Chengdu Living

In my time I’ve learned a few things about living in China, which I humbly offer here. Call them Pro Tips to life in China, if you will.

I hate to make sweeping generalizations that over-simplify the diversity and variation within each country, but I will make them anyway.

If you’re in Chengdu or thinking about coming to Chengdu, there are a few preparations you should make. Brendan spells out the details after a year of integrating into the city.

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.