Monthly Archives: September 2010

You Are What You Breathe?

Posted on September 28, 2010 by

Image source here. Yesterday the WSJ China realtime report, along with many other China blogs, published a post about Canadian scientists and NASA’s recent study on global air-particulate pollution. The post, here, shows a detailed map of where the pollution … Continue reading →

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Buddhist Insight Anyone?

Posted on September 27, 2010 by

Last Thursday Phil and I took my friend Jackie to the Wenshu monastery in the north of Chengdu. This Tang dynasty monastery and temple is one of the few in Chengdu where you can still find people lighting incense and … Continue reading →

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A Game of Mah Jong in a Bamboo Park…

Posted on September 26, 2010 by

sipping green tea and eating spicy peanuts. Oh yes, Saturday afternoon was a “China afternoon.” Actually, it was a China long weekend. A childhood friend from Connecticut who has temporarily (we hope permanently) moved to Hong Kong, Jackie, had a … Continue reading →

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Lantern Launching

Posted on September 23, 2010 by

中秋节快乐！Happy Lunar New Year and Lantern Festival! And true to its name, last night the skies were filled with an aerial armada of floating lanterns drifting, and crashing down, across the city night sky. Leading up to the night, stores … Continue reading →

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Happy Mid-Autumn Festival Everyone!

Posted on September 22, 2010 by

Image source here. Mid-autumn festival is a Chinese holiday that falls on the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese calendar. A calendar that aligns with the phases of the moon. The holiday lasts for three days and is partly … Continue reading →

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Happy Weekend…Or Not

Posted on September 18, 2010 by

Here in China we have lots of great holidays, many of which center around the lunar calendar. The upcoming mid-autumn festival next Wednesday is no exception with its moon gazing, candle burning, lantern and moon cake festivities. Phil and I … Continue reading →

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How to Build Guanxi and Start an Orchestra Program

Posted on September 17, 2010 by

guanxi (ˌɡwænˈsiː) -n a Chinese social concept based on the exchange of favours, in which the personal relationships are more important than laws and written agreements. I started a strings program last week. I have eleven kids in the orchestra, … Continue reading →

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Qingdao Nash Hash

Posted on September 13, 2010 by

I have been told that I need to write something about my trip to Qingdao for the 10th All China Nash Hash. However, I think it is one of those things that you had to be there for. So in … Continue reading →

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A Moroccan Dinner Party – Picnic Style

Posted on September 12, 2010 by

We had our first dinner party last night and since it was a nice cool end-of-summer-evening we decided to have it out on one of the balconies. Picnic style. We couldn’t have asked for a better evening. Good company. Good … Continue reading →

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A Night with Beauty and Melody

Posted on September 9, 2010 by

A generous set of parents took me, Phil and a couple other teachers out to a performance by “Beauty and Melody” a traditional Chinese chamber group from Western China. The group, preparing for a tour to the US (first stop … Continue reading →

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