Jan 17, 2024 Comments(4)
Along with refraining from using bad language, visiting hospitals and cutting their hair, Chinese people are expected to adhere to some pretty rigorous superstitions over Chinese New Year. Read more>>
Nov 10, 2012 Comments(2)
Despite being made illegal when the Communists rose to power in 1949, pornography flourishes in China. Just look at any DVD stand. Although the penalties for purchasing, peddling and producing pornographic material are draconian, it is clear that the threat ...... Read More>>
Oct 30, 2012 Comments(4)
Conflict in China is all too easy to find these days. While traditionally Chinese tried to avoid public scenes of anger and outrage, nowadays changing social norms and economic disparity are causing this former restraint to give way to much more open ...... Read More>>
Oct 28, 2012 Comments(9)
A recent spate of violence over petty interpersonal affairs between Chinese people prompts media speculation on the historical causes and dubious morality of fighting one’s neighbor in China.... Read More>>
Oct 19, 2012 Comments(4)
In Ancient China, marriage proposals were a formal affair, with go-betweens and horoscopes and elaborate gifts being presented by the groom to the bride’s family. These days, while proposals are not necessarily as stiff and serious as they once were, ...... Read More>>
Oct 11, 2012 Comments(2)
For centuries there has been a great influx of Chinese expatriates to many major cities the world over. From Houston to Johannesburg, Buenos Aries to Sydney, there are Chinatowns on virtually every continent. What about the other way around though? ... Read More>>
Oct 06, 2012 Comments(14)
The Three T's is a rule that Western journalists have been working to for some time here in China– subjects to stay away from: Tiananman, Tibet, Taiwan. But recently a BBC radio reporter discovered that there was a surprising fourth T to add to that list ...... Read More>>
Oct 04, 2012 Comments(5)
China has a well-deserved reputation for uniting its people behind the sense of a common enemy, but it is far from alone. In the UK, Margaret Thatcher polled as the most unpopular Prime Minister in British history early in her first term, but achieved a ...... Read More>>
Sep 24, 2012 Comments(6)
We must close the curtains! exclaimed my soon-to-be-wife as we got down to getting to know each other a bit more intimately one lazy afternoon. Given that we were in an 18th floor apartment in a building that was conspicuous for its isolated height,...... Read More>>
Sep 18, 2012 Comments(43)
The article emphasizes that this is the largest single day of anti-Japanese in the 40-year history of official diplomatic relations between the two countries. ... Read More>>
Sep 13, 2012 Comments(0)
China can be a fun, culturally enriching place in which to work, live, or just visit. It can also be a bit wacky at times. And while foreigners may never quite get used to seeing or experiencing what we would consider day-to-day oddities (hugging a tree for ...... Read More>>
Sep 12, 2012 Comments(3)
As Chinese society becomes increasingly multifaceted (and self-serving), who is there left to trust? That is the core question raised in a recent survey, which asked respondents to rank the people they "trusted most" in their lives. The ...... Read More>>
Sep 10, 2012 Comments(4)
Photo: guardian.co.uk Long legs. High heels. Short skirts. One just has to look around in any major city in China to see the way businesses are using sex to sell their products. This method of advertising stands in contrast with the more traditional views ...... Read More>>
Sep 07, 2012 Comments(5)
Mothers-in-law have been a source of humor for us in the West for years now. We make fun of the stereotypical mother-in-law, who is usually portrayed as a human pit-bull -- vicious, aggressive and controlling. However, for whatever reason a lot of this view ...... Read More>>
Sep 06, 2012
The boundless optimism of the Chinese – for whom nothing is impossible, everything will get better, and if you just try hard enough you're always bound to succeed – gives them a soft spot for the ancient art of gambling, while the absence of appropriate ...... Read More>>
Jul 31, 2012 Comments(1)
Photo: 1x1.fi Before moving to Chengdu, all my Chinese friends kept mentioning the word lamei. They asked, "Do you know there's a lot of lameis in that part of China?" and "Are you moving to Chengdu because of the lameis?" They even ...... Read More>>
Jul 30, 2012 Comments(8)
Photo: china-mike.com Conveniences afforded by rapid modernization have made it possible for the average foreigner to get by (barely) in China without speaking a word of Mandarin. Translation software and supermarkets make survival without Chinese friends ...... Read More>>
Jul 23, 2012 Comments(2)
China has become renowned for its fast growth and rapid modernization. It comes as no surprise, then, that many cultural dynamics are changing as people adjust to shifting work environments, family structures, and living arrangements. Read on for some ways ...... Read More>>
Jul 19, 2012 Comments(14)
The argument is often made that Chinese people tend to be nicer – or at least more courteous – to foreigners than they are to each other. But is that really the case? The general consensus from both the media and casual observation seems to be ...... Read More>>
Jul 09, 2012 Comments(2)
Public space in Chinese cities—parks, public squares, etc.—are few and far between. Restricted by small apartments, lack of privacy and few public areas, Chinese people have begun taking to commercial spaces as their new social hubs, ...... Read More>>
Jul 07, 2012 Comments(3)
Photo: blogs.mcclatchydc.com Vegas and Macau – the two capitals of gambling. In both, the thrill of winning big lures millions to the casinos each year. In both, most leave away with their pockets a lot lighter. And yet, for all their apparent ...... Read More>>
Jun 30, 2012 Comments(0)
One of the best ways to explore a culture is through its marketplaces. From the chic malls in Milan to the vegetable stands in La Paz, shopping centres (whatever form they come in) serve as national symbols that reflect on local citizens' lifestyles and ...... Read More>>
Jun 29, 2012 Comments(7)
Whenever you live in a culture that's not your own you can run into sticky etiquette situations. In China, these vary from how to use your chopsticks without getting black bean sauce all over your favourite shirt to selecting the proper title to give ...... Read More>>
Jun 25, 2012 Comments(5)
The importance of a Hukou. Photo: p358.com Some outsiders look at China and see a strange land with an anomalous culture and mind boggling rules, policies and laws. However, not everything is so black and white. Some of the things Chinese people do (no ...... Read More>>
Jun 16, 2012 Comments(1)
Photo: sohu.com Before and during Gu Kailai's fall from grace, media sources such as the BBC and CNN referred to her as the Jackie Kennedy of China, praising her charm, beauty, charisma, business acumen and pedigree. It seems somewhat peculiar to compare a ...... Read More>>
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