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China

This is What The Bund in Shanghai Looks Like on October Holiday in China

October 7, 2019 KeepCalmAndWander 0 Comments

This is what The Bund in Shanghai looks like on the October holiday in China. As you know, this year, China celebrates its 70th Founding Anniversary. The holiday always falls on October 1-7. A weekend before that, government workers across the country have to work on Saturday and Sunday to

Cultural Places to Visit in Shanghai Skyline from the Bund

China

Six Cultural Places to Visit in Shanghai

August 23, 2019 KeepCalmAndWander 0 Comments

Shanghai is a massive city in China, located on its central coast. It is China’s biggest city and financial hub/capital. In the heart of the city is a famous waterfront with buildings from the colonial era, mostly of British influence. They call it “The Bund.” The city itself is home

China

Three of the Greatest Highlights of Beijing

July 17, 2019 KeepCalmAndWander 0 Comments

The Chinese capital of Beijing is truly inspiring. Those who have had the pleasure of visiting this city never forget its alluring mix of incredible history and culture, as well as its truly unique sense of imperial splendour. Preconceptions and stereotypes will be blown away when you see the incredible

China

Lost in Translation in Hangzhou

November 11, 2018 KeepCalmAndWander 0 Comments

“Welcome to the back!” proclaimed an English sign at the front door of a small Chinese restaurant in Hangzhou, a city in China, known for its West Lake. It was here where Marco Polo once sailed, mesmerized by its stunning beauty, and declared the place in ancient times as “the most

China

The Largest Glazed Nine Dragon Screen in China

August 19, 2015 KeepCalmAndWander 0 Comments

The largest glazed Nine Dragon Screen in China is found in Datong. It is the oldest one in China. It’s one of the four screens that are found in the country. Two are in Beijing (Beihai Park and Forbidden City) and one in Pingyao. As you all know, though mythical, dragons

China

The Great Confucius is Buried in this Humble Plot

July 31, 2014 KeepCalmAndWander 2 Comments

Confucius or Kong Zi, in Chinese, is buried in a humble plot in Qufu, Shandong Province. His tomb has no sign of luxury or grandeur of a philosopher whose analects shaped China—and are still highly-regarded until today. While I was still working in Beijing, one of my students told the class

China

Take a Peek Inside The China Sex Museum

February 16, 2014 KeepCalmAndWander 1 Comments

Inside this sex museum, I’ve learned that there are two basic instincts of human life: food and sex. I didn’t expect the latter but I don’t doubt it.Most people think of Shanghai as a cosmopolitan city wrapped in pollution, just like its rival city, Beijing. Many locals and visitors marvel

China

Chinglish 101

November 29, 2013 KeepCalmAndWander 1 Comments

Last weekend, I finally found some of my Chinglish photo collections—after 3 years of looking for them! Yeah, that long. I’ve tried to search them in my 1TB time capsule but to no avail. I had to open ALL the photos I had taken in China (that’s 8 years of

, China

Chinese Doors and Their Scary-Looking Doorknobs

July 30, 2013 KeepCalmAndWander 0 Comments

While living in China for years, the doors at Chinese houses keeps my attention. The door handles – in various sizes, shapes, colors and the superstitions that come with them are fascinating. Most doorknobs are in the shape of a lion or a dragon’s head. I really couldn’t accurately identify

China

The Best Section of The Great Wall of China

April 11, 2013 KeepCalmAndWander 5 Comments

I have yet to meet someone whose bucket list doesn’t include climbing the magnificent Great Wall of China, one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. It was built to ward off enemies. The photos you see of this architectural feat are stunning but when you are in there

China

11 Things To Do In Beijing

January 9, 2013 alainsojourner 4 Comments

(A friend of mine and his family are going for a one-week trip to Beijing in late Spring this year and they asked me some recommendations on what to do and see in the city. I’m trying my best to recall the ones I recommended to the couchsurfers I had

, China

The Great Wall of China

December 16, 2012 alainsojourner 1 Comments

Sunrise at the Great Wall of China is one view that would forever be etched in my memory. The serenity from where I stood to take this pic is reflected in the rugged terrains of the landscape where the ancient wall is snaking through its way up, as if reaching

China

The Cultural Revolution Restaurant in Beijing

March 31, 2010 alainsojourner 0 Comments

The Cultural Revolution in China is definitely NOT over yet. There’s one more restaurant standing— on the outskirts of Beijing, just outside on the East side of the fifth ring road. Kid you not. This is one place where the atmosphere is VERY revolutionary and where nationalism is instilled above

China

The Penis Restaurant in Beijing

March 13, 2010 alainsojourner 1 Comments

So….. last night, six of us went to this Penis Restaurant which my Swiss friend had been babbling about since January. Honestly, I was not looking forward to eating a phallus but excited to try my first ever penis dish of the animal kingdom. We were all so curious and had no

, China

Face-changing Show

March 5, 2010 alainsojourner 0 Comments

Finally, I was able to see a face-changing show in Beijing. This is one thing I promised myself that I’d never leave China without seeing one. Last week, when a friend moved our original rendezvous for dinner from Dongzhimen to a restaurant near my workplace in Jianwai Soho, Goumao, I

China

SHIT Restaurant in Beijing

March 3, 2010 alainsojourner 7 Comments

The Chinese guy I was with simply translated the restaurant’s name as, “SHIT IN THE RESTAURANT.” For brevity and clarity, let’s just call it as SHIT RESTAURANT. Or to be less gross TOILET RESTAURANT. 🙂 And yes, I know. It’s not fabulous to talk about shit. 🙂 I’ve been meaning