If you are an American child of the 80’s like me, one of your earliest exposures to China might have been the Sesame Street Special, “Big...

When I was going through the hard time I wrote about a few weeks ago–which felt a bit like a long season of Advent waiting–one of the...

My Chinese class just finished reading an essay about emperor Kangxi, one of China’s greatest emperors.  Somehow in our discussion,...

Shortly after I arrived in China, I visited Yuanmingyuan (The Old Summer Palace) for the first time.  That was in October, and I could...

Spring has arrived in Beijing!  Actually, we had a day or two this past week that felt like summer was about to arrive (but most people...

A year ago, encouraged by Velvet Ashes, I picked a word for 2015.  I honestly wasn’t completely sold on picking one word, so I didn’t...

I currently have a six-month visa that can’t be renewed in Beijing.  In order to get a new one, I had to take a trip to Hong Kong.  Since...

This week I fulfilled a 9-year old dream: to visit Jiuzhaigou National Park in Sichuan Province, China.  I’ve been hearing about this...

I don’t start back to class until Monday.  So this week I decided to spend a day learning about and enjoying Beijing.  First, I went to...

“Reverence may take all kinds of forms, depending on what it is that awakens awe in you by reminding you of your true size.” —An Altar in...

I’ve been spending hours sorting through boxes and piles of my earthly belongings.  Pots and pans, dishes, spatulas, potato mashers,...