Peering into the Precipice

For those that haven’t read or heard, the CCTV’s new HQ compound suffered a heavy blow last month during the peak of the Chinese New Year festivities. There are plenty of stories and pictures that can be easily found online, so I won’t delve too deeply there. I did, however, just read a decent article [...]

At around the 24 month mark I’ve begun gearing up mentally for my departure from China. For me, the issue is a decline into normalcy, at which point many of the attractive features of life in China cease to exist. I think for many foreigners the first year in China is a honeymoon period; everything, [...]

… and vulgarity. I’m not sure what the situation is like on the ground back home, or in Europe, but my impression from online news and the Daily Show’s regular mockup of mainstream media is that the news on China, and specifically on the Olympics during this month, is too frequently dehumanized. I experienced something [...]

An poll from the Pew Research Center was released today regarding Chinese citizen’s views of their country, the international arena, and some specifics on China. Not surprisingly, Chinese had some interesting views on international standing that may defy what is otherwise expected. Most Chinese also recognize the growing impact their economy has on others around [...]

There’s a lot of talk these days about how the Chinese are a shrewd folk when push comes to shove. At times, desperate seems more appropriate. Most often, merely ingrained with a herd mentality that is far more extreme than what I have witnessed anywhere in the West. This isn’t necessarily the herd mentality of [...]