leonelle Mar 01, 2013
It is an unprecedented move for Chinese state TV to cover the execution of criminals live, especially when foreigners are involved, although the scenes of execution were not shown on the screen. Since CCTV is controlled by the Chinese authorities, there is no doubt that the green light was given by top government officials. It seems that the ... Read More>>
easyrider Mar 01, 2013
Well it’s been a couple of days and I’m back! Did you miss you me? Huh? Oh… Well whatever. I’ve got an afternoon off and it’s still pretty chilly outside so what better thing to do than share my expert (ahem) critiques of various Chinese beers I’ve sampled during my time here. Last time, I gave you a brief ... Read More>>
leonelle Feb 28, 2013
Bryant posted a photo of himself in a blue suit and the message: "Valentine's day sneaks ready to break Clippers hearts. Big game tonight." The message appeared on Friday, hours before his team, the Los Angeles Lakers, were to play the Clippers. Bryant, who is popular in China, already has at least 326,000 followers. Sina Weibo, which says it ... Read More>>
darkstar1 Feb 27, 2013 Comments(2)
Whenever some lays mention to C-pop, Mando-pop, or even J-pop and K-pop for that matter, images of sickly sweet bubblegum vocals and soppy ballads immediately spring to mind. We need only to look at the stars famous here: Wang Leehom, Jay Chow, Li Yuchun…they’re all different masks singing the same voice. That’s not to say ... Read More>>
easyrider Feb 25, 2013 Comments(2)
Granted, it’s more than easy to dismiss the quality and taste of Chinese beer given that most of us are used to sharp-tasting, thick and thirst quenching European brews, but given the fact that China’s summers are relentlessly hot and that sometimes that stereotype about Asian men not being able to hold their drink comes into play, I think the... Read More>>
Bak2DFuture Feb 24, 2013
This is a link to an article I came across on FB :http://www.secretsofthefed.com/china-admits-pollution-linked-to-cancer-villages/I am in Maoming, and I am APPALLED at the fact that in our 3 major parks, a sewer rund through the middle of each and feeds the "lakes" Read More>>
OwainLW Feb 22, 2013 Comments(4)
It’s amazing how quickly China develops. I mean really, even a place like Beijing, with a claim on international city status, still sees new buildings and projects rise up out of nowhere. I want to focus on the subway situation though, and draw on a few highs and lows that the Beijing subway has in comparison with mine back home, that being ... Read More>>
easyrider Feb 21, 2013
Having only just the survived the festive onslaught which is Chinese New Year I can safely say that it’s an overrated festival for anyone who isn’t Chinese. At least Christmas, although it’s not necessarily a saving grace, has some commercial appeal that makes it a festival for everybody. How noise, more noise, explosions, more explosions, ... Read More>>
darkstar1 Feb 18, 2013 Comments(2)
On a flight back to Beijing from visiting a friend in Guangzhou, I really wasn’t looking forward to returning to the world of smog.Guangzhou was warm, greener, and to me, a lot cleaner than the rest of the country. Of course, you can always say that the grass is greener, and perhaps after being in Beijing for such a long time it has taught me ... Read More>>
OwainLW Feb 16, 2013 Comments(1)
We all have to admit that the annual Spring Festival Gala thingy on CCTV is a bit of a bore that’s full of sickeningly cheesy skits and shows featuring the same of bunch of underwhelming performers whose acts seem to be based on whether or not the sound man in the background can apply the correct Tom and Jerry-esque sound effect every time an ... Read More>>
LARedneck Feb 15, 2013
There is a huge criminal scandal or conspiracy in Europe concerning horse meat and now pork products found in packaged foods blatantly mislabled as beef.Are any expats or Chinese concerned about hypermarkets in China such as Carrefour or Metro, for example, stocking these mislabled products?Does anyone have any real information on whether any ... Read More>>
Amazingchina Feb 12, 2013
Foreigner friends always told me there is no beach in China could see the open Chinese ,because they have been seen many Chinese people on the beach in a strange condition : people are all gathering in a group, some are dressing up long sleeves or long trousers , wearing face mask or swimming in the water with clothes on, holding umbrellas and ... Read More>>
easyrider Feb 08, 2013
Although I can’t lay claim to great Mandarin skills, I still enjoy a good flick of old television every now and then. Apart from all the adverts about beauty products, toothpaste, and milk, I have stumbled across some TV programmes with have given me hours of entertainment during my lonely nights as an expat here in China.We’ve all heard of ... Read More>>
