The 3 Generals of Chinese Sci-Fi
Did you know? They talk to the future.
Pythagoras's favorite food...probably
Did you know? They talk to the future.
Worried about your Chinese pronunciation? Don't be. Bad pronunciation is now in fashion.
How I learned to get over myself, and eat
"One flower is a World" and "Each leaf has a life" might be just the stress reliever you're looking for
It’s a normal summer afternoon. In the waiting room of a bank, all the customers focus on a cartoon playing on a TV screen. One of them bursts into laughter, and the others echo with chuckles. Watching cartoons in line at the bank is nothing new in China. But this year it’s not the usual […]
Zhao Lei (赵蕾) dives into her sandbox of memories, and rediscovers some of her favorite toys
Summer is definitely here. It’s a joyful season, and across China, everyone seems to be happy. Walking down the street, you can’t help but notice big smiles, loud voices and big, full bellies. If you come to China in the summer, I promise you that your belly will grow too—especially at night. Just follow my […]
Chinese medicine has been around for millennia. Over the last century, it’s changed.
In Beijing, they’re called hutongs, but in Shanghai, the tightly-packed alleyways are called longtangs (弄堂, lòngtáng). The differences between the two are strikingly visible. Hutongs are short, while longtangs are taller, with two or three stories, towering above the mazes within. They’re something like the capillary vessels of a city. Life pulses through these narrow […]
No matter where, when, or how, I'm always thinking about jiaozi.
Years ago, a Shaanxi friend of mine introduced me to a folksong from his home province. He jumped on top of his bed and stood up tall—it was meant to be shouted, not sung, he told me—and so he began to shout. I was learning that the Shaanxi people have a particular way of doing […]
