In Memory of David Bowie: The China Girl Running Diary
In Memory of David Bowie, a running diary of the 1983 Orientalist classic "China Girl." [Read More...]
Beijing Journal
Kissing the Smog Monster
An FAQ for family, friends, and interested parties on how we cope with Beijing's "Patriotic Mist/Toxic Miasma of Doom" [Read More...]
The Christmas Convert
My wife is a serious professional, with a high pressure job. She is one of the brightest and most rational people I've ever met, well known for her dry and ironic sense of humor. But something about Christmas just brings out the whimsy. [Read More...]
Planning on seeing China’s most famous painting? Be prepared to wait.
One of China's most famous paintings is on display at the Forbidden City this month. It's an incredible opportunity to see one of the world's greatest art treasures, just be prepared to share that experience with a lot of other people. [Read More...]
Large Mammals Crossing: Jogging in Beijing
I'm a large mammal in a country of mostly smaller mammals. But this summer I have resolved to lose weight and get healthy...even if it kills me. [Read More...]
Advice to New Wai: Things I wish I learned 13 years ago about life in China
Let’s face it: It’s not easy to live [Read More...]
Beware of Dog!
For whatever reason, a shocking number of people are terrified, actually overcome with fear by....Snickers. [Read More...]
Scenes from a Forbidden City…
Scenes from a Forbidden City....clear skies and heightened security. [Read More...]
Wealth and Power at Capital M
Historian John Delury gave an excellent talk at Capital M today about wealth and power as defining recent Chinese history, but how to fit a search for modernity into that equation? [Read More...]
The Year of the Horse
Tianjin. 6:00 a.m. Explosions. The Chinese New Year is upon us. What to expect in this Year of the Horse? [Read More...]
A Forbidden City
Stopped at the gates of the Forbidden City, I had missed the cut-off time by five minutes. [Read More...]
Granite Studio on the move…
What happens when an apartment deal seems shady? If you've lived in Beijing long enough, your paranoia kicks in and you start to worry. [Read More...]
Five people you meet on the Beijing metro…
I’ve been riding the subway more. I don’t know why. I’ve never before been particularly masochistic nor do I generally enjoy close physical contact with strangers. But it seems an economical way to get around the city now that every available road surface is jammed with broken heroes on a last chance power drive. Having spent quite a few commuting hours below ground now, I’ve started to distinguish a taxonomy of my fellow passengers, including several species which I find it best to avoid. [Read More...]
My 345th fail while living in China: Buying a basketball
I haven’t done a good “Dear China, WTF?” post in quite some time, so sit back and let me tell you about the "Adventure of Buying a Basketball." [Read More...]
The significance of singing ‘Red Songs’
Does singing “Red Songs” really mean a new revival of the old Party spirit? Or is it something that has been happening all along but makes for easy headlines with Bo Xilai’s recent Chongqing campaign and the CPC anniversary just around the corner? A Guest Post by Zhang Yajun. [Read More...]