Alexa Kang is the author of the amazing new book Shanghai Story, and I am so thrilled that she agreed to answer a few questions for me. I hope you enjoy this interview and will check out her book. A WWII saga in the heart of the world’s most decadent city in 1936. Enter the Read More
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Separating Children From Their Parents Is Wrong
The focus of this blog is usually politics and social issues here in China, since that is where we live. But we are also Americans, and we very actively follow politics back home. This is not just because we are interested in what is going on back in the States, but because as American citizens, Read More
Two Americans in China in Malaysia!
This week we took a quick little jaunt to Kuala Lumpur. We were really only there for two days, but it was a lot of fun and we look forward to going back. Our hotel was within walking distance to the Petronas Towers, which were the tallest buildings in the world until 2004 (they are Read More
Yes, That CCTV Gala Sketch Was Racist
Like most families in China, we always spend part of our Chinese New Year’s Eve watching the CCTV Gala, one of the most watched annual events in all of television with an annual viewership of about 400 million people. (By contrast, the Superbowl is watched by about 100 million people). This year, though, we had Read More
Chatting With A Fortune Teller In Hong Kong
I recently went to Hong Kong by myself for a few days (for the Hong Kong Literary Festival) and had some extra time on my hands, so I got to play the tourist a bit, something I haven’t done in years even though I lived only half an hour from the city for three years Read More
One Year of Baby Daze
Last week was the one year anniversary of the day we met our little girl. It has been an amazing year. Our adoption journey was so long, and there were times I doubted I’d ever become a mother. But now, I can’t hardly imagine a time when our little girl wasn’t with us. She has Read More
Christmas With Chinese Characteristics
Last year at this time, we were only focused on bringing our little girl home, and we’ve never been big Christmas people, so we had just a pitiful little tree and bought some gifts for our little girl at the last minute. So this year I decided to put a lot more effort into the holiday to Read More
Who Writes History – Conversations With Jung Chang
I have written and spoken many times about how wonderful her book is, but I am often met with skepticism. Cixi has a reputation, in the East and the West, of being a controlling, manipulative, traditionalist who held China back and is blamed for many of China’s problems during the 19th century. Yet in Empress Read More
Where The Past Begins – A Conversation With Amy Tan
I was so excited for the chance to meet Amy Tan last week at the Hong Kong Literary Festival! It really was a dream come true. She has such an elegant presence. As soon as she walks into a room, you know she is someone worth listening to. The moderator at the gala dinner said, Read More
The Racist Reason You Think MSG Is Bad For You
When you think of MSG, what are the first thoughts that come to mind? Probably that MSG is bad for you and that it is used in Chinese food. But have you ever wondered where this belief came from? Have you ever really researched MSG and its relation to Chinese food? A recent episode of Read More