» Uyghur Christians in Muslim Xinjiang
26/04/24 20:30 from Xinjiang: Far West China
The Shanghaiist website has picked up on a story that I've been reading about with interest over the last few months. A Uyghur Christian named Alimjan Yimit was sentenced to 15 years in prison late...

» Xinjiang’s High Speed Train | Traveler’s Guide
26/04/24 16:30 from Xinjiang: Far West China
In December of 2014, Xinjiang’s first high speed train was opened to the public. At the time, it only reached as far as Hami, but in 2015 it connected the Xinjiang capital of Urumqi with the ...

» Buddhist Stupas in Xinjiang | “A Tale of Two Towers”
26/04/24 13:30 from Xinjiang: Far West China
Thousands of years of history can be found scattered throughout China’s remote, western region of Xinjiang. Traveling along these old routes, you’ll run across ancient cities, painted c...

» Golf in Xinjiang, China | Elite Sport in a Poor Province
25/04/24 16:30 from Xinjiang: Far West China
A short distance south of Xinjiang's capital of Urumqi there is a portion of beautiful land known as Nanshan, or "South Mountains". For years tourist and locals have traveled away from the noisy, p...

» Xinjiang’s Most Hated Foreigners
24/04/24 20:30 from Xinjiang: Far West China
Most foreigners these days are welcomed to Xinjiang with open arms. There is, however, a list of foreigners - both past and present - who will forever be scorned in the Xinjiang history books. This...

» How to Travel From Urumqi to Kazakhstan
24/04/24 13:30 from Xinjiang: Far West China
Since you’re already pretty deep into Central Asia when you visit China’s western region of Xinjiang, many people take the opportunity to visit some neighboring countries as well. Kazak...

» Uyghur Laghman | Introduction to Ban Main Noodles
23/04/24 16:30 from Xinjiang: Far West China
If you look up the phrase "ban mian" on Google you'll find that this Chinese name is used to describe various dishes from Fujian, Singapore, and is also the English equivalent to what we call "Lo M...

» Uyghur Bread 馕 | Central Asian Flat Bread at Its Best
23/04/24 13:30 from Xinjiang: Far West China
Every once in a while there rises from within an ethnic group a particular cultural characteristic that tends to represent the group as a whole. Interestingly it has a tendency to be food: burgers ...

» How to Rent a Car in China | Traveler’s Guide
22/04/24 20:30 from Xinjiang: Far West China
No tourist buses. No blazing hot sun beating down on me. No need to pay an entrance fee. Just the pure joy of independent travel in my favorite province in China. The post How to Rent a Car in Chin...

» My Xinjiang Story Summed up in 15 Photos
22/04/24 16:30 from Xinjiang: Far West China
It's been 6 months already but a lot has happened. I believe these 15 pictures tell the story of this last half year well. The post My Xinjiang Story Summed up in 15 Photos appeared first on Xinjia...

» Self-Publishing a Travel Guide: My Experience
22/04/24 13:30 from Xinjiang: Far West China
What does it take to self-publish a travel guide? I take a look back at my publishing experience to review what it cost me and how successful the book has been so far. The post Self-Publishing a Tr...

» Uyghur Kebabs w/ Lamb | Xinjiang Cuisine
21/04/24 20:30 from Xinjiang: Far West China
About this time last year I was invited by a good Uyghur friend to take part in one of Xinjiang’s most popular pastimes: the BBQ. Having spent part of his life behind a Xinjiang kebab stand outside...

» Living Without Internet for a Year (the REAL Story)
21/04/24 16:30 from Xinjiang: Far West China
My Dearest Xinhua,I want to write a personal thank-you for your recent article about the year-long internet blackout here in Xinjiang. I can’t believe it’s been 10 years since the tragi...

» 5 Beautiful Views of Urumqi, Capital of Xinjiang
21/04/24 13:30 from Xinjiang: Far West China
Urumqi, the capital of China’s western region of Xinjiang, is not as bad as everybody says it is. At least I don’t think so and I hope to prove that to you with these recent photos I...

» Cycling in Xinjiang | What You Need to Know
20/04/24 20:30 from Xinjiang: Far West China
Over the past decade, I have traversed the vast tract of land known as Xinjiang using every imaginable mode of transportation: trains, planes, cars, motorcycles, camels, etc. It’s only been o...

» 25 Unbelievably Stunning Xinjiang Photos
20/04/24 16:30 from Xinjiang: Far West China
There is no doubt in mind that Xinjiang offers not only the most beautiful scenery in all of China, but also the most diverse. Considering that Xinjiang is the largest region in China, the ecologic...

» Amazing Petroglyphs Re-Discovered in Xinjiang, China!
20/04/24 13:30 from Xinjiang: Far West China
Kangjiashimenzi (康家石门子) is a collection of ancient petroglyphs that were carved into the side of a massive red-basalt rock in China’s remote region of Xinjiang. These carvings have been dated...

