Archive by Author
China’s Workforce – Past, Present, and Future Posted by sasha on May 1, 2015
In many countries around the world – including China – May 1st is celebrated as Labor Day (劳动节 – láo dòng jié). The date was chosen to commemorate the Haymarket affair which occurred in Chicago on May 4th, 1886. What started out as a peaceful rally pushing for an 8-hour work day ended in tragedy…
More Chinese Kitchen Vocabulary Posted by sasha on Apr 30, 2015
The last post covered some basics about Chinese kitchens, including how tiny they are and vocabulary for your various appliances. Well, there’s still a lot more to talk about in the kitchen. Shopping for your kitchen can be a royal pain if you don’t know the Chinese words, so here’s some more useful kitchen vocab…
In the (Chinese) Kitchen Posted by sasha on Apr 28, 2015
I love to cook, and one of the things I miss most about home is being able to walk into the local grocery store, understand everything on the shelves, and then cook up a tasty meal in the kitchen. As is the case with many aspects of daily life here, things are just not so…
Water Splashing Festival Highlights Posted by sasha on Apr 27, 2015
Earlier this month, I traveled down to the south of Yunnan to take part in the 3-day Dai New Year celebration known as the Water Splashing Festival. Check out some highlights from the festivities – parades, dragon boat races, temple visits, thousands of sky lanterns, and the biggest water fight ever.
China in SE Asia Posted by sasha on Apr 22, 2015
Recently, I wrote about celebrating the Water Splashing Festival in Yunnan province – a holiday predominantly celebrated in Southeast Asian countries like Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand. After having lived in China for many years and traveled extensively throughout SE Asia, it was interesting to see a bit of SE Asia in China. While it’s rare…
Spirit Tribe Festival Video Highlights Posted by sasha on Apr 20, 2015
The first ever Spirit Tribe festival held just outside of Kunming was a huge success. Beijing based Goa Productions put on this 2-day psytrance party in a peaceful mountain village for just 250 attendees. Check out some highlights from the inaugural event:
Water Splashing Festival in Yunnan Posted by sasha on Apr 16, 2015
Yunnan province is one of the most ethnically diverse places in China – among the country’s 56 ethnic groups, 25 reside here. One such group is the Dai (傣族 – dǎi zú), who live primarily in the southern region of Yunnan known as Xishuangbanna (西双版纳 – xī shuāng bǎn nà) and are also in neighboring…