Chapter 51: My Guanxi, My Interview Nightmare
Has your China guanxi ever surprised you? A new guanxi of mine set up a job interview in China like nothing I’d ever known.
Read moreChapter 50: The Gumption to Stay in China
What keeps you abroad when life falls apart? When I faced uncertainty after losing my job, I remembered the things that kept me grounded in China.
Read moreAsk the Yangxifu: Why We Won’t Stay in the US
Should you stay abroad with your Chinese spouse? Ask the Yangxifu gives her own reasons for wanting to return with her Chinese husband to China, after his study in the US is done.
Read moreChapter 49: Winter Showers and Different Living Standards
Living at John’s home in China’s countryside was different than what I’d known — from showers to even the living room. But as I pondered the excesses of American life, I wondered — whose standard is right?
Read moreChapter 48: The Pressures of an Unmarried Chinese man in the Countryside
I wondered why Er Ge — the second oldest brother of John, my Chinese boyfriend — was so painfully quiet. Learning his story was like a window into the pressures of young unmarried Chinese in the countryside.
Read moreChapter 47: A Picture of My Chinese Boyfriend’s Family
Even as I shot a photo of John’s family during Chinese New Year, I still didn’t see have the entire picture of his family — until I showed them pictures of my own.
Read moreChapter 46: Cold Nights in the Chinese Countryside
I never felt such a bitter cold until I went to my Chinese boyfriend’s countryside hometown for Chinese New Year — and discovered I was too embarrassed to ask for more warmth at night, afraid his parents would look down on me.
Read moreAsk the Yangxifu: Your Chinese Boyfriend’s Parents Say No?
A European girl, who came to China to mend her heartbreak, found love in a Chinese man — but not his parents, who refuse to accept a foreign girl dating their son. Ask the Yangxifu offers advice on how to understand, and overcome, parental refusal.
Read moreChapter 45: Paying Respects and Pondering Family
I followed John, my Chinese boyfriend, and his two older brothers as they paid respects at their ancestor’s grave during Chinese New Year. As I stood aside and took pictures, I wondered just how close — or how far — I was from their family.
Read moreChapter 44: Finding Comfort In a Strange Chinese Countryside
I felt like an anachronism visiting my Chinese boyfriend’s countryside home for the first time, with everything so strange to me. Yet, I was surprised to discover an unusual gesture his parents made, to make me feel welcome and comfortable.
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