China’s Obsession With Foreigners

China's Obsession With Foreigners

Every morning, I become a tourist attraction. "This street is called Foreigner Street, because foreigner friends like to come here to eat," tour guides announce every time they lead Chinese tourists down this street. When they see me eating breakfast, they pull out their cameras and start snapping photos. Ladies will often come up to me and ask, "Can I take a photo with you?" Being a Westerner in China is enough to make you feel like a celebrity. It was for Kanye West. "I think being in China got me ready to be a celeb," he said. Kanye West went to China at age 10 when his mother, an English professor, taught English in Nanjing for a year. "At that time, a lot of Chinese had never seen a black ...

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From Farm To City: Check Out Changsha’s Meixi Lake Before The Skyscrapers

From Farm To City: Check Out Changsha's Meixi Lake Before The Skyscrapers

I can not go as far as to say that I was looking upon a pristine, natural scene, but I can say that I was far outside of any city, in an area of lakes, rivers, farms, foothills, and wide open spaces. But in a flash this rural landscape of green, brown, and blue will be flipped upside down into a massive city of black, white, and grey. They are calling it the Meixi Lake Eco-City. Positioned just outside of Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, a 40 hectare, 4 kilometer lake was created to be the central prop of a new city that will include a world class business district and residential capacity for 180,000 people. Apparently, Changsha felt they needed a new city too. ...

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What Message Does This Traveling Musician Have For The Youth Of China?

What Message Does This Traveling Musician Have For The Youth Of China?

To say that it is not common for young Chinese people to drop out of the rat race to travel perpetually would be an incredible understatement. Many young people of this county travel, yes, but very few do so as a lifestyle -- especially those who have received a higher education and are primed for a life vying for the spoils that are now on the table. This is a country where wealth, good jobs, and status symbols are not only voraciously sought but are actually accessible to an ever increasing amount of the population. There are more middle class people in China as there are Americans on the planet. "To be rich is glorious," is the mantra here, this is the Chinese Dream: score high ...

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An Awful Life On A Remote Tropical Island

An Awful Life On A Remote Tropical Island

May! The lovely petal pushing month of May! When the urge to flee a barren cubicle imprisoned life concretizes. No one absconds in the winter. It is too cold. Too depressing. Not unless the calloused mitts of the law are closing in on your ass or the bank, in their never ending quest for more profit and caviar to gobble, forecloses on your home and tosses you out and into a snow bank wearing only an ill-fitting pair of pajamas that are missing the important buttons and allow your dangling bits to peep out and see what's going on. May is the time to flee. To tell America and all of its problems to go fuck itself. South Seas islands beckon. There you will find nirvana ...

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Painting by the author of the tressle mentioned in this story

Hangin' With Charlie In 'Nam

No one goes to Tua Hai (pronounced Twee Ha). Only wandering plein air painters with too much time on their hands. I like the name. Twee Ha. It sounds like a broken whistle. Kind of like me. I clamber aboard the northbound local train clutching my ticket for the cheapest seat possible. The agent at the Nha Trang station thinks it is hilarious. Only country bumpkins travel in that class. Bodies squat, sprawl in the aisles, sleep under the hard wooden seats -- an enterprising father has packed his kids into the overhead luggage rack. The conductor barks orders and utters threats. He is paid no heed. He redirects his umbrage at me. I can read his expression as he examines my ticket: 'What the hell ...

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I Get My Bicycle Fixed For 45 Cents, China Still Dirt Cheap For The Basics

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I get a flat tire on my bicycle repaired for a ridiculously small amount of money. China is still a very cheap country to live in.

China, Intercultural Conflict

Child Raising

Woven Bamboo Baskets Used As Child Carriers

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Bamboo baskets are used to transport children in China’s Hunan province.

Child Raising, China, Tools

Chinese Culture

China’s Obsession With Foreigners

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Living in China made a 10 year old Kanye West feel like a celebrity, and the attention that foreigners receive here has yet to simmer down. Why does China obsess over foreigners?

China, Featured Articles

Travel Diary

Traditional Old House On Taizhou Canal

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I daydream about the sedentary life as I watch an old couple do their daily chores in front of their old, traditional style house on a canal in Taizhou.

Changing Cultures, China, Travel Diary

The New China

If You Build It It Will Fall Down: Taizhou’s Wanda Plaza

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A new, ultra-modern, high end shopping mall opened up in Taizhou. Unfortunately, it seems to be falling down already.

China

Travel Jobs

An Interview With Traveling Engineers

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Engineers are seriously all over the world, living permanently on the road, going from project to project. This is one of the best ways to travel and work concurrently. Watch an interview about the lifestyle and work of the traveling engineer.

China, Engineering, Other Travelers, Work

Travel Narrative

Changsha Is Typical China And This Is Good

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I revisit Changsha, in the heartland of China, and come away with a very different impression.

China, Travel Story

Travel Tips

How I Deal With People Asking Me The Same Questions All The Time When Traveling

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What to do when you find yourself having the same conversation over and over again when traveling.

Travel Help, Travel Tips

Extreme Engineering

Changsha, Where’s The Sky City?

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It is looking like the unbelievable Sky City One may have succumbed to reality.

Architecture, China, Cities and Urban Development, Engineering

China's New Cities

From Farm To City: Check Out Changsha’s Meixi Lake Before The Skyscrapers

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An uber-modern, state of the art new city and business dis

China, Cities and Urban Development

True Vagabonding

What Message Does This Traveling Musician Have For The Youth Of China?

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I met traveling street musician in Changsha who had not only songs but a message for the people of his country.

China, Culture and Society, Featured Articles, Music, Other Travelers, Work

English teaching

Come And Teach English In China

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Want to work in China? Get in touch.

English Teaching

Travel In China

A Glimpse At Wuhan And The Train To Changsha

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A peek at Wuhan as I connect to another train and head into the heart of China.

China, Train Travel

Travel Tip

Travel Tip: Keep A Digital Copy Of Your Passport And Visas On Mobile Devices

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While it is often a better idea to not carry your passport around with you in the streets, always carry a copy on your mobile device.

Travel Documents, Travel Safe, Travel Tips

Gear Review

SupertoothHD: Low-dimension quality for high-tech travelers

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A review of the Supertooth HD bluetooth device. Does it meet the demands of the modern digital nomad?

Electronics, Travel Gear

Chinese fashion

Why Chinese Men Grow Long Fingernails

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Find out why it is trendy in China for men to grow incredibly long fingernails.

China, Fashion

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