Well, no, not really, not really evil that is. Japan is great actually, peaceful, safe, and developed. Basically the opposite of China in many regards. Don’t get me wrong, I do like China, except for when the topic of Japan comes up. Mention “Japan” in China to anyone below the age of 30, even as young as 4, and you ... Read More »
Recently I came across the UN’s “World Happiness Report” and I was surprised to learn that China ranked a measly 112th out of 156 polled countries. My first reaction was, “But China seems to be doing so well (economically). Why would they be rated even lower than Greece for example?” Upon further reflection and a web search or two later ... Read More »
What is “development” and where does it come from? I’m currently reading “Civilization: the West and the Rest” by Niall Ferguson in an attempt to answer the stated question of this blog entry, “Will China Ever Develop?” It seems to me the answer is “probably not”. The reason I come to this conclusion is simple, China doesn’t have what it ... Read More »
Chinese translation of signs can be funny I’ve created an album here to showcase some I’ve photographed. Enjoy! Send to Kindle Read More »
Everyone knows The Great Wall of China. We’ve all seen the pictures of a 6 meter wide wall made of stone with turrets here and there to house archers and other defensive forces presumably reaching across the northern historical borders of China to keep out the barbarians, but this is false. At its very basic level, The Great wall is in fact ... Read More »
I’m on the hunt for a new freeride full suspension bike. After watching Red Bull Rampage 2010 a few weeks ago, I got bit by the freeriding bug again, and started wishing I had brought my 2007 Rocky Mountain Switch 2.0 to China when I came here in 2009. I had sold it before coming here as Shanghai is flat, ... Read More »
Zhou Yan: A Victim of China I originally published this blog days after the shocking story of Zhou Yan hit the news. At the end of my previous blog on Chinese Parenting I mentioned the story as one example of the consequences of poor parenting, an opinion the following poll posted on China’s YouKu in relation to the video posted ... Read More »
Although I’m neither Chinese nor a parent, I have had many opportunities to observe Chinese parenting during my time in China. The one child policy and the adaptation of Western capitalism have combined with traditional aspects of Chinese culture to produce a unique style of parenting only found amongst the residents of China’s growing middle class in eastern coastal cities. ... Read More »
Post Traumatic China Disorder or PTCD as it is uncommonly known is not a real disorder, I just made it up, but it is real enough nonetheless. Living here for years, I see it all the time in foreigners and locals alike, a 5000 yard stare at nothing at all. Be it a migrant worker from Anhui or a local ... Read More »
Part 1, Part 2 At the end of our second day in Xiamen we went to Gulangyu Island 5 minutes by ferry from the city of Xiamen. Only about 20,000 people live on this picturesque Island that’s only about 2 square kilometers in size. The best part of the Island experience is off course, the predominately European architecture, followed closely by ... Read More »
KalanStar in Shanghai! My Blog about life in China.