Archive for 'Culture'
Real Chinese Food – Breakfast Posted by sasha on Dec 28, 2015
If you’ve only ever eaten Chinese food at restaurants in Western countries, you might think of it as General Tso’s chicken, egg rolls, and fortune cookies. Not surprisingly, the Chinese food in China looks a bit different. In fact, there are only really a handful of dishes that I’ve seen on menus in the US and…
Merry (Chinese) Christmas Posted by sasha on Dec 23, 2015
Christmas (圣诞节 – shèng dàn jié) is right around the corner, which is just as obvious in Chinese cities as those in the west. Just visit a shopping mall in Beijing or Shanghai, and you’re guaranteed to see massive Christmas trees, hear “Jingle Bells” on repeat, and see plenty of shops offering up holiday sales. While…
A Common Chinese Menu Posted by sasha on Nov 30, 2015
When I first got to China with zero Chinese abilities to speak of, I quickly realized that it was going to be difficult to eat. In most restaurants, the menu lacks pictures or English translations. Plus, oftentimes when there is some English on the menu, it is totally incomprehensible. What exactly are you going to…
Culture Shock in China – Face Posted by sasha on Nov 25, 2015
It’s been quite a while since our last post about Culture Shock in China, so here’s a quick recap with the links of the previous posts for those who missed out: Food/Dining Out Drinking Apartments Bathrooms Getting Around Today, I’ll dive into one aspect of Chinese culture that has always been hard for me to…
Macau – A Tale of Two Cities Posted by sasha on Nov 23, 2015
We recently introduced the Special Administrative Region of Macau, dubbed the “Vegas of the Orient” for its abundance of casinos that bring busloads of mainland tourists in every day to try their luck at the only place with legal gambling in China. Although Macau is best-known for these massive casinos, there’s a whole other side…
Exploring Guiyang Posted by sasha on Oct 26, 2015
Capital of southwest China’s Guizhou province (贵州省 – guì zhōu shěng), the city of Guiyang (贵阳 – guì yáng) is situated on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and the Nanming River. Although the city – and the province as a whole, for that matter – is often overlooked by travelers, its status as a major transport hub…
One Day in Guiyang Posted by sasha on Oct 21, 2015
Explore Guiyang – the capital of Guizhou province in SW China – in this short video showing what you can do in the city with just one day. Hang out in public parks and squares, check out an ancient pavilion, relax in a garden, and feast on yummy street food.