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Chairman Mao – From Birth to the PRC Posted by sasha on Sep 9, 2013
It was 37 years ago today that the People’s Republic of China lost its founding father, Mao Zedong (毛泽东 – máo zé dōng). Although Chairman Mao may have moved on to the great beyond many years ago, his presence is still felt on a daily basis in China. Reach into your wallet, and you’re sure…
Top 10 Places in Beijing – Local Parks Posted by sasha on Sep 6, 2013
We’re counting down the Top 10 places in Beijing here, and today we’re rolling onto #7. In case you’ve missed any of it, here’s a quick recap: 10. Wudaokou – Beijing’s student hangout 9. 798 – trendy art district in the northeast part of the city 8. Gulou – hipster central around the Drum and…
Chinglish Menu Part II Posted by sasha on Sep 4, 2013
Sometimes when you go out to eat in a Chinese restaurant (饭店 – fàn diàn) in China, you will find some hilarious attempts at English names for the various dishes. As Chinese people have a tendency to give very clever and odd names to certain dishes, oftentimes these English translations result in a thing we…
Beijing Botanical Gardens Posted by sasha on Aug 30, 2013
Escape from the concrete jungle of Beijing and take a trip out to the beautiful Botanical Gardens. Explore the grounds, the greenhouse, and the Buddhist temple in this short video tour. 西山 – xī shān Western Hills 北京植物园 – běi jīng zhí wù yuán Beijing Botanical Gardens 一日游 – yí rì yóu day trip 休息…
Red Snail Temple (红螺寺) Posted by sasha on Aug 26, 2013
Out in Beijing’s Huairou district, you’ll find the Red Snail Temple. This Buddhist temple is over a thousand years old, and it’s a great place to learn about Chinese history and culture, while at the same time getting some exercise and breathing the fresh mountain air. 怀柔区 – huái róu qū Huairou district 红螺寺 –…
Escape the Concrete Jungle at Shi Du Posted by sasha on Aug 21, 2013
From the maze of skyscrapers and hazy clouds of pollution that are omnipresent in Beijing city, one merely needs to hop on a public bus (公共汽车 – gōng gòng qì chē) – number 917 to be exact – and ride out of the city 100 km to the southwest to find stunning landscapes and a…
Datong City Wall and Huayan Monastery Posted by sasha on Aug 16, 2013
In the final video for our mini-series on Datong in northern Shanxi province, we visit the recently restored City Wall and the recently renovated Huayan Monastery. With these historical structures being transformed and made into tourist attractions, Datong hopes to shed its image as the “Coal City” while bringing in more tourist RMB. 大同 –…