TravelBlog » Freespirited

Freespirited - Life in Beijing

Born in Malaysia, worked in Singapore, graduated in the United States and lived there all my adult life. I've traveled to 77 cities in 23 countries, 33 out of 50 US states, fluent in 3 languages - English, Chinese and Malay, 3 Chinese dialects - Fujian, Cantonese and Mandarin, and muddle my way somehow...poorly through Italian, Spanish and Japanese. Worked for the biggest talk show host in the world and tried everything from skydiving all the way down to scuba diving and almost everything in between. I've just moved to China, learning my mother tongue and beginning a new life again. Thereafter, hopefully volunteer in a third world country for a couple months and visit my rellos in the Land of Down Under before returning to the States. Or not. Maybe India next. Or Zurich. My mantra? I've got one life to live and I intend to live it to the fullest. So here's to starting my very first blog.

Private Message Subscribe Blog Map

Guestbook Search Blogs First Entry Latest Entry

Joined on: June 7th 2009
Last Login: December 5th 2009

Blog Entries: 46
Photos: 362
Recommended by 2

TB Code: [blogger=123654]
Status: BLOGGER

Blogs & Travel Journals

by Freespirited, order by Date newest first.

By Freespirited
November 7th 2009

Free H1N1 Inoculation Asia » China » Beijing

Considering how may countries now are in short supply of inoculation against the H1N1 virus 猪流感, I consider myself extremely lucky to live in Beijing. As of a few days ago, the government decreed that the H1N1 inoculations were to be extended beyond the elderly, school children and more susceptible victims to all permanently registered residents of Beijing. Ordinarily, each shot would cost Y150 (US$22) - a pretty hefty price for ordinary Chinese people, when considering a regular doctor's check-up is about Y20(US$3)....one of the few remaining advantages of subsidized livi [View Full Entry]

By Freespirited
November 1st 2009

The biggest snowfall in 22 years Asia » China » Beijing

It snowed for the first time this winter today, November 1st - way too early in the season. Not only did it snow the whole day non-stop, it was also the most snow Beijing had ever seen in 22 years. It caught everyone off guard. Many people, not expecting it to keep pouring down the way it did, went out only dressed in light jackets, rain boots and umbrellas, suffering the cold outside wearing insufficient clothing to keep warm as the temperature kept dropping to -5. It's funny to see people using umbrellas to block the snow. I've never seen it [View Full Entry]

By Freespirited
October 6th 2009

Couplets 门联儿 Asia » China » Beijing

Welcoming wealth, peace and good fortune; the famaliy celebrates a year of harmony, health and happiness; Good fortune in everything

Beijingers love to hang couplets on their hutong doors. 600 years ago, as history might have it, these began as lucky charms written by learned people, typically a poet or artist. People would stick them outside the main doors on important festivals such as Chinese New Year or the Spring festival to ward away evil and welcome peace, good fortune, wealth, harmony and happiness for the entire family for the coming year. But during the Ming Dynasty, it started to become to be a common practice, recognized as a form of literature. Down the centuries to modern times, people have maintained [View Full Entry]

Prescribing a meaning to the scroll writing in Chinese Caligraphy

By Freespirited
October 4th 2009

Family Ties 家庭 Asia » China » Beijing

Grandpa and grandma getting their grand child to smile for the camera

No matter which part of China you're in, one thing that quickly becomes glaringly apparent is their longer lineage family connections. In the western world, the main family unit basically only encompasses a single parent and children or spouses and children. Here, grandparents are an integral part making it commonly a household of three generations. Lately, this trend is definitely going more and more in the direction of the smaller westernized household pattern but the 'three-generation family unit' is still the strongest 'unit' of the Chinese community and guides many practical realities s [View Full Entry]

This grandma fussed about getting every speck of lint off of her grand daughters sleeve while mom was uninterested and indifferent

