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Background: For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the Communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, his successor DENG Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by 2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight.

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By Amicu
January 1st 2008

Chinese Christmas

Asia » China » Shandong » Tai'an

Happy Students at Christmas Party

This was our first time in a non Christmas celebrating country and it was very odd. Christmas is noticed in China, shops are decorated with Christmas trees and tinsel although no mention of the Christmas story or any Christian links is made, it is noticed a bit by Students and young people who will often give each other presents, especially a special boy or girl, the Chinese government has officially declared the sending of Christmas cards to be a waste of resources although the are available if you look for them. For most Chinese Christmas day is a normal working day, [View Full Entry]

By ElizabethR
December 28th 2007

It's Christmastime in the city...of Jinan

Asia » China » Shandong » Ji'Nan

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ONE AND ALL! Christmas season is here, and Jinan is decorated in full! The stores and streets are filled with fake trees, twinkly lights, garland of all colors, snowflakes, Santa faces and even the occasional life-sized Santa who plays Christmas tunes as you walk by. The stores all have piped in Christmas music, too. Some of it is in English and some are Chinese translations of familiar tunes. Indeed, China makes the most of this Western holiday with all the commercialism one finds in the US, and then some. My fellow Aston teachers and I have been busy [View Full Entry]

By Amicu
December 25th 2007

Merry Christmas all

Asia » China » Shandong » Tai'an

Our very impresive Chinese Jingerbread house
Now traveling around safe inside Chinese students

Happy Christmas to Everyone We have had a very happy if very Chinese Christmas in Tai'an More details to follow but sleepy and must go to bed now. Best Wishes for Christmas and the new year Amy and Chris [View Full Entry]

By Amicu
December 7th 2007

Jinan! The Windy Apple!

Asia » China » Shandong » Ji'Nan

Tai'an train station
Rather large for this size town. Finished in the modern Chinese urban style of green/blue glass and beige tiles.

We decided to go to Jinan to do some Christmas shopping. First mission: Tai'an train station to buy a ticket. There are six queues at the ticket office, one for each window. Which window to choose? There's a sign for each one. Any idea what it says? None at all. Let's chance it then. While waiting we had a chance to bend our schoolchild Chinese around Buying a Ticket, a topic our textbook has not yet covered. This is what we cobbled together: 'Hello. We like go Jinan. Today morning. Two people. Thank you.' Ni3 hao3. Wo3men yao4 qu4 Ji4nan2. Jin1tian1 [View Full Entry]

By lonelybiker
December 1st 2007

Velodrome of Rizhao ,China

Asia » China » Shandong » Qingdao

In the velodrome

Hardly believe that I can cycle in the Velodrome（Bycicle Stadium）again!The trip to Rizhao remind me my short time in Sports Academy when I was in Yunnan.Soon after my right knee was badly injured I quit the Sports Academy. quitting the sports academy is a good choice so far,because my knee even don’t recovered completely so far . However I can here my inner voice :I still wanna be one of those athletes.How I wishes to do so ,but all I can do is just watch .I lost the best time to be an athlete. [View Full Entry]

By Amicu
November 24th 2007

The rather more than 39 steps.

Asia » China » Shandong » Tai Shan

Amy and Emanuel at the bottom
Bold adventurers preparing to set off.

Taishan Mountain This weekend we finally managed to climb Taishan, the large 4000ft mountain which we are staying under. Regular readers will know we had been to the top of the mountain on National Day by bus and cable car although due to bad weather we were not really able to see anything at all. Our trip this time was quite different; the weather was cool and a little misty. We started from the main eastern entrance on our steady climb. Our friend Emanuel, another foreign English teacher also came with us. Emanuel’s parents are from Hong Kong he was born [View Full Entry]

By StreamofConsciousness
November 23rd 2007

Potpourri of Topics

Asia » China » Shandong

My Wonderful Abode
Just giving you guys a better perspective on my homely confines.

Well it seems to me that many of my friends and family are trying to live vicariously through me i.e., my experiences that are represented through my narratives and pictures, and I personally don't mind. The only thing I can offer my audience is my opinion, which is conveyed through my personal perspectives and observations. In many ways, I can't help but feel that this experience is about shedding our former roles, the roles we have been accustomed to play in our former cultures, and outfitting ourselves with new identities. That is not to say that our previous roles are entirely [View Full Entry]

By Amicu
November 3rd 2007

Qufu

Asia » China » Shandong » Qufu

Confucius family mansion
A shot of the Confucius mansion were the family of Confucius lived for more then 2500 years. The Building is Qing Dynasty

Qufu- November 4th This weekend we went to Qufu, the birthplace of Confucius. Today it’s a wonderfully dilapidated mansion in the flat, flat plains of the Chinese countryside. We travelled south for about an hour in a very plush modern bus to get to Qufu and were dropped off by a run of shops on a rural road. This bus did not go into the town of Qufu so we had to get a taxi the rest of the way past herds of meandering goats. Once in the main town larger modern buildings sprang up as well as a very large [View Full Entry]

By Walking Dictionary
November 1st 2007

Welcome!

Asia » China » Shandong » Qingdao

Me & Mrs Niebuhr-a friend of mine
She was teaching me how to guess the card in a game

Welome to my blog ,My name is Jackie,I am a sunny Chinese boy,my hometown is in Yichang where Three Gorges is in Hubei province in China,and now I am studying in Qingdao(Tsingtao) University in Shandong province,I like travelling and I like making friends too .Welcome to my blog,and I AM LOOKING FORWARD YOUR REMARKS TOO,thank you! [View Full Entry]

By Amicu
October 29th 2007

Wanderings of the laowei

Asia » China » Shandong » Tai'an

Mountainside
See- clear as you like. Leaves just on the turn. My favourite weather.

We've been considering over the last couple of weeks: should we request to teach the second semester here, or another semester at another institution? Our current contract only runs until the end of December and six months is a long time to travel without any paid employment or routine so we'd like to do either one, but which? On the one hand, Tai'an is just beginning to feel nicely homely, and if we decide to move on it means we're halfway through our time here already, which is a bit alarming. We're getting to know and like a lot of people [View Full Entry]

Travel Blog » Asia » China » Shandong