articles
100. “the most important thing is happiness”
A cab driver shares his view with me about what is really important in life.
99. a cure to my menstrual problems
I go to see a Chinese doctor at a TCM hospital in October 2013.
98. how my Chinese husband got stranded at guangzhou railway station in 2008
In 2008, masses of people get stranded at Guangzhou railway station due to a blizzard. What happens next is a tragedy.
97. “do you like china?”
I chat with a cab driver in Shenzhen.
96. an inconspicuous fruit shop
I visit a fruit shop in Shenzhen often after working out at a gym.
95. weddings and gifts
I chat with a cab driver in Shenzhen.
94. “do you get chinese citizenship by marrying a chinese national?”
The right to Chinese citizenship is not obtained by marrying a Chinese national.
93. “are you pregnant?”
I get asked this question often before becoming pregnant with my first son.
92. “do you know deng xiaoping?”
A cab driver in Shenzhen talks with me about politics.
91. “is learning english hard for you?”
I chat with a cab driver in Shenzhen about learning languages.
90. “i’ll make you gain weight”
A trainer at a gym in Shenzhen tells me I’ll gain weight by exercising.
89. “your breasts are almost non-existent”
I chat with a massage therapist in Shenzhen.
88. 31 Dec 2012 (The Story Of How I Got Engaged To My Chinese Husband)
I travel to Guangxi province with my boyfriend.
87. a change of plans
My boyfriend and I have to cancel our trip to Hainan because of a typhoon.
86. “23 years ago, my mother gave birth to my older sister”
A Chinese friend shares this birth story with me.
85. “can pregnant women have massages?”
I chat with a 20-year-old woman at a massage parlour in Shenzhen.
84. “i think you’re biracial”
I’m at a gym in Shenzhen, when a Chinese guy starts talking with me.
83. “did you miss me?”
I get asked this question often in China.
82. “at what age did you start to learn chinese folk dance?”
I visit Chinese folk dance classes at a gym in Shenzhen.
81. on staying at your Chinese in-laws' and cultural differences
I talk about my experience of staying at my Chinese in-laws’ with my Chinese husband and friends.
80. “before marriage, you’ll have a lot of pressure”
I inquire about the topic of pressure a Chinese person has before and after their wedding.
79. “i always take my bike”
I chat with a man from Sichuan who mends bikes in Shenzhen.
78. “you have to stay strong and hold on to your marriage”
A Chinese woman gives me marriage advice.
77. being introduced to people in china
I meet a friend’s grandparents and friends in Changsha.
76. apartment hunting in shenzhen
My Chinese husband and I have to move out of our flat and look for a new one.
75. “there’s not much i and my husband talk about anymore”
I have lunch with my Chinese co-worker in Shenzhen.
74. being a highly sensitive person in urban china
What is it like to be highly sensitive in China?
73. “who takes care of the kids?”
I talk with a Chinese co-worker about child rearing.
72. “go die, idiot!”
Chinese people commonly think I’m insulting my Chinese husband.
71. hiding our love and a romantic morning walk
My fiancé and I try to keep our relationship a secret.
70. “how much does it cost to have a second child in shenzhen?”
I share a cab with two co-workers.
69. What is The Hardest Part Of Learning Chinese?
I reveal what I consider to be the biggest challenge when studying Chinese.
68. “do people in austria have their eyes made bigger?”
I chat with Ling, who works at a massage parlour in Shenzhen.
67. “did you come here with your family?”
I talk with a female employee at a massage parlour in Shenzhen.
66. “if they don’t take you, you’ll have to trick them into taking you”
I talk with a female employee at a massage parlour in Shenzhen.
65. “what are you doing to become pregnant?”
My female co-workers exchange pregnancy advice over dinner in Shenzhen.
64. “how come you married so young?”
I chat with Ling, a female employee at a massage parlour in Shenzhen.
63. russian in northeast china, american in the southeast
Chinese strangers commonly mistake me for Russian in the Northeast, and American in the Southeast.
62. “the difference in salaries is out of proportion”
I chat with a stranger at a noodle restaurant in Shenzhen.
61. after the family dinner
My Chinese husband comforts me after a family dinner at a restaurant in Siping, where his uncle humiliated me in front of his relatives.
60. saying your age in china
When people ask my Chinese husband about his age, he will tell different people a different age.
59. a loss of face
My Chinese father-in-law’s oldest brother tries to force me to raise my glass to him at a family dinner in Siping.
58. “in a country really close to south korea, there’s a guy who’s always making threats”
I talk about North Korea with my Chinese husband’s niece.
57. being forced to raise my glass at a family dinner
When we are almost done with dinner, my Chinese husband’s uncle calls out my name. The whole table goes quiet.
56. “is your wife from russia?”
My fiancé chats with a cab driver in Shenzhen.
55. “i can’t sleep, i’m too excited”
My Chinese husband and I spend most of our time together.
54. “are there any positive aspects of having a different citizenship?”
I chat with my Chinese husband’s niece over dinner in Changchun.
53. raw veggies, bread and wurst
I find raw veggies, bread and wurst are eaten in Northeast China.
52. “when is the expected date of delivery?”
My Chinese husband chats with a co-worker.
51. “we don’t really have a dialect”
Is it true that people from Northeast China don’t have a dialect?
