Love (in China) in the Time of a Crisis
Just this weekend, John and I weathered two crises. One happened with this site — my host decided to turn
Read moreChina work
On Love in the Workplace in China
It’s the Labor Day holiday in China, and that makes me think of how labor and love work together in China. After all, I met my husband through work.
Read moreWhy Would You Want To Go To China?
When someone asked me why I wanted to go back to China, I couldn’t help wondering if it was curiosity, or something else.
Read moreAsk the Yangxifu: London Woman Wonders About Chinese Man At Office
A London woman wonders if a Chinese man in her Beijing office is interested in her for dating. But she’s afraid of misreading his intentions.
Read moreChapter 74: [email protected] G0ne
During a reunion lunch with one of my favorite former Chinese coworkers, Jane, I discover she’s gone over to [email protected] G0ng — and hopes John and I will too.
Read moreChapter 69: The Bad Luck Kittens
Someone in Shanghai dumped newborn kittens into a garbage can near my office — all over superstition. I wonder when luck was more important than life.
Read moreChapter 64: Living in the Face of SARS
As a friend goes into quarantine, and the virus closes in on John’s hometown in the countryside, I had to learn how to live with the threat of SARS, everyday.
Read moreChapter 62: The Quietest May Day Ever
May 1, 2003 began one of the quietest May holidays I had ever seen in China, as SARS panic infiltrated the country, and emptied out shopping malls, streets, and public transport.
Read moreChapter 61: Unmasking SARS Panic
When surgical masks appeared on the faces of my coworkers in Shanghai, China, I realized the SARS panic had spread to our office — and I didn’t know how to stop it.
Read moreChapter 60: Love in the time of SARS
Just as SARS began, and panic slowly began to mask the public, it felt odd to be so in love in China. Would SARS muzzle my romance with a Chinese man?
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