Recently there have been a few viral videos here in China that have been making the news (and have all my students talking). In case you missed them, I thought I would share them with you. Let’s get the first one out of the way (like eating something bitter before
Tea Season: Have You Gotten Your Virgin Picked Tea Yet?
Springtime is tea time in china. The time most of the green tea is plucked and roasted for the coming year. This time is so popular for picking tea that the approximately 3 month period is broken down into four different “growing seasons.” Some of the best, top end teas
PostSecrets….Chinese Style!
So you know the website PostSecret? (If you don’t go check it out right away!) Well, it gave me an idea for class. Writing class can be a bit dry. I mean, the writing exercises are totally creative and fun, but it’s still sitting quietly and writing. And I know
The Voyage of a Fish in China
I should start by saying I am not a fan of eating fish. But I’m in the clear minority here in China. In almost every restaurant there is a tank, or small cooler filled with fish just waiting to be eaten, and every supermarket has a tank. In fact, when
Twisted Logic
When I was in Guangzhou, I went to the Guangdong Provincial Museum, a sort of all-in-one Chinese and natural history museum. It’s government supported (with free admission) and housed in a fancy style of architecture that I just don’t get. Anyway, inside was interesting as it basically covered just about
The Strange (and Slightly Creepy) Diaolou's of Southern China
I had already seen one unique housing structure during my travels, but it was time to see another. I took a day trip from Guangzhou to Kaiping to look at the Diaolou, or stone house. The other houses I’ve seen were called Tulou, or earth houses, and were made out
Viral Video and Racism in China
So my student forwarded this video to me recently, and apparently it’s blowing up on the web. It’s a Chinese boy doing several different English accents (Japanese, Korean, Indian, British, American French and so on) and has almost 3 million views on just one chinese video website and more than
The Nanyue King–The Egyptian Pharaoah's Got Nothing on This Guy
In a pretty quiet part of Guangzhou city, there is an impressive museum housing an impressive display. The outside of the museum looks like an Indiana Jones ride at Disney or something, tall, windowless red rock walls etched with carvings of dragons and suns. And while the first building is not
A Tulou for the Night
I don’t usually talk about the places I stay on this blog, but I’m going to make an exception this time. That’s because one of my favorite places to stay was in the tulou area, and I got to live in an actual tulou. The tulou I stayed at is
The Round Houses, or Tulou's, of Southern China
In southern China, in Yongding county, there are massive houses unlike anything in China (or the rest of the world really). Dedicated as a UNESCO world heritage site, the tulou houses of Fujian are a totally unique experience. Translated, tulou literally means “earth house” and the name is an apt