UPDATE May 12/09: While this solution may still work, if you are in China for any length of time, we recommend getting yourself hooked up with a Virtual Private Network (VPN). For a super-fast and versatile solution, check out WiTopia. If their inexpensive yearly fee is too much for you, give the slightly slower (but [...]
China Expat Advice Posts
Positively Annoying
Staying positive in China is a topic that has been making the rounds through expat circles of late. Whether it be John’s generally always upbeat blog (except when it comes to Spring Festival), the well-written “10 Reasons Why Living In China Is Great” or Rick’s soon-to-be-published post about Chinese do-gooders. Now, don’t get me wrong. [...]
Shanghai stocks stumble, US markets quiver
China’s economy got off to a shaky lunar new year with Tuesday’s stock market plunge in Shanghai, which saw a fall of 9%, which then triggered the worst trading day in the US since 9/11. Although yesterday’s (Wednesday) activity saw ‘Shanghai A shares’ gain some of their previously lost value (as well as the important [...]
Clearing up the China Funk
Today, one of my friends said to me “dude, you seem so bitter lately,” and after a little introspection I realized that he was right – I have been bitter lately. It seems like lots of things have gone wrong all at once, and I’m starting to generalize my dislike for the things that have [...]
Building Your Own Computer in China
Well, since my old pandapassport post about expensive real software in China is doing so fabulous on the newly created Chinalyst’s Popular Content page, I thought I’d balance here it with a new post dedicated to helping foreigners shop for cheap hardware in China. Anyway, I’ve been talking to some of my “people,” discussing my [...]
Climbing The Wall
UPDATE August 23/09: While some of these may still work, if you are in China for any length of time, we recommend getting yourself hooked up with a Virtual Private Network (VPN). For a super-fast and versatile solution, check out WiTopia. If their inexpensive yearly fee is too much for you, give the ad-supported (but [...]
My Dog’s Erection Points To A Flawed Chinese Sex-Ed System?
About 2 months ago, me and my girlfriend got a dog – don’t ask me why, that’s another story. His name is Pepe. “Pepe Q-tip” to be exact, due to the fact that it looks like it’d be really easy to clean your ears with him. Anyway, to get to the point, it seems that [...]
On How to Become Famous in China
You too can do it in 3 easy steps! For any Canadians that come to China, one of the first things that Chinese people will mention is “Ah, Canada. Dashan is from Canada.” Dashan, otherwise known as Mark Rowswell, is indeed from Canada – and according to Wikipedia is probably the most famous Westerner in [...]
Peopleless Panoramas Float My Boat
On my third, and most recent trip, to Shanghai I managed to stumble into a rather simplistic way to view the metropolis’ cityscape along the Huang Pu River without having to navigate the plethora of beggers, touts and tourists that clog up The Bund even in the off-season – never mind a Saturday during one [...]
7 Reasons Why You Should Eat at Dirty Little Chinese Restaurants
If I may say so, this post is far more valuable to the average Expat in China than the title indicates. Among other things, it’s very much about dealing with the fluctuations of your China-mood, and how to deal with the valleys, as opposed to the peaks. **Note: For the handful of you who may [...]
