Jinshanling Great Wall Camp Posted by sasha on Dec 16, 2011
With winter arriving in Beijing, and painfully cold, dry days in store for the next three to four months, I find myself dreaming about spring already. After a long, cold winter, spring lifts the spirits of Beijingers, who can finally come out of hibernation and enjoy the great outdoors. The long, cold, dry winter is…
Apartment Hunting (找公寓) Posted by Stephen on Dec 14, 2011
No matter where you are, whether you are in your hometown (家乡 jiā xiāng) or halfway around the globe, house hunting or 找住房 (zhǎozhùfáng) is a stressful endeavor. In China, the difficulty of finding a place to live as a 老外 is amplified by language barriers, Chinese laws, shady dealings and lack of information. Even if…
Yunnan – Part One – Dali Old City Posted by sasha on Dec 13, 2011
After the binge drinking shenanigans of the Qingdao Beer Festival, we flew south to Yunnan province for the second leg of our trip. From the capital city of Kunming, we took a 4-hour bus ride to Dali. In this first video from our Yunnan trip, see a little bit of downtown Kunming, some delicious Yunnan…
The Jiāyùguān Pass (嘉峪关) Posted by Stephen on Dec 10, 2011
While traveling through Gansu Province, we came across the Jiayu Pass or 嘉峪关 (Jiāyùguān) –the largest and most intact section of the western Great Wall of China. The pass runs through central Gansu acting as a corridor for people traveling between Dunhuang and Lanzhou and marks the frontier of ancient Han culture in premodern times…
Chinese Love – Part Seven Posted by sasha on Dec 9, 2011
Now that the wedding and the honeymoon (蜜月 – mì yuè) are over, what’s family life like in China? Well, ever since 1976, Chinese families have lived with the One Child Policy (计划生育政策 – jì huà shēng yù zhèng cè). It is a common misconception, however, that all Chinese are limited to only one child…
Gobi Desert (戈壁沙漠) Posted by Stephen on Dec 7, 2011
The photos below are taken from a 1,500 km trek across the greater Gobi Desert or (戈比) area. The trip spanned from the most western reaches of Xinjiang province (新疆), through Inner Mongolia (内蒙古) and concluding in Gansu Province (甘肃). Check out the diverse climates, altitudes, and scenery as we retrace the steps of thousands…
Qingdao (Part Three) Posted by sasha on Dec 5, 2011
So far in our video tour of Qingdao, we’ve seen the famous pier, the Yellow Sea, a couple of churches, the governor’s mansion, and an incredibly crowded stretch of beach. Now it’s time for the main event – the Qingdao International Beer Festival! In its 21st year, this celebration of the nectar of the gods…