So many inventions and customs originated in China that it’s not uncommon for me to learn one that I never knew about before. Sometimes, however, the claims get a little ridiculous.
My favorite is the claim that the Japanese are actually a lost tribe of Chinese from southern Zhejiang, and that the Japanese language has evolved out of the dialect of Wenzhou. I think the first part is simply a creative attempt to explain Japan’s financial success while holding …
When was the last time you felt infatuated? You met a new person, and there was just chemistry and excitement, and you couldn’t wait to see them again. But pretty soon, the spark was gone. You start to wonder what happened. Were you out of your mind before, or are you in a funk now? Pretty soon it doesn’t matter… the infatuation is over.
I have to admit: that’s how I feel about the Shanghai band Cold Fairyland (冷酷仙境…
Burger King has come to Shanghai! Today was its first day open. Having no better lunch plans, I decided to make the 10 minute walk down there on my lunch break for a Whopper. It was pretty packed. I couldn’t tell how crowded it was at first, because they made the odd decision of putting the ordering counters on the second floor.
After waiting in line for about 10 minutes and getting no closer to the cashier (numerous pseudo-lines were …
I recently read a funny posting on Shanghai Craigslist by an American about his daily walk to work. It’s basically a long rant about the types of people he can’t stand on the way to work:
Yes, it’s more exapt complaining, but it’s pretty funny (and only mildly offensive). I can identify all the groups he mentions, and I feel his pain. …
This morning when surfing CNN.com I ran across this ad for travel to Malaysia:
Truly Asia, eh? The implication there is that there are some “so-called Asia” nations that are actually no more than a bunch of posers. Which nations are the posers, I wonder? Anyone care to speculate?
I also began to wonder: does China have any similar tourism slogans, or is it too busy scaring off the rest of the world to bother? What slogans might China use …
Last December when I first moved into my current apartment near Zhongshan Park, I take one look out the 20th floor window at the old buildings across the river and thought, “those won’t last long.” It wasn’t just that they were old; they were clearly of low quality as well. What’s more, on every side were highrise apartment complexes. I felt pretty sure those structures were doomed.
Here is the only picture I have of that whole area. (Unfortunately it’s …
Time has a new “photo essay” called China’s New Reality.
Is there anything new about this? Lame, lame, lame. I can find more interesting China photos browsing Flickr or even friends’ sites.
Via AAIC.…
不好意思，我已经很久没写中文blog了。我不是不想写。问题是这里不能留言了，我得换blog软件。我已经换了英文blog的软件，挺麻烦的。我目前没有时间换中文blog的，但没有留言功能就没劲。但我一定会换blog软件并继续写这个blog！
好消息：考试通过了。看来我从9月份就是华师大的研究生了！…
The entrance of Zhongshan Park
Ever since the May holiday, Shanghai’s Zhongshan Park has been housing a big The Mummy Returns promotional activity. It’s like a mini Egypt-themed fair. The main entrance of the park is all Egypted out, and a huge-screen (but low-res) TV has been installed which shows nonstop The Mummy Returns clips, interspersed with advertisements for the mummy fair going on inside the park. Each ticket costs a ridiculous 80 rmb per person.
After you pay, …
First the hilarious South Park dodgeball episode (I hear that one provides great discussion material for the classroom), and now this! I’m definitely going to have to see this episode.
Via Wayne.…
John has lived in China for
11.5
years. He is a linguist focused on SLA and tech.
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