» How to Ride a Camel in Xinjiang (Pricing + Locations)
19/04/24 16:30 from Xinjiang: Far West China
A desert camel trek into one of Xinjiang’s deserts is a memorable and thankfully simple adventure to arrange. From Turpan all the way to Kashgar, there are a number of picturesque sand dunes to cho...

» Chinese Blog Greatest Hits: Volume 2
26/07/22 13:00 from Chinese Blog
There’s an old Chinese idiom that goes “Time flies like an arrow” (光阴似箭 guāngyīnsìjiàn). I can totally relate to that one at the moment. It doesn’t seem like it was that lon...

» Chinese Blog Greatest Hits: Volume 1
12/07/22 13:00 from Chinese Blog
It’s hard to believe that it’s been 12 years since I started writing for the Chinese Language Blog. At the time, I was an English teacher (英语老师 yīngyǔ lǎoshī) in Beijing. I had a person...

» A Beach Trip from Beijing: Visiting Beidaihe and Nandaihe
28/06/22 13:00 from Chinese Blog
The summer heat can be intense in the concrete jungle of Beijing, but thankfully there’s a beach (海滩 hǎi tān) escape not too far away. A few hours on a train or bus can bring you to the popul...

» Summer Fun in And Around Beijing
14/06/22 21:22 from Chinese Blog
Summer is right around the corner (夏天就在拐角处 xiàtiān jiù zài guǎijiǎo chù). It’s definietly my favorite season (季节 jìjié). Get ready for it by brushing up on your Chinese summer vocabulary. In ...

» Beijing vs. Shanghai
26/05/22 13:00 from Chinese Blog
Beijing and Shanghai are the two biggest and most famous Chinese cities. One is an ancient city known for its cultural icons, while the other is a modern metropolis full of futuristic skyscrapers. ...

» Shanghai Lockdown Continues
11/05/22 23:41 from Chinese Blog
One Chinese city has been in the news a lot lately – Shanghai (上海 shànghǎi). That’s because the city has been under an intense lockdown (封锁 fēngsuǒ). This is a result of the strict R...

» Visiting the Ancient City of Pingyao
28/04/22 16:41 from Chinese Blog
For those interested in Chinese history and culture, a great place to visit is the Ancient City of Pingyao (平遥古城 píng yáo gǔ chéng), located in central Shanxi province (山西省 shān xī shěng). Although...

» The Dao of Pandemic
21/04/20 15:05 from The Useless Tree
A nice piece in the SCMP by Lijia Zhang ...

» City Guide: Things to Do and avoid in Lhasa, Tibet
03/02/20 07:34 from chinaSMACK
Why visit Lhasa? Lhasa ལྷ་ས་, literally the “Place of the Gods,” is the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, is located in the southeast of Tibet, and in the northern […] More The post Cit...

» The Best VPN for China: Our Top 5 Choices (Jan 2020)
04/01/20 14:10 from chinaSMACK
After months of extensive testing here in China, we’ve updated our Best China VPN guide to help you unblock the web and access Facebook, Google, Youtube, Instagram, Whatsapp, and others. [...

» Mencius on Protester Violence in Hong Kong
19/11/19 02:17 from The Useless Tree
The months-long protests and demonstrati...

» Young Woman Commits Suicide After Photoshoot Scam
07/11/19 00:47 from chinaSMACK
October 26th, Xiao Wei (a 20 years old girl from Guiyang) left the world disappointed. Her family is devastated and knowing the reason just made things worse. Having a nice […] More The post ...

» “Quantum Speed Reading” Training Camp Scam Tiger Parents for Thousands of Dollars
01/11/19 02:50 from chinaSMACK
Modern China is a society with cruel competition and high pressure. Parents would do anything to give their child a head start in life, and the eagerness created opportunities for […] More Th...

» Children Hospitalized after Teacher told them to Eat Trash
24/10/19 20:45 from chinaSMACK
Parents of students at a school in Henan couldn’t believe what kind of power the teachers have over their children. Recently, 4 teenagers in Henan Shuiquan private boarding school were [̷...

» 6 Reasons to Visit China
04/10/19 07:14 from ChinaHush
At first glance, China seems like home to bamboo forests, vibrant cities, and centuries of ancient history, but there’s more to the country than meets the eye. There are mountainous valleys, shimme...

» Starting Work in China: 10 Facts You Need to Know
23/07/19 06:51 from ChinaHush
Image by christels from Pixabay China is a country with a diverse economy. For a long time, it has been a leader in businesses and global markets, creating employment opportunities for workers and ...

» New Book: Blogging China in the 21st Century
24/06/19 14:21 from The Useless Tree
I've made a book out of parts of this blog. With material stretching back to 2005, I concentrated on various questions surrounding the reinvention of "tradition" in the PRC today, creating a volume...