I was wakened this morning by the sound of Chinese—the nasal enunciation of those jack hammer monosyllables aroused me from my sleep as sure as if someone had poured cold water over my head. As my mind focused, I thought I recognized the rapid-fire monotone of a newscast or documentary emanating from some distant electronic device. Suddenly, the thought occurred to me that, for reasons my half-awake state of consciousness could not currently recollect, I had returned to China—or perhaps had never left. Turning towards the window and seeing the blue sky I relaxed, knowing I could not possibly be back in Chengdu. Realizing Yong was beside me in bed both cemented my belief that I was indeed in the States and revealed the source of the sound. Read more…

There are many things that we westerners complain about in China, the 'Bean-Can-Man'; those that pay homage to the 'Flob God'; people walking on roads and driving on the pavement; the apparent lack of common sense; even the education system that is often more akin to palliative care than it is to teaching. Read more…

If by “most romantic” they meant “sleaziest,” then okay, naming Dongguan as one of the top 3 most romantic cities in China would make more sense!  Read more…

Ok, so most of you have heard about the pollution in China! You haven't, well, I'll just let you in on a little secret! That TV you watch, the computer you use every day, your shoes, probably your clothes down to your underclothes and probably about 90 percent of everything else you will look at in the next 10 years was manufactured in China! Read more…

I am not the first or last expat to leave China after a long stretch. Mine lasted about 10 years and while I can claim no special linguistic or unique experience beyond doing PR for the PRC — as I often describe my time working at the likes of China Daily, Global Times, China Radio International and Shenzhen Daily — I find myself often homesick and occasionally heartsick. Read more…