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National Day and the Future of Chinese Tourism

October 1, 2010

October 1st marks the founding of “New China” back in 1949, so it’s the Chinese equivalent of the 4th of July. Except instead of a 3-day weekend for a bit of grilling and fireworks, National Day is the pretext for the longest official vacation of the year, apart from Chinese New Year. Most white-collar workers [...]

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Marco Polo Bridge: Little-Known, But Not a Gem

September 28, 2010

Getting used to being a student again has been a bit of a challenge, what with the reintroduction of homework, dictations and, this week, exams. But over the weekend, I got to enjoy one of the perks of my new status: a field trip! For our first outing, my program arranged for a group of [...]

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Snapshot: Moscow’s Red Square

September 24, 2010

It’s hard to believe that it’s been only three months since Dan and I embarked on our Trans-Mongolian Railway trip. Since then, I’ve been home in the States for the first time in a year, moved to Beijing, found an apartment and started a grueling schedule of Chinese classes. Memories of riding horses in Mongolia, [...]

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Nightlife, the Old Beijing Way

September 21, 2010
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I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a little lazy when it comes to exploring the nightlives of the places I visit. After a long day of walking and sightseeing, I’m usually ready to spend some time talking over the day’s experiences, with or without a beer, and then hit the hay early. But [...]

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Snapshot: The Old Summer Palace

September 17, 2010

We enjoyed four or five consecutive sunny days in Beijing at the end of last week, which was the perfect excuse for Dan and me to explore one of the few famous sites in the capital that neither of us had ever been to: the Old Summer Palace, or Yuanmingyuan (圆明园). Its newer cousin, the [...]

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The “Greatest” Chinese Cities

September 14, 2010
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The fabulous Shanghai Scrap blog recently brought my attention to a new list of “China’s Greatest Cities.” Unlike typical rankings by population or income, this list is based on a Gallup poll — of foreigners. More than a dozen criteria contributed to the rankings, which sought to capture the Chinese cities with the most “personality.” [...]

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Beijing’s Famous Foods

September 7, 2010
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I may not be traveling much these days (the next trip on the calendar is not till October, poor me), so for posting-inspiration today, I’m turning to my Chinese textbook. Our first lesson in “listening class” concerned the famous foods of Beijing. A Taiwanese teacher was asking a teacher from Beijing for his tips on [...]

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Snapshot: Hong Kong by Star Ferry

September 3, 2010

Maybe it’s the effects of a week in Beijing, where two sunny days immediately after my arrival quickly gave way to an as-yet-unbroken streak of opaque skies, but this shot of the Hong Kong skyline has me yearning for bluer climes. I snapped this shot from the Star Ferry back in 2008, when a long [...]

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Passport Photos: A Study in Cultural Difference

September 1, 2010
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In between visas, residence permits, and student IDs, I’ve gone through a lot of passport photos over the past few years. And since I never remember to order 20 prints at a time, I end up getting new pictures taken every few months. And yet, they are never quite alike. In the United States, your [...]

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Snapshot: Chinatown Dragon Fighters

August 27, 2010

On Canal Street in Chinatown, even the fire station is China-themed. The “Chinatown Dragon Fighters” are otherwise known as Engine Company 9, Ladder Company 6 of the New York City Fire Department, and they’ve painted their garage door to proclaim this to the passing crowds. Excuse the brevity of this post — I’ve just gotten [...]

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