Passport envy in China: why citizenship shouldn’t matter for Chinese, even though it does
It was a recent weekend when Jun and I were browsing university websites, looking through their psychology faculty, when something gave us pause: the listing of faculty nationalities. The university in question — one of China’s top ten — had a table that listed the faculty name, nationality, and department. It’s quite an oddity, isn’t […]
The kind of person it takes to live in China, according to Pearl S. Buck
I found a smashing quote on who should live in China, from Pearl S. Buck’s Kinfolk. I guess it really hit home with me and my husband, because we have plans of our own to move back to China, in an effort to help the country grow. Even though this novel was published in 1948, […]
China-foreigner relationships: it gets complicated when you’re sleeping with the enemy – Book Review of Pearl Buck’s Patriot
In a perfect world, being an international couple would be as glamorous as a James Bond movie. You would spend your days intermingling your world in different languages, swept away by the fascinating customs of your partner’s country, and have the benefit of dual citizenship and a jet-setting lifestyle. It would be nice, wouldn’t it? […]
Dragon Seed – a China story for tough economic times
Well, everyone, it’s the year of the Ox — fittingly, in these economic times, a year of getting back to basics, simplifying, and making progress through hard work and sweat. Perhaps then, days such as these, there is nothing more comforting than literature that not only understands us, but uplifts us with the resilience of […]
My Short 2009 (and beyond!) China Wishlist
Instead of looking back on 2008, or making predictions for 2009, I thought — why not share a list of my hopes and wishes for China in the next year…and beyond? So…here’s a short list of what I’d like to see in the Middle Kingdom in 2009, and after. It is NOT a prediction; I […]
Fox…er Phoenix News Strikes Again: Overseas Chinese biggest fears – daughter marrying a black man, and a child going gay?
Phoenix News (aka 凤凰å«è§†ï¼‰is run by Rupert Murdoch, the guy behind Fox News. So maybe it should come as no surprise that, in the aftermath of the election, it decides to drag on a couple of pundits from California, professors both representing the overseas Chinese population, to spread a little more hatred and division on […]
China iPhone survey results are in…so is the mobile phone the new symbol of China?
Last week, I received a fresh market report from China Polling about the growing popularity of the iPhone in China. Some of their results got me wondering. First, the numbers: Unsurprisingly, over 65% have heard of iPhone, and among this group, more than 85% are willing to actually buy an iPhone if it’s available here […]
Swept away in the cemetery: China’s Tomb Sweeping Festival
Have you swept the tombs of your ancestors recently? In Chinese culture, April 4th is the Tomb-Sweeping Festival, or Qingming Festival, meaning Pure and Bright Festival. Tomb-Sweeping Festival is on the 15th day from the Spring Equinox and is one of the official public holidays in China starting in 2008. The festival is a time […]