City girl moves to the Chinese countryside.
Oh, the things she will learn.

Posts tagged "China"
Identity crisis: on being Chinese and Canadian

Identity crisis: on being Chinese and Canadian

What does it mean to belong somewhere? Does citizenship and a passport help define who you are? Is your identity established by how others see you? Or do you decide that for yourself? I began seeking the answers to my questions when I first moved to China in 2007.
It's a Hard Knock Life

It’s a Hard Knock Life

12 hour days? 500 Euros a month? Life in Europe isn't easy for the average Chinese migrant worker.
Chinese recruited for war had secret passage through Canada

Chinese recruited for war had secret passage through Canada

YPRES, Belgium — Under pristine, white tombstones in the British military cemeteries dotting the landscape throughout Belgium and northern France, the graves of thousands of Chinese labourers can be found. You just have to know where to look.
Please help support my book project!!

Please help support my book project!!

I'm going on a road trip. But it's not just any road trip. I am setting off across Europe to meet Chinese migrants in the Netherlands, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Hungary. But I need your help!!
On "Guanxi" 关系 in China

On “Guanxi” 关系 in China

China is a country laden with rules and regulations. But many rules can be bent and broken, especially if you have the right guan xi. With that special relationship or connection, you can go surprisingly far. Without out, you get nowhere.
News of speed train derailment in Wenzhou travels fast

News of speed train derailment in Wenzhou travels fast

Weeks after the Wenzhou high-speed train collision, people in China are still angry. Online resentment and a more loose lipped state media are clear signs that there is a hunger from the people to know the truth, and an urge for journalists to start providing those truths.
Driving in China (and why I'll never do it)

Driving in China (and why I’ll never do it)

Driving in China is like going on a suicide mission. Every day, I am at the mercy of audacious taxi drivers and reckless bus drivers. Some might call them valiant; I call them foolhardy. Most in China accept it as 'normal.' But the fact is these dare devils put our lives at risk every day. ...