Truly international...

Do you know an airport lounge catering for Pakistan International Airelines (PIA), Air Koryo (North Korea), Iran Air, Aeroflot...? It must be interesting to see the North Korean, Irani and Pakistani people discussing with the Delta customers in this lounge. Beijing aiport is truly international.

How to eat?

Well, sometimes you ask yourself how to eat dishes you get served (no, I didn't order this myself)

Dinner drinking choice

Drinking is an essential part of any business dinner in China. It is less about enjoying a "good glass of wine" but much more about establishing interpersonal ties. Therefore nobody ever takes a sip by himself. It is always eye contact with somebody, a toast to thank for the cooperation or the like, and then "gambe" - bottoms up, no matter whether it is the traditional baijou, beer (typically warm) or red wine - yes red wine bottoms up...

Driver licence

Anybody who went through Beijing traffic wonders how do they learn to drive in this environment?
Recently I had the unique hotel window view on a driving practice area. It was amazing to see the cars rolling with about 5km/h throu these curves with no other cars around them. Must say real conditions are perfectly rebuilt here - the ideal preparation for Beijing traffic... (no wonder they drive like this)

Global cheese...

Recently in a western 5 star hotel in China. I really hope they did not spend a lot to import this kind of "global cheese"...

Seeing a Dr in China

Well, I didn't expect a Chinese traditional medicine treatment in German but this setup was a bit special.
Dr only spoke Chinese but had a translator - to Russian...
Another translator then did Russian - English...
Remembering the old game where you let a word pass trough a group of people I wonder what I really had and how much was lost in translation...

Latern festival

Recently we celebrated the latern festival (end of CN NY holiday) by eating sweet dumplings and enjoying fireworks. For the latter it is all about as much and as noisy as possible (while not obeying any safety rules). Within my compound they burn "tons" of it. Consequence - a fire broke out in a neighbouring building. While the fire brigade was here they fired more fireworks...

Chinese new year "holidays"

Similar to Europe, China has a week of holidays around the new year celebration (Europe in December, China in February).

"Un-similar" to Europe, the Chinese holiday isn't really a holiday as the days off have to be compensated on the following weekend, which is declared as official working days...
Enjoying my Sunday morning coffee before heading to work

Are Chinese people different?

A good way for me to better understand Chinese people is to observe them outside their home country. Sometimes I really get the impression that they are different...
On a recent trip to Sri Lanka it was interesting to see to reaction to straying dogs on a beach. While all western people without exception chased the dogs away, the Chinese - who typically don't keep pets and definitively not a dog which is rather on the plate then in the living room - were deeply impressed and took tons of pictures.
It somehow reminded me of India where locals are very relaxed about the cows at the beach while foreigners take pictures of them...

Chinese noodles - self made

There are many ways to make Chinese noodles. One thing they all have in common is that they're delicious!

Dried meat

In smaller places "long noses" are still greeted all the time on the road - sometimes feels a bit like being an animal in the zoo (ok they typically don't feed you...).
Many of these places also maintain old traditions such as local dishes. Recently I had the chance to visit Anhui province where it is common to dry meat outdoors. While this is nothing special it is interesting to see that every pole, cable, washing line and the like is used to hang any piece of meat.

Air quality

Recently there was no need to check the PM 2.5 measurement of the US embassy. The air was that bad that is was easily recognizable by eye, lung, nose,...

Snow in Beijing

Beijing is very dry in winter, meaning there is hardly any snow. If there is snow, it's chaos. Cars have no winter tyres and there is no proper road cleaning - except some manual as below. In short, you better stay home.

Coffee?

Beijing airport 06.00 - flight delayed which is nothing special. More special is the fact that at this time of the day it is very easy to find noodles etc but almost impossible to find coffee - sorry, we only start the machine at 07.00...

Traveling in China

Air traffic in China is pretty busy, mainly at large airports such as Beijing...

Sport

Why would you go to a gym where you pay money and do sports on your own? There are alternative ways to move your body which are very popular in China and can be seen every evening in front of shopping centers etc.

Scorpions for a snack

A special snack is fried Scorpions. To ensure that they are fresh they are kept alive on a skewer till you order them. Then a brief dip in dizzling hot oil and ready to eat...

Pet hair dresser

Some people say there's nothing you can't get in Beijing. They might be right...

Chongqing

A big city at the Yangtze river with an impressive skyline, spicy food, hot weather and interesting habits. People like to have birds in their apparments. To give them some fresh air, it is a weekend tradition to carry them in a cage to the parks, hang them below a tree and play cards with friends.

Chongqing

Bike to work

Some people rely on coffee in the morning to wake up. I found a healthier and more effective way - ride your bike to work in Beijing!

Fresh noodles

Watching him making these noodles is simply amazing. Totally relaxed he tears one set after the other and they are delicious.

Baihe - Heaven Lake - Changbai Mountain

Jilin province in northern China is home to mountains and forests - an excellent place for a retreat from Beijing. Fresh air, cows on the streets and hiking opportunities, feels a bit like home.
As the famous heaven lake is the border between China and North Korea many Chinese and South Koreans (who want to get a glimpse of North Korea) visit the area. Being European it is not that easy to distinguish Chinese and Koreans by the face but while hiking it is very easy.
On one hand the Chinese who interprete hiking as taking a bus to the top where you have a restaurant and a picture spot for which high heels and a skirt are the best fit. On the other hand the "outdoor dress loving Koreans" which are better equiped for the 20min walk then most Swiss would be for a one week trip across the alps...

Baihe - Heaven Lake - Changbai Mountain

Great Wall Marathon

A truly unique "race" in a wonderful environment

Great Wall Marathon

KalaOK

I love these "easy to understand" English translations

Dalian

A nice city in northern China at the sea. Fresh air, a beautiful pedestrian area and a famous beer festival (a bit like Oktoberfest in Munich)

Dalian

Out of control

mmmh, what could that stand for?

