Twelve hours from now I will be on a train pulling out of the Beijing station, bound for Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia, a 35 hour run that will take us over the mountains, past the Great Wall, through the grasslands, and across the Gobi Desert. Since I-don't-know-when I've wanted to add this to […]
Stand Up and Be Counted
In those days the People's Government issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Middle Kingdom. This is the first census that took place while Hu (Who? yes, Hu) was President of China. And everyone went to his hometown to register…..(apologies to Dr. Luke) …Only this time they didn't, because this […]
We Got a Little Convoy…
Beijingers love to fuss, and there are few things we love to fuss about more than the traffic. With a thousand or so new cars added to the roads on a daily basis, it seems that we are fast approaching the day when Beijing will simply be the world's largest parking lot. This month, though, […]
The Red Army Does Michael Jackson
This video has been making the rounds in China this week on Tudou, one of the top online video sites. A 1960's Red Army choral troupe does Michael Jackson's "Beat It." Very funny indeed!
My Life as a Cartoon
A husband/wife team of cartoonists in Shanghai picked up one of my recent 'tweets' and turned it into a cartoon. Pondering what it means that my life has become a cartoon! Note the stickers on the suitcases. These cartoonists did their homework! The original cartoon post can be found at their site www.MandMX.com. Check out […]
In Learning We Trust
Spotted at bus stops all over Beijing these day — a slogan that captures, nearly to perfection, the ethos of modern China.