What’s Up With These “The Beijinger” Covers?

TBJ 201212 cover
The Beijinger is our fine city's largest expat magazine, purveyors of flour, dogs, hair, and hutong skiers. Frankly, we can't wait for what's next... tissues? turtles? WE HOPE SO. Too excited about the possibilities, we've gone ahead and mocked up some cover suggestions. Let's make this happen, tbj.

Understanding Jackie Chan, Chinese Nationalism, And Double Standards In English Media

Jackie Chan
In a December interview on a Phoenix TV talk show, Jackie Chan made comments that Western media have recently described as "anti-American" -- ...really? I think his comments regarding America are immature, but they're not without reason. What a lot of reporting has ignored is that Chan was speaking in Chinese on a Chinese television channel, and the message he was delivering to a Chinese audience was this: “Yes, China has flaws, but if you talk about our country's shortcomings with foreigners, they'll misinterpret the message.”

Blogging The Bloggers: Another New Year, Same Old Mug’s Game

Peeping weekly at the best (and worst) that was, is, and will be on the China blogosphere. Aside from family animosities, hangovers and relief in seeing in another year relatively unscathed, there is little worth celebrating in the Sino-English gulag. Drawing up lists of the best and worst sites is a fool’s errand. Ditto content. It... Read more »

Friends And Countrymen (An Expat Christmas No. 9)

BJC Christmas
BJC's An Expat Christmas series is winding down, but we wouldn't leave without a story from Shanghai. William Childress writes about friends, food, and transience in the big city. We're lucky, in Shanghai, to be in a city with so many foreigners that we can essentially experience the holidays as we would in our native land. But don't get me wrong -- we're not exactly in an expatriate haven.

Cancelled (An Expat Christmas No. 7)

BJC Christmas
BJC's An Expat Christmas series will roll on through the week. In a place where Christmas is an "event" and not part of the culture, it can be cancelled as easily as it is arranged, as Chris Clayman recently found out at his school in Lincang, Yunnan province.

The Gift (An Expat Christmas No. 5)

BJC’s “An Expat Christmas” series continues, as Jocelyn Eikenburg shares her experience of gift-giving — and receiving — from one Christmas in Shanghai. By Jocelyn Eikenburg When you spend Christmas in China as an expat, it’s easy to feel a little forgotten by the holiday season.

Christmas In Changsha (An Expat Christmas No. 4)

BJC’s “An Expat Christmas” series continues, in which foreigners in China write about the holiday experience from their respective cities. If you’re in Changsha, look up our next contributor, who’s been finding Christmas cheer — and creating some of her own. By Amanda Roberts