Earlier this week Amy, Lisa and I decided to take advantage of some nice weather and escape the city to the mountains west of Beijing. Our destination was Miaofeng Shan, in Mentougou district. The complex of temples on the mountain is a classic example of Chinese pragmatism, mixing Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism. “One temple, 3 […]
Chinese Dreaming
For the past few months I have had the song “California Dreaming’” stuck in my head. I blame Chinese president Xi Jinping and his propagation of the notion of a “Chinese Dream.” It has become a feature of political culture in China that each new leader puts forth a slogan that he hopes will define […]
An Afternoon on the Square
If I had checked the weather report yesterday afternoon, I would have known that it was 93 degrees, and thus probably would have thought twice about heading down to Tiananmen Square with my camera. But then I would have missed out on some of these pics.
Noodles!
Yesterday some friends invited me for lunch at noodle restaurant. Since my friends were related to the owners of the restaurant, she let me into the tiny room where the master noodle maker was working his magic. He took a lump of dough and rolled it into a super thin slab about 3 feet in […]
Peking University in 1921
This year marks the 115th anniversary of the founding of Peking University, one of China’s top universities. Today it is affectionately known as “Bei Da,” short for Beijing Daxue (Beijing University). Such is the esteem in which this university is held among Chinese that when I recently introduced a Chinese friend to a bunch of […]
What is She Doing? The Answer.
Thanks to all who left comments with your guesses on what that cute waitress was doing with her mini flame-thrower. Lots of good (and not so good) guesses, but only a few of you got it right. Interestingly, those of you who knew the answer all live or have lived in China. This is the […]
