I Got Altitude Sickness in Shangri-La
According to the legends, Shangri-La is a green Himalayan paradise. A mystical Buddhist haven where people never age. A peaceful, magical utopia where everything is wonderful all the time. The …
China
Lijiang, China’s Touristy Time Warp
Do you want to travel back in time? Be careful. Anything you do in the past might alter the present, with grave consequences. Better yet, skip the dangers of causality …
The Magic of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The name sounds like something out of an ancient myth or a 70s Kung Fu movie. The mountain towers over the city of Lijiang in the …
Dali: The Town in China, Not the Painter
Not to be confused with the artist, the town of Dali is located a couple of hours’ train ride north of Kunming in China’s Southwestern Yunnan province. There are no …
Kunming: More than Just Nice Weather
Kunming is the capital of China’s mysterious, Southwestern Yunnan province. Kunming is known by such nicknames as “The City of Eternal Spring” or the “City of Flowers” highlighting the city’s …
Sanya is China’s Surprising, Secret Tropical Paradise
Sanya is China’s premier tropical island beach destination. It’s full of palm trees, beaches, and crystal-clear water, but remains relatively unknown West of the former Iron Curtain. Imagine a kind …
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I Finally Broke Down and Went to Shanghai Disneyland
Disneyland. Ugh. What place on earth better represents the soulless void of American consumer capitalism? Maybe Walt Disney himself wasn’t actually a Nazi sympathizer, but he was anti-union and virulently …
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Shanghai Ends the Lockdown, But Will it Ever be Normal Again?
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, …
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How I learned Chinese (and So Can You)
So, you’re thinking of learning Chinese, are you? Great idea. Not only is it a fascinating language, but it’s also spoken by over a billion people. Learning Chinese will give …
The Great Shanghai Shutdown
Shanghai is under lockdown. As I write this, I’m sitting in my apartment, awaiting the call to go downstairs and take my twelfth COVID-19 test. These nucleic acid tests are …