A Teacher's Advice to His Students for Staying Safe During Spring Festival

A Teacher's Advice to His Students for Staying Safe During Spring Festival

As a teacher at a study abroad program here in Beijing, I feel it's my duty not only to introduce the wonders of Chinese civilization to impressionable young minds from America but also to keep them safe. Each year, it is customary for me to prepare a short talk to acquaint the students with the Spring Festival. Happy New Year to all and stay safe.

Stanford Closes Beijing Study Abroad Program, Enrollments Down at Other Beijing-Based Centers

Stanford Closes Beijing Study Abroad Program, Enrollments Down at Other Beijing-Based Centers

News that Stanford University will shutter its undergraduate overseas studies program in Beijing has focused attention on the future of the city as a destination for US students studying abroad. 

China Revises University Entrance Exams to Get the Emoji Generation to Read More Classics

China Revises University Entrance Exams to Get the Emoji Generation to Read More Classics

The Gaokao is going back to the past in a bid to force a generation of emoji users to embrace their Classical Chinese roots.

Don't Be a Fool, Eat Your Gruel: The Story Behind Eating Porridge for Laba Festival

Don't Be a Fool, Eat Your Gruel: The Story Behind Eating Porridge for Laba Festival

Some people will do anything for a free meal, even if that means waiting in line outside in Beijing in the middle of January for nothing more than a bowl of thin 粥 zhōu, or porridge.

Capital Histories: How Beijing became the capital of China

Capital Histories: How Beijing became the capital of China

How did Beijing become the capital of China? My short-form history of Beijing for the Nov/Dec 2016 issue of The Beijinger.

Blinged-Out Mobile Not the First Telephone Controversy at the Forbidden City

Blinged-Out Mobile Not the First Telephone Controversy at the Forbidden City

The recent flap over the Palace Museum's promotion of a bling-out luxury mobile phone was not the first time that a phone has caused a stir at the Forbidden City. The story of a phone, a young emperor, and his love of prank calls.

Audio: What do people look for when they come to Beijing?

Audio: What do people look for when they come to Beijing?

The final installment of my conversation with Bruce Connolly of Radio Beijing AM774. What do people want to see when they come to Beijing? Do international visitors and domestic tourists expect different things when visiting the capital?

Lessons for Syria from the Taiping War

Lessons for Syria from the Taiping War

Far too often, humans are reminded of historical parallels to current crises that could have been avoided. War is repetitive, but is it necessary? The past may just be the best indicator of the future.