failed state: Warlords controlled large swaths of territory, and the Japanese had […]
My last post was kind of whiny and dour, and really, I don’t despair about those things, I kind of just accept it. Stupid people are found everywhere in the world, so I hope China doesn’t come across as any worse than other places. There are certain things in my life here that I wouldn’t […]