In celebration of publishing the 150th blog post on China Elevator Stories today, I’ll take a look at the top 10 posts, posts 101-150: 10. Guest post: “My wife thinks I have a lover” A repair guy talks about his relationship problems with guest poster Marta’s boyfriend. 9. “Are you pregnant?” One of my co-workers asked […]
Category Archives: Understanding China
In the summer of 2012 I visit my friend in her hometown Changsha. She had told me before that everyone is eager to meet me. Her grandparents (especially her grandfather who had helped me find my Chinese name according to traditional 生辰八字 principles – shēnɡchén bāzì in Pinyin or Four pillars of life in English), […]
One evening in September 2013, I take a motorcycle cab back to my place. The driver asks me where I need to go. I tell him the name of the closest bus stop (which is also what I would usually tell cab drivers) and get on the motorcycle. While driving, he asks: “What’s the name […]
Everytime Y travels somewhere or takes on an important task, it rains heavily. And each and everytime this happens, he’ll say: “Do you believe it now? My mother came to believe it because it just always happens.” Came to believe what? Read on and I’ll tell you the answer. When Y is still little, he […]
Linda from Living in China has asked me about reasons why many AMXF (Asian Male, X Female) couples marry so soon into their relationships. I can’t answer for others, so Linda has created a survey to ask other couples about their experiences. Anyone in a relationship with an Asian man can take part and it’s […]
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: […]
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 […]
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 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 […]
In the summer of 2012 I visit my friend in her hometown Changsha. We became friends while she was studying in Vienna and I was working there. In the summer of 2012 we’re both in China at the same time. She had told me before that everyone is eager to meet me. Her grandparents (especially […]
Sometimes people in China will hear me tell Y: “Go die, idiot!” What the hell? Who talks like that to her husband, you might wonder. Let me explain. Actually, what people hear in Chinese is not what I tell Y in reality. So what do I say? Ever since one of my colleagues asked me […]
What’s the toughest part of learning Chinese for someone with a mother tongue like German (it probably also applies to people with other mother tongues)? After having studied Mandarin Chinese at university for 4 years and after having lived in China for 2 years, I consider myself to be kind of fluent in Mandarin Chinese. […]
Y and I are in Changchun. Changchun (literally meaning long spring) was once the capital of Manchuria, which was the name of Northeast China under Japanese occupation from 1931 to 1945. Today, it’s the capital of Jilin province and China’s biggest auto manufacturer. After lunch we set out to take a cab that will take […]
When people in Austria ask Y how old he is he’ll say he’s 31. When people in South China ask him about his age, he’ll say he’s 32. And when people in Northeast China ask him, he’ll say 33. So what is true? Does he sometimes lie about his age? Fact is, he doesn’t. All […]
Today I’m featuring a guest post by Sarah, fellow Shenzhen-expat and the face behind the blog Reclaim Your Fearlessnesss that gives tips on how to live the life you want to live and not let others dictate it. I love her blog and have nominated her for the Liebster Award last month (see her answers here). Sarah has grown up […]
Many of my friends from Northeast China tell me: “We don’t really have a dialect, we do speak a very intelligible Mandarin. Maybe there are some words that are different, but that’s about it.” Oh, the beloved “er” Northerners use in any possible way one can imagine! Having learned Chinese in Austria and in Kunming […]
In celebration of the 50th blog post on China Elevator Stories, I’ll take a look at the top 10 posts so far: 10. “You can’t like her too much” #10 features a conversation with a doctor who tells Y that he can’t “like me too much”. What does she mean by that? Click the link […]
If you drink Chinese medicine, at the beginning of the treatment your TCM doctor will usually require you to go see him/her every 3-4 days. The formula of the herbs will be adjusted every few days and while the basic ingredients might stay the same, the doctor might delete some of the herbs while at […]
This is part two of a conversation my fiancé and I had with a Chinese doctor. If you’ve missed part one, here’s the link: “I’d like to find my son a foreign wife” When the doctor is done with feeling my pulse, looking at my tongue and asking me some questions about the symptoms, she […]
One day in March 2013 my fiancé and I go to the hospital to see a Chinese doctor. We sit down to tell her my ailments and while she feels my pulse my fiancé starts chatting with her. Y: “Are you from Henan? The way you speak sounds like Henan-dialect.” Doctor: “I am. I have […]
About one and a half years ago, I get a message from a Chinese friend’s friend, the latter of which is an acquaintance of mine. He asks me a simple question and ends the text message with a “good night”. It’s already quite late, so I reply with a “good night”, not thinking too much […]
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