On my first funeral in China, and the loss of my first close Chinese family member
When you’re married to a Chinese national, there are the experiences you get to be privilege to — and wish you weren’t. Like a funeral in China.
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chinese countryside
Stories about the happiness and hardships of the Chinese countryside, from one Western woman with a Chinese husband from China’s countryside.
The power of a smile in China’s countryside
It’s amazing how a simple walk through my husband’s village in rural Zhejiang suddenly opens up unexpected doors and hearts.
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Finding a magical piece of China’s long history in my husband’s backyard
It’s one thing to see China’s history in a museum and another to find a 5,000-year-old site right in my husband’s village in China.
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Things I’ve Learned from My Chinese Family: 3 Amazing Wild Edible Plants
Three amazing wild edible plants here in Zhejiang, China that have enchanted me and my Chinese family this Spring — and landed on our daily menu at home.
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8 Surprising Things I’ve Learned from Living in China’s Countryside
I was raised in the Midwestern US. Yet now I live in China’s countryside with my Chinese husband and his family, where I’ve learned some surprising things.
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To learn dialect or not? When your Chinese family doesn’t speak Mandarin Chinese
I invested years of my life studying Mandarin Chinese, only to marry a man whose local dialect is a different language. I wondered, should I learn it?
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On Invitations and the Dinner We Never Expected
Though I still equate the word “invitation” with notice, I’m learning to appreciate the beauty in a sudden invite, like my big uncle’s dinner in China.
Read moreAnother Friend, Another Divorce in China
“The feelings between my wife and I were not so harmonious. So…we officially divorced.” Our friend Huizhong became another “divorce in China” statistic.
Read moreHow I Broke Chinese Family Etiquette To Save A Baby Mobile
I went against the Chinese family etiquette to save a baby mobile. But maybe a foreigner’s ignorance sometimes comes in handy in China?
Read moreAsk the Yangxifu: On Being Vegan in a Chinese Family
A reader asks me how my husband and Chinese family reacted to my vegan diet. Was it always happily vegan every after for us?
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