Blogs from Central Business district , Chaoyang district, Beijing, China, Asia - page 6

The terrible news of the massacre on the Virginia Tech campus reached us in China yesterday morning. I routinely check cnn.com for updates on world news, but was completely unprepared for the article I found on the front page. In general, no matter which country I am living in, I feel relatively safe and secure with my surroundings. Now we are dealing with the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history. This senseless act of violence will have many ramifications that will be felt worldwide. Already, world leaders from China, Australia, Britain and other nations have offered their condolences to the American people. However, the identity of the shooter has been revealed to be of South Korean descent. According to cnn.com, South Korean students on the Virginia Tech campus have been gathering in groups, afraid of any ... read more

The dreaded day has come and gone. March 15, which was supposed to be the day the government shut off our heat, was not the shut-off day after all. When I woke up that morning, I tentatively felt the air in close proximity to the heater in my room; it was still warm! I felt elated and threw open the window to share my happiness with the world. Sadly, my neighbors weren't as thrilled as I was; they paid no attention to my joyful proclamation and went about with their daily business undisturbed. The government-regulated heat has been both a blessing and a curse. Of course, I consider myself lucky to avoid heating bills; unfortunately, I cannot regulate the actual temperature of the apartment apart from opening the windows to let in the cool night air. ... read more

My nostrils tingle with the acrid smell of smoke. I have to squint my eyes against the blinding display of dazzling lights and colors. My ears ring with the monstrous explosions that echo against the buildings around me. I repeat my mantra to myself: this is not a warzone; this is the Chinese New Year! The official start of the New Year, according to the Chinese Lunar Calender, was Saturday, February 18. Traditionally, on New Year's Eve, families will gather around the television to watch a special program on CCTV, similar to the Dick Clark Rockin' New Year's Eve program that we enjoy in the United States. Although fireworks were invented in China, for the past 10 years, setting off any type of explosion was banned in Beijing-- until this year. The ban was lifted, although ... read more

As Chinese New Year approaches, I find myself feeling very conflicted. On the one hand, I feel that I have adjusted to living in China and feel every bit the Beijinger. On the other hand, this is the first Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival as it is known in Chinese, I will celebrate in China, and I find myself at a loss as to how to celebrate it. I've presented this dilemma to my students and they've been very helpful in giving me suggestions. Their ideas range from going to one of the seemingly thousands of temples around the cities to observe the ceremonies and try some local food apparently, during the Spring Festival, many temples host some type of food fair, and it's customary to go to a Buddhist temple to burn incense and ... read more