Yunnan – Part Two – Cycling and Swimming in Dali Posted by sasha on Jan 10, 2012
For our second day in the ancient city of Dali, we rented bicycles and went on a cruise of the countryside. We stopped to swim in the Er Hai Lake, rode by a famous temple with its three pagodas, and enjoyed a delicious lunch. In the evening, we strolled the streets and enjoyed some more…
Greetings and Salutations! Posted by Stephen on Jan 8, 2012
When beginning to learn mandarin, finding someone to practice speaking with (and endure your tonal deficiencies) is no easy task. Even in China, the wrong pronunciation or a wrong word will leave you with a blank smiling face, and more and more frequently now, a response in English. Here are some greetings and salutations that…
Introduce Myself (自我介绍) Posted by sasha on Jan 6, 2012
When learning a language, one of the first things you need to learn how to do is how to introduce yourself (自我介绍 – zì wǒ jiè shào). Whether you are making friends, chatting with co-workers, or looking for love, you’ll obviously have to be comfortable talking about yourself and sharing basic personal information. As a…
Occupy Wukan, Pt. 1: The Leadup Posted by Stephen on Jan 5, 2012
2011 was a year of revolution. From the Arab Spring to the Occupy Wall Street, mass protesting, rioting and police suppression have marked this past tumultuous year. With economic recovery still slow across the globe, and with breakthroughs in social media and mobile tele-communications, people have grown fed up with “business ass usual” and they’ve…
Yangshuo (阳朔) Posted by sasha on Jan 3, 2012
There is a saying in Chinese that goes, “Guilin’s scenery is the finest under Heaven” (桂林山水甲天下 – guì lín shān shuǐ jiǎ tiān xià), and for good reason. Located in Southern China in Guangxi Province (广西省 – Guǎng xi shěng), the beauty of Guilin has been inspiration for artists, poets, and musicians alike for thousands of…
New Year’s Eve 新的一年 (for the rest of us) Posted by Stephen on Dec 31, 2011
Happy New Year Everybody! 新年快乐! Here’s to 2012! Ok, before I receive a plethora of comments and posts about this not being the official Chinese New Year, I urge everyone to slow their roll and take a big, deep breath. Feel better? Ok good, because contrary to popular opinion in the mainland, the official, global New…
Worth a Thousand Words: Photos of 2011 Posted by Stephen on Dec 30, 2011
Following our 2011 Year in Review post I thought it would be fitting to reflect back on the best images from our blog in 2011. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so without further ado, here’s China (from the Silk Road to Simatai) through my camera lens…