Relay of provocation

I resisted writing about the 2008 Olympic torch relay route, when it was announced yesterday in Beijing as the “Journey of Harmony”. I resisted, not because I found the route less of a provocation yesterday, but because I expected nothing less of China.

Win a tour of the Olympics 2008 host and co-host cities

Fancy a tour of Beijing, Qingdao, Shanghai and Hongkong in August 2007? If your family has 3 or more members, you may be able to win just that in the “Olympic Families Tour Beijing” campaign.

Money is burnt in honour of ancestors

Graves will be swept, food will be offered and paper money will be burnt in honour of their ancestors. The Qingming Festival falls on 5 April this year and is an annual festival celebrated by the Chinese in remembrance of their ancestors.

Foreigners can now apply to volunteer at 2008 Beijing Olympics

Non-mainland Chinese and foreigners (i.e. not from China) can now finally apply to become a volunteer at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Contact details for Dr. Ho Shixiu

I’ve received a lot of emails lately from people asking me for the contact details of Dr. Ho Shixiu, the famous doctor of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Chinese Herbal Medicine Clinic in Baisha in China.

Shanghai declares war on mosquitoes

Mosquitoes in Shanghai are likely to double in numbers this coming summer compared to last year, according to China Daily.

But Shanghai is not just rolling up its sleeves waiting for the sting.

Questions from foreign Olympic volunteers welcomed

Would-be volunteers for the Beijing 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games can now ask questions, before they apply.

But only if you’re from a select list of countries, it seems.

Cooking for the Chinese New Year

We’re having a few friends over to celebrate the Chinese Spring Festival this coming Saturday.

I’ve already dusted off the old mahjong set, found a few old tapes with Chinese music, been out to get the red envelopes and I’m even going to make my own red paper couplets.

Make the Chinese Etiquette Guidebook International

While China is preparing for an influx of tourists leading up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, it has not neglected to prepare its own citizens for domestic and international travelling.

View of a Local in Beijing, China

Beijing resident Zhang Wei is fighting an uphill battle to document and preserve the few Hutongs left in Beijing.

In this View of a Local interview, he tells us about his Old Beijing project and how you as a visitor to Beijing can help preserve this important part of Chinese culture.