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My Perfect Day of Chinese Food Posted by sasha on Oct 21, 2020
I really like eating Chinese food. How about you? (我真的很喜欢吃中国菜。 你呢？Wǒ zhēn de hěn xǐ huān chī zhōng guó cài. Nǐ ne?). Sampling the local cuisine is definitely one of my favorite things to do when traveling around China, whether it’s some mouth-numbing hot pot (火锅 huǒ guō) down in Sichuan, a hearty dim sum…
Where to See Fall Colors in Beijing Posted by sasha on Oct 8, 2020
Fall is the best season in Beijing (秋天是北京最好的季节 qiūtiān shì běijīng zuì hǎo de jìjié). Winter is too cold (冬天太冷了 dōngtiān tài lěngle). Summer is too hot (夏天太热了 xiàtiān tài rèle). The pleasant fall weather is a welcome relief from the summer heat and a prelude to the chilly winds of winter. In my many…
Talking About Fall in Chinese Posted by sasha on Sep 23, 2020
The weather is getting cooler, the leaves are changing colors, and the kids are all back to school. That can mean just one thing – fall (秋天 – qiū tiān) is here. You may be bummed that summer is over, but there’s lots to love about autumn as well. In China, fall means two very…
Visiting Beijing’s Summer Palace Posted by sasha on Sep 16, 2020
No visit to Beijing would be complete without a trip to the Summer Palace (颐和园 – yí hé yuán), a massive complex full of pagodas, gardens, palaces, and even a lake. In my 5 years of living in the Chinese capital, this was always my favorite place to visit, especially on rare clear day in…
Qixi Festival: China’s Romantic Holiday Posted by sasha on Aug 25, 2020
Today marks the most romantic holiday on the Chinese calendar. In China, the seventh day of the seventh month on the lunar calendar is known as the Qixi Festival (七夕节 qī xì jié). This ancient Chinese festival goes by many names, including: the Night of Sevens, the Magpie Festival, and Qiqiao (乞巧 qǐ qiǎo). Many…
The Drama with TikTok Posted by sasha on Aug 12, 2020
Unless you’ve been living under a rock recently, you’re probably familiar with TikTok. Known as Douyin (抖音 dǒu yīn) in Chinese, the popular video-sharing social network has been making a lot of headlines these days as the US government is considering banning it. Before we address the drama with TikTok, let’s answer an important question…
Summer Fun in Beijing Parks Posted by sasha on Jul 29, 2020
Summer in Beijing is very fun (北京的夏天很有趣 Běi jīng de xià tiān hěn yǒu qù). Sure it’s a bit hot, but there are plenty of ways to cool down. Plus, if you can’t make it to a body of water, you can always just roll your shirt up over your belly and rock the now…