I dropped my friend Li Hong Yen at the train station last night and there was a sea of Chinese people there heading home. Well actually not quite heading home, waiting to head home on a train where they sometimes have to stand for dozens of hours.
It was shocking to see all those people camped [...]
Archives for Tips
My Chinese New Year
Riding Taxi Cabs In Shenzhen
Welcome to take the Shenzhen Taxi. Please buckle up your seat belt and exit on the right.
This message plays after the driver dips the red vacant sign that starts the meter. One of the first things that you’ll notice is that there isn’t a female end for the seat belts. And you’ll wish [...]
Turning Chinese: Spitting and Littering
I have always been one to spit, or to cough up phlegm and then spit it out. People think I do this because I’m learning from the Chinese but really I’ve always done this.
In Hong Kong, it’s illegal to spit on the ground. “You will get a penalty!” my friend warned me. A penalty [...]
Shopping For Produce In China
Now let’s say you want to buy some produce at the supermarket. Naturally you’ll make your selections, bag em up, and bring them with the rest of your grocceries to the front of the store. In China it’s a little different.
Adjust Your Shower/Water Heater In China
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Because I was taking warm for 1 minute then freezing showers for the last week or so (and assuming I was maliciously given a faulty shower) I am sharing this in case you are having trouble with your shower in China (and can access this page) and need help.
The [...]
How China Will Change You
I remember after my uncle came back from Vietnam he was never quite the same.
“That place changes you, man” he said to me, “Big time”.
When he came back to the US, where things were supposed to be better, sometimes they weren’t.
Sometimes they were just different. He had nightmares. He took to drinking heavily.
That he went [...]
Using An Elevator In China
You’re in China. You want to go to go upstairs or downstairs quickly without actually using stairs. What do you do?
If you said ‘take the elevator’ give yourself a pat on the back. You’re gonna go far.
Using an elevator in China is different than using one in other places.
Let’s begin.
25 Things About China
You can find a lot to dislike about pretty much anything and China is no exception. Here are some things about China (Shenzhen in particular):
I have not had any amazing cultural-spiritual awakening or enlightenment and probably won’t. I haven’t stood on any mountain tops and looked across the countryside or shared an intimate meal [...]