Some Small Act Of Bureaucratic Kindness

Bureaucratic kindness
By Jim Fields Recently, I went to Tianjin on a one-day business trip. In the morning, a co-worker picked me up from my apartment at Yonghegong. After completing my business-related tasks, I bid farewell to my colleagues (who had more to do) and took a cab to the local railway station, where I planned to buy a... Read more »

The Three Immortals Of Dongzhimen

Three supernaturals
By Jim Fields Every day, I bike past these three supernaturals on my way to work. They hold court over the southwest corner of Dongzhimen Bridge, existing in the shade north of Subway Exit D. Every day, no matter where the sun happens to be in the sky, no matter what ad plays on the... Read more »

Cherishing Public Facilities: The Odd Beauty Of Chinese Ordinances

Urinating sign - step closer
By Jim Fields New arrivals to Beijing often revel in the sheer chaos of the city. Cars, bikes, and motorized tricycles compete for inches of pavement (sometimes resulting in ungodly traffic jams). Children drop trou and relieve themselves among dining patrons at restaurants. And, of course, as any foreigner in China will tell you, there are no open container... Read more »

A One-Way Conversation About Black People, By Gao Xiaosong

Gao Xiaosong on blacks in America featured image
Below is a truly eye-opening video that neatly summarizes almost every conversation I've had with Beijingers about African-Americans (or people with dark skin in general). I enjoy the fact that simply by having an online show called Xiao Shuo (晓说) -- and spending a bit of time abroad -- this guy has become an authority on all things African American. Though I've seen the host's face on billboards all over Beijing, I hadn't actually watched the show until recently - a quick Baidu search revealed that the host is in fact the well known drunk driver Gao Xiaosong.