CHINA
Country Overview:
"A land of contrasts, where ancient traditions meet rapid modernization, and delectable cuisine coexists with complex political realities."
My seven-year journey in China, from May 2013 to August 2020, was a whirlwind of experiences. I taught English, pursued my Master's in Politics & Foreign Policy at the prestigious Tsinghua University, and immersed myself in the media landscape at China Today and Xinhua News Agency. Beijing was my home base, but my travels painted a vibrant tapestry of China's diverse landscapes and cultures: the bustling metropolis of Shanghai, the historic city of Xi'an, the tropical paradise of Sanya, the unique blend of East and West in Macau and Hong Kong, and countless other destinations in between. From savoring the exquisite flavors of regional cuisines to navigating the intricacies of daily life under a distinct political system, China left an indelible mark on me.
Fancy Tuktuk
I’m not sure the kind of look this Tuktuk driver was going for, but I’m guessing he’s pretty satisfied with his work
Blue Go Go
The bike-share wars of 2017 are behind us and now, only three companies are left standing: Mobike (orange), OFO (yellow), and Blue Go Go (pictured above)
Classic Gym Problems
I’ve always believed that very specific rules come about because of an “incident” that require that rule to be made. I only wish I were here the day my gym needed to make this specific warning.
Taobao find of the day
Taobao, China’s version of Amazon that is, with no disrespect, 100 times better than its US counterpart, has some weird stuff on there. Today, I present one of the greatest ugly Christmas sweaters I have ever seen
Winter is here
Don’t let the picture fool you, Beijing is cold. And not the kind of “oh it’s a cold August night” kind of cold. I mean negative temperatures cold, in Celsius though, so don’t be too alarmed.
UFC in Beijing
UFC was something I’d always wanted to see, and thanks to Beijing, I can now cross that off my list as well. It was exciting watching the 12 fights before the main card, and after all the hype, all the exchanged words, it ended in 25 seconds. The knockout was impressive, but for a fight that was scheduled to go five rounds, I would have liked to have seen a bit more.
Thanksgiving
It’s weird not being back in America for Thanksgiving. In Beijing, I know the holiday is approaching, and I know I’ll do something that involves turkey, but I think the biggest difference is the lack of atmosphere. Not a lot of people are talking about it beforehand, there aren’t any window decorations or annoying advertisements talking about “Thanksgiving specials!” I also don’t have an oven in my apartment, so cooking my own Thanksgiving dinner was out of the question. Ended up going out with a friend to a nice Mexican restaurant who did their spin on the classic turkey meal.
Beijing Fall
Maybe whoever swept the leaves like this had OCD, or was super bored; either way, thank you.
Shanghai 2
Shanghai is great. Every time I come to this city, I’m reminded why it consistently ranks first or top two for “best cities to live in China”
Shanghai
The traditional looking pictures were taken at Yuyuan park in Shanghai. The Chinese characters I’m pointing at is a chéng yǔ - a Chinese set expression, often made up of 4 characters or two couplets of 4 characters each, often alluding to a story or historical quotation; idiom; proverb; or saying. This is one too hard to describe. Something about always working towards your goals and the mountain is high but you go in a circle and reach the point where you were going. It’s confusing…
Malaxiangguo
I like this dish because it’s sort of a Mongolian BBQ style food, where you choose the ingredients you want, then they cook it up and serve it all in a giant bowl.
Girl Power
Something funny about seeing these PLA guys next to “The Power of Girl.” Maybe it was intentional. Maybe it wasn’t. Maybe it’s Maybelline.
Happy Halloween!
Quailman for Halloween. Was it a niche costume? Absolutely. Was it worth it? You bet
Pizza Festival
The 2018 Beijing Pizza Festival was super cool. They host it to give all the pizza places in the city a chance to come together and serve their best pizza before the city of 20+ million people vote for the best slice in town. It was cool to see all the different types of pizza, including Baozza (pizza filling in a traditional Chinese steamed bun), and pizza using local Chinese spices and ingredients.
