Contributor Guidelines

Contributing your writing or content to Chengdu Living is a great way to share your ideas and expertise, gain recognition and build new relationships. It’s a plus, as well, for Chengdu Living readers and a great means of bringing more traffic to your own blog or website while giving you valuable experience in online publishing.

Preliminary Information

This is a site started by people in Chengdu who seek to share the unique experience of living in Sichuan with as many people as possible. Most people haven’t heard of Chengdu and know nothing about Sichuan province – short of 2008’s disastrous earthquake. Chengdu Living exists to write about and discuss the unique things that we’re in a position to enjoy and observe, and translate and share these findings with others in Chengdu, all over China, and around the globe.

For example: when you order a meal in Chengdu you’re entitled to a culinary experience that most people won’t ever experience. Are you interested in sharing the details of the wonderful and fascinating things that Chengdu has to offer with others? If so, writing for Chengdu Living might make a great option for you.

What We’re Looking For

We are seeking regular contributors who are based either in Chengdu or China, or previously were. Whether you contribute a single post or want to write regularly (say, about cooking Chinese food or studying Chinese at University, for example) we love to find like-minded individuals. If you read Chengdu Living and other blogs regularly, you already make a great potential candidate.

Basic Guidelines

  • Include your byline if you have one, a 2-3 sentence biography, and a link to your website or social media, if you’d like to link to that.
  • Posts generally fall between 600-1,000 words in length, but this isn’t set in stone. We also publish photo-heavy posts which might fall under 600 words, or conversely, featured editorials which run over 2,000 words.
  • Keep your paragraphs short and tight and use subheadings to present ideas clearly
  • External links are encouraged and increase the authority of your voice. Good posts are the product of research and cited sources or first-hand experience.
  • We love articles with a sharp opinion and an engaging entry paragraph, followed by supporting paragraphs that lead to a conclusion.

Most importantly, be yourself and speak in your own voice. Include personal stories and experiences when they relate to the article at hand, and be creative with the use of metaphors and synonyms. Have fun. We want to showcase your best writing and put Chengdu’s best face forward.

Submission Process

Use our Contact Form to submit your post or pitch and idea and we’ll get back to you promptly. If you already write for your own website or someone else’s, we’d love to check out your literary style, although this isn’t necessarily a pre-requisite.

If you wish to contact us at any time with questions, use the contact form and we’ll return your message.

Improve Your Writing

We are always working to improve our writing, and we encourage you to do the same because it’s a fruitful journey. These are resources that we’ve used (and use) personally that we can vouch for.

Copywriting 101: An Introduction to Copywriting – This particular tutorial is designed to get you up and running with the basics of writing great copy in ten lessons. Afterwards, you’ll get recommendations for professional copywriting training, plus links to tutorials on SEO copywriting and writing great headlines.

Use English Punctuation Correctly – A quick and to-the-point crash course in English punctuation.

Copywriting Blogs

These blogs are all about improving your writing abilities in the online setting, which is dictated by different rules than the print world.

CopyBlogger – We can’t say enough about how great Copyblogger is. Reading it for just five minutes a day is an enjoyable experience that really yields benefits to your writing. It’s filled with tips, guides, and great interludes that will help you challenge yourself.

Men with Pens – A regularly updated blog with useful tips for writers, freelancers and entrepreneurs.

CopyWriting – “Copywriting is jam-packed with useful information, articles, resources and services geared to show you how to write mouth-watering, profit-generating copy. Copy that changes minds and dramatically boosts your results.” It features copywriting courses, tools, articles and more.