Nĭ chī le ma? Have you eaten yet? Think of the absolute basic, every foods you have in your home in the UK. Bread. Milk. Cheese. I thought these essentials of my daily diet would be essentials elsewhere – but I…
Happy Chinese New Year!
The past weekend saw the arrival of the Lunar New Year, and the start of the Year of the Snake. Seeing the celebrations across Asia reminded me of my own new year adventure, when I welcomed in the Year of…
Hangzhou: Heaven on Earth
“Above there is heaven; below there is Hangzhou.” My students and fellow teachers in Tianjin were very familiar with this characterisation of the capital of China’s Zhejiang province. Even those who had never been waxed lyrical about the loveliness of…
Memories of A Year in the Middle Kingdom
As I mentioned a few months ago, I’m quite the nostalgic traveller. It has been just over a year since I left China, and my mind has been returning to memories of the Middle Kingdom. In between last year’s finalities…
Shanghai Nights (and Days)
I may heart NYC, but last year I had a bit of love affair with Shanghai. Many visitors to the Middle Kingdom prefer Beijing for the history, and while I am usually a culture vulture-type tourist, Shanghai immediately stole my…