Category Archives: diary

July update

Posted on 25/07/2011 by haonowshaokao

Change is in the air this week, literally and figuratively. A month ago it was pleasantly warm and dry, and I was working a gruelling 54-hour week. Now I’m down to 12 hours, and outside it’s been alternating between stultifying, … Continue reading →

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Fermented (“stinky”) tofu

Posted on 21/07/2011 by haonowshaokao

One night during my first months in China, I noticed a strange smell coming from the night market. At first I thought it was the smell of an improperly maintained sewer, festering in the summer humidity – the sickly-sweet odour … Continue reading →

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Storm

Posted on 14/07/2011 by haonowshaokao
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How to get married in China in 24 easy steps

Posted on 07/07/2011 by haonowshaokao

1. Go to the British consulate with all necessary documents and pay 50 quid, write names on piece of paper which is pinned up on the bulletin board. 2. Come back ten days later to pick up “certificate of single … Continue reading →

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Things in China

Posted on 29/06/2011 by haonowshaokao

Now that I’ve successfully combined all my blogs I’m predictably going to start making new ones. To that end, here’s ‘Things in China’, a brief distraction daily photo thing, since that seems to be the done thing these days – … Continue reading →

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Chinese food, one week

Posted on 20/06/2011 by haonowshaokao

I’ve decided that I’d like to write about Chinese food, mainly because nobody else seems to be. People from the UK sometimes ask me if I “eat Chinese food all the time.” Well, yes, most of the time, but what … Continue reading →

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I’ve got a bike

Posted on 15/06/2011 by haonowshaokao

Beijing is not a good city for transport. The subway is rammed full at all hours, the roads are gridlocked for good chunks of the day, and bus lanes and queuing don’t seem to have caught on. The only reliable … Continue reading →

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A year of existence / Potential puppies / Same house but different

Posted on 29/05/2011 by haonowshaokao

It’s been hard to find time to write here recently, so I’m going to have a brief flick through the recent headlines and look forward to the impending summer. First thing, Milan Curtis Errington / Meishulei / Leilei has now … Continue reading →

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Silver Apples in Beijing

Posted on 22/05/2011 by haonowshaokao

Last weekend we went to see the Silver Apples. Who are the Silver Apples, I hear some of you ask. Well, their first album, released in 1968, sounds like a mish-mash of krautrock, electronic pop and sampling, all of which … Continue reading →

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English in China: Accent

Posted on 06/05/2011 by haonowshaokao

One of the most disheartening things about English teaching in China is the way that gut instincts and what we call “first language interference” are allowed to interfere with education almost completely unfettered by awareness of what English actually is. … Continue reading →

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