China Blog Network

I’m happy to report that I am a new member of the China Blog Network! This is a website that collects information on blogs from all around China and puts them together on one website so you can discover a number of new blogs. I think this is a great idea because there are many bloggers spread throughout the Middle Kingdom and this site puts them together in one easy package.
The blogs are separated into different categories such as travel, teaching, learning Chinese and news, so you can find what you are interested in quickly. Since many of the news sites talk about controversial issues they are blocked by the Great Firewall of China, but those of you outside China should have no problem seeing them. Unfortunately several of the personal blogs are hosted by wordpress and blogspot, both of which are currently blocked and if you are in China you will need a VPN to see them. Luckily my blog is still PRC approved and is viewable all throughout the world!
In honor of joining the China Blog Network I decided to share a few of the best recent entires from sites also on China blog network.
Descendants of Romans in China?! – I had never heard about this before, but I find it absolutely fascinating, so thanks to the Lost Laowei to bring it to my attention. Apparently, about 200 years ago, a legion of Roman soldiers were sent into China as slaves after losing a battle in Turkey. The soldiers turned out to be excellent guards and the Chinese gave them land, and a village which was called Liqian. (A chinese version of legion.)
But no one really knows for sure. The local people today have blond hair, big noses, and other western features adding weight to the legend. Archeologists have also discovered roman coins, a roman hat with Chinese writing, and other items. But this area was also on a trade route, so technically the items could have come from any traveler or merchant. But thanks to technology, specifically DNA testing, the mystery might be solved. It turns out that 56% of the locals have Caucasian ancestry, adding credibility to the legend.
Biking Down the East Coast – On Chinatravel.net they have an article about a new movie I have not heard about before. Two years ago 4 guys set out to bike from Beijing to Shanghai, and chronicle their adventure. The movie is out and I guess that it has been showing recently on PBS in the states. But if you don’t live in America you can catch it free online.
The Ministry of Tofu – This is a blog that takes news stories from China and translate it into English. They have some fascinating stories and one I found especially good was a Chinese tourists journal from a vacation to North Korea. Complete with pictures. I have never read a first hand account of just a regular tourist before and I was riveted. North Korea is so weird!!
What we Could Sell – They have a very funny feature over at this ridiculous world called “What we could sell if we owned a tricycle.” Big flat bed tricycles are everywhere in China and people sell pretty much anything out the back. In this blog they have been taking pictures every time they see a new tricycle seller and posting it. So far they have 17 different pictures. At my university they sell tofu food, fruit, shoes, giant bags of cookies (or crackers) and a lot of other things. At first I was dubious, buying food from the back of a rusty old tricycle isn’t appealing, but then I quickly realized it was just how things were done here and have since gotten used to it.
So go check out China Blog Network for other great websites and while you’re there, why don’t you rate my blog? (Click on the stars underneath the picture.) And if you really want to help a girl out, maybe you could click through my blog so that I could be listed on the “most popular” section. Thanks so much!