The Beijing City Government has launched yet another campaign to improve the lives of us Beijingers. The formal name of this campaign is "Program for a Healthy Beijing–Citizen Health Action Plan for the Decade." Good grief—just saying it is a workout. All that to say the government thinks that we Beijingers need to put down […]
100 Fun Things to See and Do in Beijing
As part of an orientation program for some English teachers earlier this month, I prepared this list of 100 fun things to see and do in Beijing. How many have you done? Attend a Chinese Acrobat performance Attend a concert in the National Opera House Attend a folk or jazz concert at the Sanwei Bookstore […]
Your Turn, Shanghai. Good Lucky.
With the 2010 World's Fair scheduled for next summer in Shanghai next summer, the city is taking it's turn at all the silliness that Beijing got to engage in last year: the razing of the old city, the manic building, the civilization campaigns (no pushing and spitting). And yes, even the crackdown on Chinglish, as […]
A Day at Ikea
Beijing is home to one of the largest IKEA furniture stores in the world–the size of a small nation actually. But for Beijingers, it's much more than a furniture store. It's a destination, especially on a hot summer weekend. The Los Angeles Times just ran a great article about the fun and activities: Welcome to […]
Happy Valentines Day
Today is a traditional Chinese Festival called Qi Xi. The literal meaning is "night of sevens" because it falls on the 7th day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar. And that's today. This festival, which dates back to the Han Dynasty (206BC – 220AD) commemorates a love story, so this has traditionally been […]
So Long, Xiao Zhang
Xiao Zhang, who has been my housekeeper ever since I moved to Beijing in 1998 is leaving tomorrow. She and her family will return to their village in Anhui Province. It’s a move they need to make in order to improve their 13 year old daugher’s chances of getting into university somewhere. The Chinese education […]
