In response to Jeremiah‘s new post at the Peking Duck, I thought I’d pitch in a few reasons to love my adopted home, Kunming. 1. The weather. No, it isn’t perfect, but when Kunming is nice- and it often is nice as much as we say it isn’t- it is really, really nice. White puffy [...]
Washington Post’s China-hand John Pomfret argues, somewhat persuasively, that China’s internal problems will prevent its rise to superpower status. While I don’t agree with all of his points, Pomfret is spot-on in one aspect: the perception in the West of China as a menacing juggernaut overtaking the world remains vastly overstated.
According to reports by Reuters and AFP, a Uighur separatist group called the Turkestan Islamic Party has claimed responsibility for Monday’s bus bombings in Kunming as well as a series of other terrorist attacks throughout the country. The group’s leader, Commander Seyfullah, said: Our aim is to target the most critical points related to the [...]
Passport has an amusing post detailing government efforts to improve Chinese conversational manners. In particular, there are eight topics that Chinese people have been asked to avoid when talking to foreigners: 1. Don’t ask about income or expenses. 2. Don’t ask about age. 3. Don’t ask about love life or marriage. 4. Don’t ask about [...]
As the Chinese and international press has reported, two bombs exploded on Kunming city buses on the morning of Monday, July 21st, killing three and wounding more than a dozen more. Apparently, the suspects were not tied to international terrorist groups nor a part of an aggrieved minority, yet no one has been apprehended. Chris [...]
People I know from back home often ask me why I don’t take many photos. They are, naturally, curious to see what daily life in a Chinese city looks like, and part of me feels guilty for denying them the opportunity. Kunming, though, is my Chinese home; I live, work, play, and study here, and [...]
It may not be as pleasant as the Thai islands, or as happening as Hong Kong, but rainy (and terrorist-hit) Kunming is still home, and I’m happy to be back….trip ruminations and other material to soon follow.
As much as I enjoy living in Kunming, it’s always nice to escape for a little bit. Tomorrow, my parents (currently in town visiting) and I will be flying to Thailand for a much-needed vacation, followed by a few days in Hong Kong/Macao. I should have plenty of opportunities to blog so stay tuned! I’ll [...]
Both Xinhua and People’s Daily lead with encomiums to the Chinese Communist Party, founded on this date in 1921. Here’s a snippet of Xinhua’s fulsome editorial: å…«å七年峥嵘å²æœˆï¼Œå…«å七载光辉历程。今天，我们党已æˆé•¿ä¸ºæ‹¥æœ‰7300多万党员ã€åœ¨13亿人å£çš„大国长期执政的大党。八åä¸ƒå¹´çš„é£Žé›¨ç ¥ç ºï¼Œæˆ‘ä»¬å…šæ›´åŠ åšå¼ºä¼Ÿå¤§ï¼Œå…šçš„肌体生机勃å‘；八åä¸ƒå¹´çš„é£Žé™©è€ƒéªŒï¼Œæˆ‘ä»¬å…šæ›´åŠ æˆç†Ÿè‡ªä¿¡ï¼Œå…šçš„äº‹ä¸šæ›´åŠ è¾‰ç…Œã€‚ (in translation) It has been 87 memorable years, suffused with a brilliant course. Today, our party has grown to include more than 73 million members, a great party [...]