I ride the bus or taxi much less now. That is good for my health because the nearest subway station is 10 minutes from where I work. Besides, I can finish much of my shopping en route.
I've become both an idiot and a jerk since I started learning Chinese. By raising the bar on my Mandarin level, I've increased both my capabilities of communication and miscommunication.
The beer was flowing freely, the pub was packed to the point where revelers were sitting on the pool table and the cheering was making it difficult to conduct conversations. Welcome to Australian election night in Beijing.
A while ago, a farmer in Shaanxi Province, who shares my surname, said he had spotted the South China Tiger.
The Great Wall, Houhai Lake, Bell and Drum towers, hutong, subway rides, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, acrobats, foot massages, cool coffee shops, public street dancing, fine dining and juicy Peking Duck.
My niece, Fan Fan, graduated from university a year ago and recently fell in love. For most parents, this would be reason for joy, but her mother has been trying to separate them.
I felt I was nearly at the end of my rope when, suddenly, I felt the tug of the bungee-jumping harness fastened to my legs.
The year of the pig is coming to an end and many couples have had their babies, as planned. In China, people believe a baby born this year will be lucky, prosperous and fertile.
I had spent more than 30,000 yuan ($3,940) on Chinese classes, 300 hours of one-on-one lessons and four months of toiling on the tones but I still couldn't order a pizza over the phone.
Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) fashion was ultra cool. Deep-indigo silk robes, cobalt blue collars, horseshoe-shaped red hats with gemstones on top, rubies, pearls, jade, beads, and colorful bird insignias weaved into the coats.
"Are you growing a mustache?" asked a Chinese friend. "Well, yes I am," I replied. "That's very brave of you," she said.
While I've always been a big fan of The Simpsons, I never thought I'd one day get to appear in the show. And so far, I haven't.
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