Sichuan Opera

Entering the Dragon

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January 22nd 2007
First entry for a while, and we've now made it to China (and have been here for 2 weeks). First impressions are that it's very big & very cold (and getting colder as we go north!), people still "clear their throat" (ie spit) a lot, and there's definitely a language barrier here; nothing that good old sign-language & pointing can't overcome, aided by some misguided (but well meaning) Mandarin/Engli ... read more

Asia » China

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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. A... ... read more