Why I’m glad Qingdao is the beer capital of China
Being male in China means navigating the drinking culture, which varies from region to region. If you want to be healthy and not get drunk on a regular basis, this can be challenging. Not drinking...
View ArticleWalking the birds
Taking the birds for a walk along the canal that, until recently, held Qingdao’s biggest open-air market.
View ArticleTaiji lessons in Qingdao’s Licun Park
It turns out our kids aren’t the only ones in Qingdao’s Licun Park 李村公园 who attract smartphones.
View ArticleEaster weekend hike on Qingdao’s Fushan 青岛浮山
We’d rather have clear skies, of course, but the smog/fog can make for almost fantastical looking views from the slopes of Qingdao’s Fushan 青岛浮山。 Air pollution has been in the mid-100s for much of...
View Article[Photo Gallery:] the old Licun Chinese Prison
A literal stone’s throw from the south wall of the Rockcity Mall (伟东乐客城) in Qingdao’s Licun (青岛李村) sits the last remnants of the old Licun Chinese Prison (李村华人监狱). It’s surrounded by construction...
View ArticleMarket day in Qingdao
Market days (大集) are every five days, on the lunar calendar’s 2s and 7s. If you’re going to 赶集, those are the best days. This new location for Licunji (李村集) doesn’t compare to the old one, but market...
View ArticleBeijing rain, sunset and morning
Three photos from our recent overnight embassy trip to Beijing. First, driving north from the Beijing South Station: Two photos from the 15th floor of our hotel in the embassy district:
View Article“Be careful of hospital scalpers”
“Guard against hospital scalpers.” 谨防医托 To find out what a “hospital scalper” is see this article: Scalped: At China’s creaking hospitals, illegal ticket touts defy crackdown. Took this photo during my...
View ArticleMisadventures at a Chinese Hospital in Qingdao
Our About page says we’re “trying to live into and love — and some days just survive — China.” That last bit is just supposed to be some tongue-in-cheek hyperbole, but it recently became a little too...
View ArticleComrade Papa
At least they don’t actually call him “Big Brother.” “Staunchly unite around Comrade Xi Jinping as the core of the Central Party Committee. Unceasingly initiate fresh progress in the cause of socialism...
View ArticleSongs about Qingdao! 青岛小嫚 by MC沙洲 &爱青岛 by The Qingdao Allstars
Somehow we discovered MC沙洲, a local Qingdao hip-hop artist who has songs like 美丽青岛, IN青岛, 青岛MC, 青岛的夏天 and 青岛小嫚, all of which feature a heavy dose of Qingdaonese。 He also has a cameo in 爱青岛 by The...
View ArticleA China-themed Lord’s Supper talk
Every second summer we visit family and friends in the U.S. and Canada, since Jessica’s from New Hampshire and I’m from B.C. This summer churches in both countries asked me to do the Sunday morning...
View ArticleGetting the most out of our Chinese neighbourhood: HEDGEHOGS!
Turns out this place is infested with hedgehogs. By infested, I mean during the right time of year you can’t not find them: they run across the road in front you, block the door to your stairwell,...
View ArticleCatching cicadas for the first time
Friends in the neighbourhood suggested we go catch cicadas together. It’s not hard: you put this sticky stuff on the end of a fishing pole, look up in the tree where you hear them, and stick them with...
View ArticleSmall and alone
This not-yet-opened overpass arcs between brand new apartment complexes on its way to eventually run past three big shopping malls and a subway transfer station. But one last patch of protested,...
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