2012/9/13 0:00:00
TravellingWhat can I expect upon entering the airport?Beijing Capital Airport is a modern, medium sized airport (the new airport, one of the most modern airports on our planet will be open to the public in mid 2008). After leaving the aircraft you proceed to the health and immigration counters. Depending on the arrival bridge, this takes approx. 3 to 7 minutes.
What kinds of formalities am I li...
2012/9/11 0:00:00
There are many reasons to learn to speak Mandarin. I followed the advice of a friend who learned it for different reasons that I and went on a trip far from my home in The Middle Kingdom to get a better feel for what she spoke about.
Down in the south of China, far from Beijing, where I live, in the province of Yunnan there is a city called Lijiang. The words Yunnan means literally The Clouds i...
2012/9/10 0:00:00
Let's face it: buying train tickets in China can be a big, migraine-inducing pain in the butt; thanks to the "ingenious" policy of giving everyone in the country simultaneous vacations, travelling during a national holiday means that you're literally competing with hundreds of millions of others for that tiny, pink piece of paper they call a train ticket.
But securing your spot on a train doe...
2012/9/7 0:00:00
Escape From the Boring Life-Enjoy the Scenery in Tibet.
Most people who have never visited the southern parts of Tibet may have the false impression that Tibet is a cold, bleak and dull land. Actually, Tibet is a dynamic land of vitality and natural beauty. Nyingchi, a city located in the lower reaches of Yarlung Tsangpo River, is a renowned scenic city, while Baksum Tso Lake in this region ...
2012/9/7 0:00:00
China will increase government-offered scholarships in order to encourage more foreign students to study in the country, Minister of Education Yuan Guiren said Thursday.
Yuan said at a press conference that there are currently about 300,000 foreign students studying in China, 23,000 of whom have received scholarships provided by the Chinese government.
"The number of scholarship recipients is...
2012/9/6 0:00:00
You came all the way to China but most of your friends are English speaking expats. The Chinese friends you have managed to make are either your students or people who wish they were your students. You eat at the same place every day, usually a Western cafe, and when you go out at night you usually end up drinking Gin and Tonics with a bunch of Italians, Slovenians and Australians. You might n...
2012/9/4 0:00:00
Like many foreigners in Beijing, I have enjoyed exploring the hutong neighborhoods. Respectfully and unobtrusively walking down the alleyways, one can get a real feel of old Beijing.
The hutong are synonymous with Beijing, an integral part of Beijing as much as Tian'anmen Square or Beihai Park. They are some of the most fascinating parts of this great city and I have spent many happy hours ex...
2012/9/3 0:00:00
As the insatiable demand for English teachers grew in the last decade, so too has the number of people looking to make a quick buck by pairing schools and foreign teachers together. While using an agent can on occasion be a pain free experience that helps remove a lot of the hassle from the scary "relocation to a new job and/or country" process, many people (including myself) have undergone semi...
2012/8/31 0:00:00
Beijing ( Peking ) opera is a national treasure with a history of over 200 years. It can date back to the 55th year of the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty(1790) when the four big Huiban opera Troupes entered the capital and mixed with Kunqu opera, Yiyang opera, Hanju opera and Luantan in Beijing's thearetical field at the time. With over half a century of mixture and com...
2012/8/31 0:00:00
Actor Will Smith
Smith gains a lot of popularity amongst his Chinese fans for filming the Karate kid in China. To most Chinese, foreigners seem interesting, and exotic. Many Chinese are curious to know more about foreigners. Many Chinese frequently watch foreign television shows online. If you would like to connect with Chinese people, download QQ International. It is a messenger, but...