I’d like to share this summary of my stats for 2013 with you. Just received it from wordpress. Thanks to everyone who has dropped by, read, shared, liked and followed China Elevator Stories in 2013. Here’s an excerpt: The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 47,000 […]
Monthly Archives: December 2013
31 Dec 2012 is the second time that I celebrate New Year’s Eve in China. In the morning, Y and I arrive in Nanning. We walk down a crowded street to explore the city, when he suddenly proposes to me. In the afternoon, we take a bus to a small town near a village famous […]
I’ve been trying to find some more English language blogs written by people living in Shenzhen. The list is still short and comes in no particular order – let me know if you know of any other interesting blogs that are related to the topic of living in Shenzhen. Here are the blogs: Shenzhen Noted: […]
Today, I’m sharing a photo with you that was taken at about the same time last year. On this day about a year ago, Y and I visited Dafen Oil Painting Village in Shenzhen (大芬油画村 dàfēn yóuhuàcūn). The village has many small shops which sell copies of famous paintings. I can imagine that my grandfather […]
For Christmas Eve, I’d like to share a very special story with you. Here goes: One of my friends has grown up in Yunnan’s remote countryside. She tells me about her older sister’s birth. “23 years ago, my mother gave birth to my older sister. When my sister was born, she didn’t move. Everyone thought […]
In today’s guest post I’d like to introduce you to Huihan Lie. Huihan is the founder of My China Roots. Established in 2012 and based in Beijing, My China Roots provides ancestry and roots-related research and travel services targeting overseas Chinese. When I first visited their website, I was captivated by the stories about past […]
This is part 1 of 2 of a conversation with L, a woman in her mid-twenties working at a massage parlour. I have talked to her before, click here if you’ve missed the last conversation with her. Stay tuned for part 2 of the conversation (“Your breasts are almost non-existent”). L loves to tell me […]
One day in August 2013 I’m at the gym. It’s a hot and sweltry evening. After only 15 minutes of working out, my head is red like a tomato. A guy in his 40s stops in front of me. He says: “Your head is red like a tomato”, and laughs. I: “It’s hot today, that’s […]
If I miss my fiancé, I’ll often text him, telling him directly that I miss him. He, on the other hand, usually doesn’t tell me that he misses me in such a direct way. More often than not, he’ll ask me instead: “Did you miss me? (想我了吗? Xiǎng wǒ le ma?)” At first, whenever someone […]
The fitness studio I recently started going to offers Chinese folk dance classes. The first time I go to the dancing class it’s filled with women in their 40s and 50s. I seem to be one of the younger ones – together with the teacher, who is the only male person in the room. The […]
While staying at my in-laws, my MIL does everything for me. She cooks, washes the dishes, makes our bed, cleans our room, heats up my medicine, washes the clothes and accompanies me no matter where I go. She holds my hand (well, actually it’s rather a grasping of my wrist), not only if we have […]
In August 2013 I start going to the gym. When I have my first training, my trainer, a guy probably not much older than me, asks me: “Are you married?” He’s fast to go on: “In your culture that question would probably be inappropriate for me to ask, wouldn’t it?” I: “Well, depending on the […]
Right across the street from our building is a guy in his 50s who repairs all different kinds of things. One day in the summer of 2013, I take my bike to him to repair a puncture. While he’s mending the wheel, he starts chatting with me. He: “Where are you from?” I: “I’m from […]
In celebration of publishing the 100th blog post on China Elevator Stories today, I’ll take a look at the top 10 posts of posts 51-100: 10. “What are you doing to get pregnant?” My co-workers share tips on how to get pregnant one day at dinner. 9. Guest Post: Be Careful What You Teach Your […]
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