One of the bells I write about in my book, The Bells Are Not Silent: Stories of Church Bells in China hangs in the bell tower of this old Lutheran church in Qingdao. Here’s how the chapter opens: Amy and I slipped quietly into the pew at the old St. Paul’s Church in Qingdao, now known…
Qingdao
The “Face-kini” is Back!
It’s summer in China, which means thousands upon thousands of people are descending on the beaches in Qingdao (and other places). But here’s the thing — being on the beach means being out in the sun which means the potential for darkening skin which is considered a bad thing by Chinese women. Have no fear,…
Summer in Qingdao
It’s July, which means it’s time for the annual spate of wacky stories from the beaches of Qingdao, Shandong Province. Last year, the story that got all the buzz was the popularity of full body masks that women were wearing to keep the sun off of their skin. I don’t know about you, but I…
Passengers on the “St. Paul”
As those of you who have been following this blog for awhile know, one of the unexpected discoveries of my trip across Sichuan with Noel Piper in March, was the existence of two airplanes, the St. Paul and the St. Peter, which were used by the Lutheran World Federation to transport missionaries around China in…
The Masked Swimmers of Qingdao Strike Again!
I can hear the editors in newsrooms all over the world this summer barking orders to their China-based correspondents: “GRAB YOUR CAMERA AND GET TO THE BEACHES IN QINGDAO. WE NEED A STORY ON THE SWIMMERS WEARING NYLON FACE MASKS. NOW!” There may indeed be other news-worthy events in China this summer — a certain…
The Bells of St. Paul’s Church
As Amy and I slipped quietly into the church pew at the old St. Paul’s Church in Qingdao (now known simply as Guanxiang Road Church) one of the ushers spotted us, smiled, and came over to where we sat. “Aren’t you the two ladies who were here yesterday asking about the old church bell?” he…