Not so different – China and America's Treatment of Teachers

In the past, I have talked to different public school teachers here in China about how much money they make. The Chinese are always fascinated by how much more expat employees are paid than locals, and I am usually equally mystified by how little locals are paid. I truly do not know how some people Read More

Why China Needs Feminism – So All People Can be Held Responsible for Their Actions

I just read an article in the Shenzhen Daily that has me fuming. A 16-year old girl gave birth to twins on Sunday. Her 20-year old boyfriend is denying paternity and avoiding her calls, refusing to take responsibility for the children. Already, there are two problems with this story. 1) The man is not being Read More

Women's History Month – Awesome Chinese Women You Never Heard Of

To celebrate Women’s History Month, I had a small piece published in the Shenzhen Daily today featuring three amazing, historical Chinese women you probably never heard of. Because of space and reasons, though, the article is pretty short and doesn’t do these women justice. After reading the article, I hope you will look up Mary Read More

Hiring a Housekeeper in China

Long time readers of this blog might remember one of my more popular posts from a couple of years ago about my Housekeeper from Hell, Annie. Long story short, Annie came across some very personal photos of mine while cleaning and shared them on WeChat, China’s most popular social network, and called me a prostitute. Read More

China's Family Planning Policies Still Firmly in Place

Don’t worry, everyone. China still has the most brutal and backward family planning policies in the world. I work at a newspaper, but the biggest news in weeks broke while I was on my way home for the weekend Thursday night. In the 45-minutes it took to get from my office to my home, my Read More

China – Not As Safe As You Think

In the past, when people have asked me “is China safe?” I have answered “yes.” And most people would agree. In fact, if you Google “is China safe?” you will find plenty of forums that tout the safety of China, even for women. Yet I have been seeing more and more incidents of Western women Read More

Throwback Thursday – On the Li River

Yangshuo, Guangxi Autonomous Region, about an hour from Guilin, is one of the most beautiful towns in China. We spent about a week there when we first came to China since that is where the Buckland Training Center is located. We’ve been there twice since. There are so many beautiful and interesting places to visit Read More

Why Guangzhou Closing Its Baby Hatch Changes Nothing

Within hours of my article “Postponing of Baby Hatch Disgraces Shenzhen” being published, news broke that Guangzhou was temporarily closing its baby hatch (“baby hatch” is the unfortunate term used to describe small buildings where parents can safely abandon their children). According to authorities, the Guangzhou baby hatch had received so many children, the Social Read More