This teenager chats with her grandmother while her mom stradles her arm

By Freespirited
October 4th 2009

QianMen Then and Now 前门大街 Asia » China » Beijing

Qian Men Street 前门大街

During the Qing Dynasty, it was stipulated that no one from outside Beijing was allowed to stay within the city walls(now the area within the 2nd Ring Road). QianMen at that time was the gateway into Beijing, so people started opening businesses along QianMen Street which led into the city. Down the centuries, the stores along this street came to be reputable stores people frequent for high quality goods. The street has just been beautifully revived and reopened to the public, offering a wide open space almost 2km long, for a delightful stroll. Many of the prestigious original stores that used [View Full Entry]

By Freespirited
September 29th 2009

China's National Day Asia » China » Beijing

SWAT enforcement team

October 1st is China’s National Day where they celebrate the founding of the country by Chairman Mao. And this year, the 60th Anniversary is being greeted as if it was the most grandiose affair of the century. Banners welcoming this day are set up outside many office buildings and public places. Television broadcast programs like variety shows, documentaries and TV series and old war movies depicting how far China has come in the lat 60 years and recounting the pride of the nation. The Chinese flag is hung outside homes. Many make plans to spend the day watching the live morning [View Full Entry]

Guards blocking off streets to civilians so the parade participants can pass through

A volunteer getting ready to stand in position

A closed subway line that passes Tiananmen Square

By Freespirited
September 14th 2009

Stories behind Chinese Festivals Asia » China » Beijing

粽子 'Zong zi' dumplings

Chinese festivals are packed with all sorts of mystical stories from the ancient times. Many of these, mesmerizing and beautiful, reflect historical events combined with legends and superstitions. Here are a couple from the motherland. The Dragon Boat Festival 端午节 ‘Duan Wu Jie’ is celebrated on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month on the Chinese calendar. 2000 years ago, this day was create to commemorate the death of a popular Southern Chinese poet and minister to the King, 屈原 Qu Yuan. He had committed suicide by drowning himself in a river when [View Full Entry]

By Freespirited
September 7th 2009

A Full Body Massage Asia » China » Beijing

A couple weeks ago, I decided to go back for full body oil massage. I was ushered into a room where the told me to get dressed in a fresh white robe and brought out cotton slippers from the side of the room, removed the plastic it was contained in and told me I could take a shower if I desired before leaving the room for me to get ready for her. I thought I’d try the shower facility. Walking into my personal shower room, I was shocked to see a fully tiled bathroom from floor to ceiling with a distinct [View Full Entry]

By Freespirited
August 29th 2009

Excursion out to the Beijing Mountainside Asia » China » Beijing

峪长城 YuChangCheng Village 3 hours northwest of Beijing city

It’s finally Fall in Beijing. The weather is perfect for hiking into the mountains nearby. Beautiful little mountain villages flank Beijing all around its north and western outskirts. I went with a couple Beijing locals. First, we took a bus from the DeShengMen Station on the northwest part of downtown Beijing. It’s a huge mess of place where different busses leaving into the outskirts start off. As long as you know the number of the bus you need to take, you’re in good hands and all you need to do is ask people standing around. We paid RMB0.40 (USD-5…well, literall [View Full Entry]

By Freespirited
August 26th 2009

Valentines day Asia » China » Beijing

牛郎织女

Today is Valentines Day according to the Chinese calendar. The Chinese don’t really have any special way of celebrating the day. Restaurants don’t raise their prices and flower shops don’t demand double for the same roses. But being the sentimental romantics that they are, Chinese believe in legends. This is the tale of the Cowherd and the Weaving Maid 牛郎织女. According to an old folk's tale passed down through the centuries, long long time ago, a poor young village boy wanted to find a beautiful lady to be his wife. One day, his magical bull told [View Full Entry]

TravelBlog » Freespirited

Freespirited | Life in Beijing | Travel Blog

Freespirited - Life in Beijing

Blogs & Travel Journals