Tag Archives: china
Panda-monium: NBA Stars Invade China Posted by Stephen on Aug 17, 2011
NBA fever is sweeping the mainland (again). It’s Panda-monium! Due in large part to the potential 2011-2012 NBA lockout in the United States, many superstar basketball players are considering playing ball overseas. While stars like Kobe and Derron Williams want to play in Euro Leagues across the Atlantic, others have their eyes set across the…
The Qingdao Beer Festival (青岛啤酒节) Posted by sasha on Jul 30, 2011
About a month into my first stint in China (中国 – zhōng guó), I suffered from a case of itchy feet. While I had moved here to work, my job was only meant to be a means to an end – to fund my adventures. My first few weeks in 北京 had been a roller…
Rare Earths (稀土金属) Posted by Stephen on Jul 28, 2011
There’s been a lot of focus on China and rare earth in the press lately, so I thought I’d take time with a quick post to explain the value of rare earths and why they matter so much in contemporary politics, trade and economics. Rare earths or 稀土金属 (xī tǔ yuán sù)are a collection of…
Riding That Train (坐火车） Posted by Stephen on May 31, 2011
Trains or 火车 [huǒchē] (literally translating as “fire carts”) are a point of pride among the Chinese–and for good reason. They are a huge source of travel and transport for people and freight in China as highway and road development is still lagging outside of most urban centers. When you think about it, it makes…
Smoke ’em Because We know You Got ’em: Cigarettes (抽烟) Posted by Stephen on Apr 18, 2011
Smoking cigarettes or 抽烟 (chōu yān) may be China’s favorite past-time. No matter where you go, be it inside restaurants, hospitals, at weddings or inside a cab, everyone is ripping cigarettes. More than half the male population of China smokes, and seeing how the cheapest cigarettes in China cost a mere 5 kuai 块，it’s not…
Green China, pt. 3: Renewables (可再生能源) Posted by Stephen on Nov 17, 2010
Going green is no small task if you want to do it profitably in this specialized, global economy. For nearly a half century, scientists have voiced their concerns of arable land/food shortages, the decline of petroleum and coal reserves and loss of clean water resources (via CO2 green house gas production), but were dismissed as…
Yi Xian Camping Music Festival (易县露营音乐节) Part 2 – We are Rockstars (我们是摇滚明星) Posted by sasha on Aug 23, 2010
When we last saw them, our 老外 heroes had finally arrived at their desired destination – the Yi Xian Camping Music Festival. Despite the fact that they had just endured a lengthy, exhausting, frustrating journey, they were in high spirits and were ready to experience their first ever Chinese music festival. We now find our…