I lived in Kunming and the the closest thing to firework during Spring Festival was a meagre bang.
I celebrated the coming of the Chinese New Year in Chengdu last year and there was something going on on the outskirts of the city.
This year I watched from behind the window and it was […]

Walking in Nanjing Xi Lu today I realized this must be the quietest day in the year, at least by daylight. The darker it gets, the more fireworks will be heard. Hardly any traffic as everyone is at home preparing their food, getting together with their families and enjoy their free time.
Many of these […]

A very funny cartoon made by Mark Fiore about the big three American tech companies in China.
Click here
(found through threadwatch.org)

Google does no evil. It doesn’t want to comply with the American Justice Department to hand over a couple of weeks of searches. Let’s show the world we have principles, let’s show our users that we really value their privacy and we only use it for ourselves.
But that’s the US. China is a different […]

One of my resolutions for the New Year was to stop eating in Shanghai restaurants that offer a lousy service.
I voiced this ambition to W. and she responded by saying.
“We won’t have anywhere to go after this year”
Actually my resolution has a wider scope. To stop buying anything from any place that […]

It looks like everything will be better in 5 years time in Shanghai. As the Shanghai People’s Congress got together this week, maybe they still do, have no clue, they outlined their 11th Five Year Plan.
Thanks to the local gazette, I understand a bit more of the objectives.
I like to highlight one and sincerely […]

Let’s talk local politics. The Shanghai People’s Congress has assembled and already some good things have been talked about. It appears that Shanghai is lacking behind neighbouring city Hangzhou as far as inconspicious signs and charges for service.

I endorse the proposal to lift all the charges for the public toilets. No mention of cleanliness […]