China Elevator Stories

by Ruth Silbermayr

voices

“These conversations are sometimes funny, sometimes sad, but always well-written and indicative of what living in China is truly like. This is social and cultural commentary in its purest form.”

China City Links

“Here’s a blogger whose point of view differs from other bloggers, because she doesn’t just limit herself to words. Ruth’s China is as a colorful mosaic of illustrations, drawings, pictures and words; a joyful voyage combining art, technology and the one-of-a-kind approach of a very talented young lady, who made China her home. China Elevator Stories is one of the most unique blogs about China.”

Chinese Tools

Knocked Up Abroad Again: Baby bumps, twists, and turns around the globe (anthology by Lisa ferland)

Knocked Up Abroad Again (book by Lisa Ferland)

Twenty-five women experience both love and heartbreak as they bring their babies into this crazy beautiful world.

Imagine receiving a kit in the mail with everything you’ll need for your Dutch midwife to safely deliver your baby at home. Imagine overhearing the nurses in China talking bluntly about your medical status because they don’t think you understand Chinese. Imagine giving birth to your three children in three different countries, each with unique approaches, superstitions, and medical practices.

My story is featured in chapter 10: You should have a baby boy (by Ruth Silbermayr-Song)

Chinese money - illustrations Ruth Silbermayr
Chinese woman illustrations - Ruth Silbermayr
red money envelope

Surviving Domestic Violence: My Chinese Ex-husband’s Death Threats

My ex-husband repeatedly threatened to kill me or have me killed if he ever found me with another man or if I ever left him.

 

2025: The Chinese Year of the Snake

Today marks the first day of the Chinese Year of the Snake.

Cats and Feng Shui

Nicki Chen recently published two posts about me.

Vienna Central Station (Watch My Latest YouTube Short)

Join me as I explore Vienna Central Station.

China's 30-Day Divorce Cooling-Off Period

China introduced a 30-day-divorce cooling-off period in 2021.

 

Chongqing: Forgotten Ally—China's World War II, 1937–1945 (by Rana Mitter)

Chongqing was one of the cities bombarded by the Japanese in what is referred to as the “bombing of Chongqing”.

An Interview With Oscar J. Starr III About Financial Abuse

Oscar J. Starr III is the author of the book “Broken Relationships: Encountering Financial Abuse in Marriage”.

Why Do highly Successful Men sabotage women's Careers?

Men have repeatedly sabotaged my career.

“A Chinese Child Should Have a Chinese Mother” – Raising Mixed Children in China

A girl in Siping tells my Austrian-Chinese son he should have a Chinese mother.

Jilin city – the dragon that brings good Chi

My husband and I visit Jilin city in October 2014.

“what are you harvesting?”

I come across a woman working in the rice paddies at Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces.

TRAVELING CHINA

From Yunnan's mountaintops to Northeast China's plains - pre Covid, travel in China was both easy and enjoyable.

Dragon's Backbone Rice Terraces - Ruth Silbermayr
rice terraces guangxi - Ruth Silbermayr
Shaxi Old Town, Yunnan province - Ruth Silbermayr
Ulan Hot, Inner Mongolia - Ruth Silbermayr
Arxan Mountain Range, Inner Mongolia - Ruth Silbermayr
Tagong Monastery, Sichuan Province - Ruth Silbermayr