On June first at the stroke of midnight, Shanghai officially lifted its two-month lockdown. Two very long months of not leaving the apartment, thousands of daily COVID-19 cases, and boredom, so much boredom. But now, praise Mao and Buddha, the lockdown is over. Kind of.
Shanghai Ends the Lockdown, But Will it Ever be Normal Again? Read Post »
China is a country of rule breakers. It’s a nation of criminals, scofflaws, delinquents, lawbreakers, and ne’er do wells who are constantly engaged in a convoluted game of cat and mouse with the authorities. This flagrant disregard for the rules and regulations was one of the biggest things that shocked me about China. Don’t believe
Breaking the Law in China Read Post »
July 1st marked the hundredth anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party. Love it or hate it, the Chinese Communist Party is the largest political organization in the world, and arguably one of the most powerful. The CCP has around 90 million members, ten times the population of New York City. The party
It’s the 100 Year Anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party Read Post »
The Dragon Boat Festival is a national holiday in China that takes place on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. Usually near the beginning of summer. The holiday is famous for the dragon boat races, where people race cool-looking boats carved into the shape of dragons. I’ve lived in China for almost three
What is the Dragon Boat Festival? Read Post »
There’s water everywhere, but in China, it isn’t safe to drink. It rained all day yesterday. Even though I had an umbrella with me, my shoes are still soggy from trudging through a downpour. This isn’t even the rainy season. Sometimes it rains non-stop for two weeks straight. Everyone’s walls have water damage and sometimes
You Can’t Drink the Water in China Read Post »
The Qingming festival is also known in English as Tomb Sweeping Day. It happens every year on the 15th day after the spring equinox, usually on the 3rd, 4th, 5th, or 6th of April. It’s dedicated to honoring the dead and is one of the least commercialized festivals in modern China. While it may not
What is the Qingming (a.k.a. Tomb Sweeping) Festival? Read Post »
Last fall, we visited the emergency room of a Chinese public hospital when my life-partner and bride-to-be injured her knee. It was interesting, and the doctors gave us the impression that it would just heal on its own. Of course, it didn’t. She ended up having surgery at the end of February this year. Things
Chinese Public Hospitals Are a Kafkaesque Nightmare Read Post »
Chinese movies have existed pretty much since the beginning of cinema, starting with rickety black and white footage of downtown Shanghai. The country has a rich artistic heritage that goes back a century. But, all anyone ever wants to talk about is Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Or Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee. Jackie Chan and
Five Chinese Movies That Aren’t Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon Read Post »
The Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival, is undoubtedly the biggest of all the big holidays in China. It’s like Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Year’s all rolled into one gigantic seven-day festival of red lanterns and dumplings. In Shanghai, they celebrate the Chinese New Year by traveling out of the city. This is often the
How Shanghai is Celebrating the Chinese New Year Read Post »
I already wrote about why living in China can be annoying, it’s time to write about why living in China is great. About a month after I moved to Shanghai, one of the first non-Chinese people I met asked me how I liked it. I said I liked it, so far. She scoffed and told
Why Living in China is Great Read Post »