wooddragon Feb 08, 2013
While wondering around Hongqiao airport I engaged in a conversation with the young Joyce, a girl 26 year old girl selling books and language software at gate 26. Initialy it started as any sales pitch, however her need to understand the "Foriegner', over rode the need to make a 10 RMB cut on a 700 RMB sale.Her main point, "Why do all old ... Read More>>
wooddragon Feb 06, 2013
So this is my first ever blog, i mean ever. yeah i;m an old git moving around Asia on a vacation pretending to be business. To the point, I just left Shanghai, the first time i have spent more than a few hours their passing through. and i just wanted to offer a word of warning to other ex-pats and Chinese tourist alike. its about what i called ... Read More>>
darkstar1 Feb 06, 2013
My Mandarin isn’t great, but since being here for a few years there’s been one thing that noticed and it’s certainly something I love about being in China – the countless regional dialects. From what I gather, they can be divided into several categories – Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghai area), Hakka, Taiwanese, Hui, Gan,Sichuanese, and of ... Read More>>
OwainLW Feb 04, 2013 Comments(1)
When I was in the north, I took a trip to a little city in Hebei province called Chengde. Chengde is known for being a holiday resort for emperors of old, and features a lovely mountain park area with fresh air and rolling green hills as far as the eye can see. The place also has nice little temples and old (albeit renovated) buildings scattered ... Read More>>
Alekobel Feb 02, 2013 Comments(1)
In the15 months I have been teaching in China I have experienced many cities, afew, very much to my liking, and some that haven't been to my taste. I come from a big and very popular city in America known as Las Vegas. Coming from such a city one would naturally be disposed to metropolitan snobbery when exploring other places and learning of ... Read More>>
darkstar1 Feb 01, 2013 Comments(2)
We’ve all heard of the many food scares in China. MSG,gutter oil, rat meat disguised as beef, beef disguised as rat meat and so on. I had a heads up from all my friends and family about all these food safety issues, concerns which were reinforced upon my arrival here by Chinese friends and colleagues.Although I was desperate to delve into the ... Read More>>
easyrider Jan 30, 2013 Comments(1)
The one child policy has been in effect for long enough now meaning that many of China’s current young were brought up as single kids. I’ve been teaching a fair while now in China and would like to share some trends that I believed have emerged from being brought up as a single child, which I believe have been developed due to not only having ... Read More>>
darkstar1 Jan 28, 2013
So with my Chinese capable to a degree where I think I can read Chinese enough to know roughly what might be going on…if it’s a story book for toddlers…perhaps, I’ve recently been indulging myself into the wacky world of Weibo, and the results have been fruitful to say the least. There’s been a lot of talk as to whether or not Weibo is of ... Read More>>
NiceBrice Jan 25, 2013 Comments(1)
So I can't speak for commuter traffic in other cities (other than my brief time in GZ), but in Beijing, morning and evening rush hour subway rides have become unbearably crowded in the past month or so. What's weird about this situation is that the city just opened a bunch of new lines/extensions, which one would expect would make travel more ... Read More>>
rissyg23 Jan 23, 2013 Comments(6)
Native English Speaker.For people seeking a job teaching English in China this is a term which is often seen in the job requirements. I have taken it upon myself to write this blog to address those who have misconstrued this very self explanatory term. A "Native English Speaker " is a person who has been using English as their primary mode of ... Read More>>
easyrider Jan 23, 2013
I'm at a bit of a loose end.Right now its the awkward time between morning and afternoon lessons - a two,sometimes three hour break depending on my afternoon schedule where I could easily do something productive but instead choose to spend the time fittingly in front of a computer screen, the once keen young brain slowly shifting itself into ... Read More>>
darkstar1 Jan 21, 2013 Comments(2)
I consider myself a very calm, collected guy. Well, most of the time. I’m actually pretty proud that out of many of my expat friends, I’m the one who complains the least about the apparent frustrations that China can present us. I thought I had it covered; the crowds, the pollution, the spitting, I had mentally trained myself not to get riled ... Read More>>