50. “has he bought you an apartment yet?”
Three Chinese women in their 50s and 60s chat with a woman my age.
49. my Chinese mother-in-law and the crazy foreigners
A few weeks before our wedding, my mother-in-law takes a train to Beijing to help us apply for documents we need for our wedding.
48. “once you’re married, you’ll have kids”
One morning I buy congee at my favorite congee place near the subway stop in Shenzhen.
47. my in-laws’ old house
My in-laws have rented an old house for 100 CNY a month. The place is surrounded by fields, and they get drinking water from a well.
46. the beautiful tomatoes of siping
A lady at a market asks me to take pictures of the tomatoes she’s selling.
45. “is your hair dyed or is this your real color?”
I chat with a young female massage therapist in Shenzhen.
44. “i have the heart of a boy”
I chat with a young female massage therapist in Shenzhen.
43. “how much do you earn?”
I chat with a 17-year old girl who works as a massage therapist on the second floor of a hair salon in Shenzhen.
42. shenzhen, the nastiest place in china, or is it?
Shenzhen gets a bad rap in China.
41. “do you have brothers and sisters?”
I chat with a young massage therapist in Shenzhen.
40. “he’s not your husband yet”
I chat with a TCM doctor in Shenzhen.
39. how i turned my husband’s life upside down
My husband’s life changed greatly after meeting me.
38. Exploring Flower Shops in Shenzhen’s Garden City
I chat with the owner of a plant shop in Shenzhen.
37. “it must be really dangerous working here”
I walk by mango and durian trees on my way to a restaurant in Shenzhen and chat with a local.
36. “you can’t like her too much”
A TCM doctor in Shenzhen diagnoses me with a weak spleen.
35. This Was Our Pre-Wedding Photo Shoot In Shenzhen
My fiancé and I take wedding pictures at a photo studio in Shenzhen.
34. “remember to wear a comfortable bra”
My mother-in-law sends me a message.
33. “promise me to be happy”
My fiancé and I pick up my wedding dresses in a wedding dress shop in Shenzhen and chat with the tailor.
32. “i’d like to find my son a foreign wife”
A TCM practitioner in Shenzhen asks us to find her son a foreign wife.
31. “do you speak foreignish?”
I chat with a little girl at a supermarket in Shenzhen.
30. “this is the only thing we can do for a living”
I visit a blind massage place in Shenzhen and chat with the massage therapist about the ox horns used for scraping.
29. a day like a week like a month like a year
Even though we have only just met, it feels like my boyfriend and I have known each other for much longer.
28. “your kids will be very beautiful … and tall”
I chat with a woman in Shenzhen who sells congee at a food stall.
27. my friend, the palm reader
A friend from Yunnan reads my palm and tells me about my future.
26. when saying good night means more than just good night
In Chinese, saying ‘good night’ can carry a different implication.
25. “do you have a boyfriend?”
I chat with an employee at a Spa in Shenzhen.
24. a night out at christmas
My boss invites us to Christmas dinner.
23. should you stay with your girlfriend or listen to your parents?
A property agent in Shenzhen asks me for advice.
22. “you should wear make-up and dress up”
I chat with a hairdresser in Shenzhen.
21. march 8, international women’s day
For International Women’s Day 2013, I get the morning off from work.
20. “are you a designer?”
I chat with a waitress and a chef at a food stall in Shenzhen.
19. falling in love over potato soup
I invite a co-worker and friends to have dinner at my place in Shenzhen.
18. “do you know how to cook chinese medicine?”
I visit a TCM practitioner in Shenzhen.
17. “next time you have to sit on my bike”
Motorcycle taxi drivers wait for passengers near subway stops in Shenzhen.
16. the last days of fall, the beginning of winter
I start work at a Chinese company in Shenzhen, where I meet my future husband.
15. “are foreigners and chinese the same?”
I take the subway in Shenzhen.
14. “where are you going?”
I chat with a stranger at a bus station in Guilin.
13. the torture that is called massage
I chat with a blind massage therapist in Shenzhen.
12. “do you teach english here?”
I take the elevator to my floor in Shenzhen.
11. a hurt toe and a new home
A property agent takes me around Shenzhen on his motorcycle to look for a flat.
10. “does it taste good?”
I eat lunch at a Lanzhou-style noodle restaurant in Shenzhen.
9. The Chinese Grandmother Who Didn't Allow Me to Eat Raw Cucumber Salad
I visit a little restaurant in a mountain village near Chongqing.
8. “You Can Live With Me and My Wife”
I chat with a cab driver in Chongqing.
7. “Are You Married?”
An elderly Chinese man starts talking to me in Shenzhen.
6. Chongqing: City in the Mist
In my imagination, Chongqing is a laid-back mountain metropolis next to the river with lots of culture and history.
5. “Mum, She’s A Foreigner”
A little girl starts talking about me in an elevator in Shenzhen.
4. “what is this?”
I chat with an elderly woman at Ikea in Shenzhen.
3. lost in translation in Beijing
In 2005, I get lost in Beijing. This is before I start studying Chinese.
2. “if you could choose a city, which one would it be?”
I take a cab to get to my new flat in Shenzhen and chat with the cab driver.
1. “are you chinese?”
A Chinese woman in her 40s starts talking to me in an elevator in Shenzhen.