Blogs from Chaoyang district, Beijing, China, Asia

I really need to start remembering to post a few thoughts and memories. Travel has been so hectic and busy recently.... read more

What was it that endeared me to “Chinese Bridge”? Was it the sparkling lights, the neon plastic chairs, the game-show ambience? Was it the giant globe and revolving stage built in a week for 72 unwitting “lao wai”’s to walk across? Or perhaps it was the promises of fame and glory poured into our ears as they worked us like dogs—big, cute, hairy foreign dogs—to fabricate a product (nothing other than our own image) that would sell on one of China’s main television stations—CCTV? Ah, these things were stirring enough, but what captured my heart in the end was something not even my inner cynic could have forecasted for this year’s “Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreigners Across the Globe.” What won me over was that the so-called “competition” was a fake and a sham ... read more

Well its been an experience getting here! Such a long flight leaving Melbourne at 11.30p.m. on the 12/10 and arriving in Guangzhou at 6.00a.m. on the 13/10, Gloria having no screen working, so no movies, news or docos....they couldn't give a rats a...... thats China Southern! Another 3 hours to Beijing and sat on the runway for 20 minutes before they could find our bay to go in....??? just in the middle of the airport...down the stairs....bus for a long, long way and then 45 minutes to get luggage... was told they operate on chaos time here....true that! By the way if anyone wants to contact us do it through John's email only: westburyjr@gmail.com as Facebook, Instragram and gmail banned!!! John has his gmail going through apple mail so OK but mine not working. Met our ... read more

Now 2 weeks into my 5th China trip; the 4th to teach at HUST in Wuhan. Arrived in Beijing, returning to the Xiao Yuan Alley Courtyard Hotel in Liji hutong the heart of Dongzhimen, just east of Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. I stayed in Xiao Yuan my last stay in Beijing and so it was a comfortable return visit. Beijing has become an expensive city, especially during peak summer travel months. The Xiao Yuan is perfectly located, easily accessible by subway just one stop from the terminus of the line from Beijing Airport into the city. There are some great, small restaurants nearby serving Beijing cuisine as well as food from many other parts of China. This return trip to Beijing en route to Wuhan was primarily to reconnect with my first TA from ... read more

Last week, I traveled back to a life previously lived. For seven days, I reveled in reunions with old friends, feasted on Beijing delicacies, breathed in (relatively) smog-free air, and bargained up a storm at Beijing's famous Silk Street. For seven days, I imagined what life might have been like had I stayed. Just over a year ago, I had reached a fork in the road: four years in Beijing was long enough to have become truly immersed in the language and culture; what did I imagine for my life moving forward? Obviously, the choice I made at that time brought me back to the country of my birth, the incomparable United States of America. But was it the right choice? I had seven days to figure that out. I arrived in Beijing on a Monday ... read more