Hot Pot Column

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Nothing better than a cup of tea for a coffee junky

When my plane touched down in Guangzhou in early November, I had no idea what time it was.
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Stuart Beaton

Turning the page to a new year

With 2010 behind us, it's time to look ahead to what 2011 might hold, and think about the things we'd like to achieve.
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Patrick Whiteley

My wanderings in the Chinese wonderland

The beeping Guangdong bus driver is driving me beeping crazy, and I demand to get off his beeping coach.
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Stuart Beaton

2010 a year that will be hard to beat

2010 has been a remarkable year for me here in China, one that I think I'll have great difficulty topping in coming years.
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Patrick Whiteley

Rod piercing or blood rituals, it's all about people

Three young men holding incense sticks danced frantically before a religious shrine, which housed small, bearded, king-like figurines.
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Sandra Lee

Christmas finally found me in China

Some expats celebrate the holidays of their homeland.
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Stuart Beaton

Avoiding an evil Xmas on Taobao Street

The way we use words, their pronunciation and tone, all play a very important part in how well we understand each other. Even the slightest slip can lead to unexpectedly funny results.
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Karl Arney

Mountain madness and tall tales

It's amazing what 500 yuan ($75) can buy when you're a foreigner dealing with a borderline-crazy Chinese driver.
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Thomas Talhelm

2.6 billion eyeballs, lessons from the street

We Americans are famously overfed. Only in China did I realize that my eyeballs are fat and lazy too.
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Stuart Beaton

Teaching a life skill can be life-threatening

When I discovered that the university I work at has a swimming pool, I was quite pleased. Swimming is a great way to exercise, because the water reduces the strain on the joints.
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