Chengdu Living

I love Chengdu, but I gotta go. I took a job as copy editor in the antithesis of the ‘Du: glitzy, glamorous Shanghai. Here’s what I think about these two cities after spending 10 years in Sichuan.

The Gaokao is the academic guantlet that all college-bound Chinese youth pass through on their journey to higher education. Learn more about what this hugely important day is like by hearing about it from someone who took the exam in 2010. There’s photos, too!

You might have heard of the Gao Kao before. It’s the rigorous week-long exam that Chinese high school students take before embarking on the first steps of adulthood. I find out what it’s like by talking with a recent high school graduate.

As in the past, I decided to watch the World Cup, at 2am, at a local spa while getting my feet rubbed. In this post I’ll share a bit about China’s spa culture and explain why this is a great place to relax while watching the World Cup or any sporting event.

Traditional Kung Fu has become a commodity in our modern world, but there are still martial arts schools out there that refuse to sell out and instead carry on the true spirit of Chinese kung fu. We here in Chengdu are lucky enough to have our very own Kung Fu Family Martial Arts School in San Sheng Xiang.

Chongqing and Chengdu are “sister cities,” but they are as dissimilar as apples and beefsteak. They have different histories, different personalities and wildly different trajectories and through it all they manage to come together over a steaming vat of hot pot.

Although it’s illegal for Chinese citizens to hold another passport, the flexibility of China allows for parents of mixed-heritage children to entertain the idea of dual-citizenship. In this most recent addition to the series, we take a look at requirements and possibilities for passports, visas and hukous.

Tomorrow night Disco Death in Chengdu will host a member of China’s performing elite: DJ Blaise. I took the opportunity to write a few words about the event and why I’m excited about this one in particular.

What follows is my personal account of the death of my girlfriends grandmother, lovingly referred to as Laolao. Along the way there’s grieving, vacationing, understanding and deception.

Sichuan’s Governor is confident that re-construction of the Quake-affected areas of Sichuan will be finished one year ahead of schedule, but people on the ground disagree with the government’s assessment and argue that the work has just begun.