You gotta love the Mings. They were the ones who transformed Beijing from a village into a city and gave it its name! Ok, well, Kublai Khan had made this spot his seat of power when he was emperor. But…
Category: china
kowloon
I have just enjoyed a super quick visit to Hong Kong. After 9 months away, I was shocked to realize just how much I miss Asia. Mostly I miss the smells and the noise: the constant stimulation. This time I…
chinese wine
“Chinese wine tastes like dead mouse” Peter Farrow, narrator Bonfire of the Vanities, by Thomas Wolfe It has been said that brevity is the soul of wit, so whoever observed that “a hang-over is the wrath of grapes” was very…
hot pot
Genghis Khan holds an impressively enduring place in modern Chinese life. He is remembered as a feared and ruthless conqueror who slaughtered anyone who stood in his way. He was particularly eager to kill the aristocrats and ruling classes whom…
scandal!!
“Gu Kilai, wife of China’s disgraced Communist Party leader Bo Xilai, was today handed a death sentence after the court found her guilty of murder in the death of a British businessman, a court official said. Gu's death penalty has…
zhuang zhuang
John is pretty convinced that if there is a difficult way to do something I will find it. Alas, I am beginning to think he is right. Most people return home from China with some beautiful porcelain teacups or a…