Moving to China? Keep it simple! Four pair of trousers, three pair of shoes, as many tops as you can and…
Moving to China, Xi’An: what you need to pack
What’s your story? A calligraphy in China
What follows is one of the best, if not the best, story that happened to me in China. I had to have a calligraphy made for our friends visiting us in China. At this time we were in Xi’an, so I escaped for a couple of hours under false pretences and went to the artist quarter. […]
Under it
10 A.M: A summer day in XI’an. To get up in the morning, sweep the thin layer of dust off the floor, off the bed sheets. Looking through the window. Smiling at the blue sky before I open the window and see that the sky is not blue, blue is the window glass. Take a […]
Solo travelers: a tour round the mountains of Xi’An
This post was long due. Something for the brave people that come to China by themselves without speaking the language. Something for the solo travelers that are looking to see more than the Terracotta army and the pagoda around Xi’an. I say solo, because when we are two we are invincible, fearless, intrepid. Laughing when neither […]
大佛寺, the biggest Buddha in Shaanxi
How did we end up there? I don’t really know. But this giant Buddha is sure worth it, as is the town near it. At only a 100km away from Xi’An, 大佛寺, Shaanxi’s biggest Buddha, is right on the road of silk. You would think it is a touristic and famous site but that would […]
外国人- Two foreigners in China
A daily phrase for us. ” Look, look! two foreigners!” “Look, look! say Hello!” “Hallo!” Quick quick, take a picture! Those are the nice ones. The hardest thing to live when you are a waiguoren living in China is the staring. The insisting, persistent staring that leaves you wondering… “are they going to attack me? […]
A good day in China
How does that happen? you might ask. I’ve been writing and saying so many negative things about China that I forgot that I could look on the bright side and say: I live in China! So yes, some days I just wake up with a smile on my face and I remember how unhappy I […]
Xian bicycle
China is one of those countries that words can hardly describe. It’s almost impossible to depict Chinese daily life, the odd balance between the developing country and the traditional one. It’s also almost impossible to explain in writing how and why we, foreigners living here, love and hate China. Living and working is China is […]