https://twitter.com/ChinaGeeks/statuses/204106358784663552 Until I figure out how to embed javascript, here’s the Storify link [UPDATE, 8/7: I've figured out how to embed Storify]. Basically, Yang Rui is upset at China Geeks‘ Charlie Custer, who has decided to lay low instead of engaging in a true flame war on Sina Weibo with the CCTV host. Yang could use a... Read more »
We held our Bar and Club Awards party on Saturday. Thank you to the 80 of you who voted. We now know which place to go watch English teachers make fools of themselves, and which place do you go if you’re seeking blue balls, and which place do you go if you hate conversation and want... Read more »
Between drinking out of a boat — the 500-millitier Dead Guy Rogue draft for 55 yuan (multiple by three because of the buy-two-get-one-free deal) — and schmoozing over flip cup, I took pictures of last night’s big awards party at Kro’s Nest. Thanks to those who skipped Punk’s closing party to drink with us. Hulk Hogan... Read more »
Yang Rui — who makes a career out of speaking to foreigners on the show CCTV Dialogue (where I pulled the above image) — posted this on Sina Weibo (Chinese after jump) on Wednesday evening, translated by WSJ: The Public Security Bureau wants to clean out the foreign trash: To arrest foreign thugs and protect innocent girls,... Read more »
Missed this yesterday: China Daily ran this in their “In Brief” section at 8:09 am: A US man was attacked by a knife-wielding assailant in downtown Beijing on Wednesday afternoon, according to local police. The man was stabbed in the buttocks by a 61-year-old Chinese man in Qianmen. The suspect, Wang Taicun from Shandong province,... Read more »
MSNBC has a China blog called “Behind the Wall,” and as the name might suggest, it targets an American audience that may not be as familiar with China as those of us here on the ground (“behind the wall” sounds a lot like “other side of the world,” i.e. a throwaway cliche one scribbles on... Read more »
I, for one, am looking forward to holding my passport with me at all times. Via China Daily: Popular Beijing spots for foreigners, such as Sanlitun and university areas, will be targeted by police in a fresh drive against visitors who commit crimes, outstay their visas or gain illegal employment, authorities said on Monday. The... Read more »
My name is Natsun. My friend's name is Lee [Ed's note: name has been changed to protect his identity]. Anthony Tao recently published a blog post about our chance meeting at El Nido, a Beijing bar (with an absolutely impressive beer selection -- you should check it out). I liked Tao's article, but was very disappointed to read some of the reactions to it in the comments section. It’s not my habit to respond to rabble-rousers, but I think I'd be doing the Internet a disservice to turn down Tao's very reasonable offer to respond to the visceral nature of many of the comments posted about my friend.
We were playing liar's dice at El Nido when a pair of loud, demonstrably buzzed expats plopped down next to us on the wooden outdoor table. We made fast acquaintances. "Whoa, your English is really good," said the man pictured above, to me. "You sound American."
And we were off. We learned that the man -- who introduced himself to us with his Chinese name, though we'll just call him Lee [Ed's note: we've changed his name and his son's by request; see update, below] -- was, despite all appearances, not American. And unlike his friend, Natsun, he was not Canadian, either. He tried to convince us he was Chinese. We expressed our doubts, and that's when he admitted, OK, he wasn't Chinese... yet. He was merely on his way toward Chinese citizenship.