Popcorn

Mmmh, a very innovative (and entertaining) way of making popcorn - live from a China street...

Shanghai

Shanghai is not called Paris of Asia without a reason. A combination of European like small houses and a a brand new skyline makes it a very attractive town (local Beijing people typically don't admit this as there is quite some competition between the two megacities)

Shanghai

Macau

Not much left from the portuguese influence except the street names. Everything is dominated by the crazy casinos and the not less crazy Chinese tourists trying their luck...
Despite the fact that Macau belongs to China you need to go through passport control, fill in immigration form etc - pretty funny for an "inland trip"

Macau

Chinese health system

It seems like some US consultants influenced the Chinese health system quite a bit.
First you are welcomed with a pile of paper you need to fill in and sign. Statements like "I agree that the hospital may treat something different than I actually have..."
Next you are invited to go to the cashier to pay for what your are intending to do. This can be done multiple times, eg first for a consultation. If the outcome is that you need an x-ray you will see the cashier again...
Finally you are invited to see the Dr and in the elevator there is an advertisement for discount on botox injections - exactly why I came here...

Beijing car show

From what I remember from Geneva car show, people went to see cars. In Beijing it seems like the cars are more decoration while people move from booth to booth to watch the different dance / music performances... The sheer mass of people is incredible and defines which way you walk - no way to go against the "stream".
What is indeed intereting are all car brands you never heard before but which's design is quite familiar...

Beijing 3D

Know SimCity? There is a SimCity like map of Beijing available online - check http://bj.o.cn/

Urumqi

Located in the far west of China, close to the border with Kazakhstan, Urumqi is very different to what you imagine of China. Locals use Arabic letters to write and speak a language which is very close to Russian.

Urumqi, China

My bike

My bike

Traffic can be quite a mess in Beijing but a bike is the perfect way to get around this. Starting at 40USD (!) you can buy a bike in the supermarket. The down side is that they are typically for very short people. I therefore decided to go for a larger bike. It's a solid steel bike, very much like the Swiss Army bike.

Buying the bike was good fun as my Chinese was about as good as his English as we stood in his "shop" (2x 5m large room with 10 bikes). I tried to explain that the breaks don't work properly and was glad he got the message. Watching him "adjusting the breaks" was amazing - instead of tuning the breaks he brought heavy gear and simply bended the metal handle of the break... The breaks still don't work but you can pull the handle a bit further now - very pragmatic

While I am still happily riding my bike to work I am stunned by the poor quality. After only two weeks rust appeared at different parts and soon the pedals didn't turn round anymore...

No comment

Chinese wedding

What an experience! Where to start? Ok, weddings are typically from 10.00 to 13.00. You meet at a good restaurant where tables are prepared for a pretty large group (200-300 people) with a stage in front. Everything is very professionally prepared. Large posters of the couple, good quality movies to introduce them etc. Soon the show - yes it's a show - starts. The master of ceremony guides thru 3 hours of speaches, rituals, several dress changes of the bride, the newly weds singing a song etc. Very entertaining - at least for them who don't have to perform...
Last but not least do not forget your "red enveloppe" with an even number (that the couple can share it) but not 4 (bad luck) of brand new bills in it.

Glasses...

If you want to be "in" in Beijing then you have to wear glasses without glasses...

Lanzhou

Lanzhou is not much of a tourist place. Far away and without any major sights, it's not the first destinations foreigners head to. Nevertheless quite interesting with it's market and the hills.

Lanzhou, China

Trains in China

China has an excellent train system covering the entire country. Train stations are well developed and trains are made for long distance trips. Sleeping options, on board restaurants and so on. It is a very pleasant way to discover China by train.

Trains in China

Harbin

Harbin is in the far north of China close to Russia and is famous for it's ice sculptures. Well, you can imagine that ice scultures don't sustain in tropical weather.
During winter -30° is probably average but it can also go lower.
Nevertheless the ice sculptures are impressive!

Harbin

Xi'an

Famous for it's warriors it sees a large number of tourists - too many for my taste.

Xi'an, China

Fake or real?

Almost everything exists as original as well as fake. It can be very difficult if not impossible to see the differences but it can only be rather simple as this "Audi"...

Public holidays

In Europe you know before the year starts which public holidays will be held when and which will result in a day off.
In China there are 2 differences. First, you only know about 10 days in advance the official dates of the public holiday in your company. Second, to "get" the holiday it is very common to compensate days with weekend work. Eg next week we have Monday to Wednesday "off" but to compensate we work Saturday and Sunday...

Olympic Park

The park of the 2008 summer Olympics is impressive with the wonderful bird's nest, the aqua center and the vast space around it.

Beijing Olympic Park

Lost in translation

In order to help foreigners understand the signs they are often translated to English. The well meant initiative can be pretty amusing as the meaning somehow gets lost in translation…

Signs

Beijing Tourist Sights

There's is a lot to see for tourists in Beijing - enclosed some impressions

Beijing Tourist Sights

Food

The diversity of food is simply amazing. It might look a bit special sometimes but it typically tastes very good (ok, there are some exceptions...)

Food

Airbus A380

While most international airlines use their A380s on the international flagship routes in China the A380 is used for domestic flights!
Report

Beihai

Beihai lays in the very south of China close to Vietnam and you actually almost feel like being in Vietnam. People are shorter and have a darker skin, the boats in the waters remind you of Halong bay and also food is close to Vietnam. A nice place if the weather would just be a bit better...

Beihai

How old are you?

Did you know that the age is counted in a different way in China? Let's look at the example of a baby born in December 2009.
Day of birth 09 Chinese new year 2010
Europe 0 0
China 1 2