Monthly Archives: July 2010

Big Underpants

Posted on July 29, 2010 by

Beijing has gone through a building boom in the past few years, spurred on by the 2008 Olympics. As a result the city has sprouted some amazing modern architecture from the new airport and various stadia, to apartment blocks, hotels … Continue reading →

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Lavender’s blue, dilly dilly…

Posted on July 26, 2010 by

Right, hands up those who associate lavender growing with Provençe;  and now, hands up those of you who associate it with Norfolk.    Now, hands up everyone who associates it with China…ok, I didn’t either. Of course Chinese medicine uses lavender, … Continue reading →

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Ooh – suits you sir!

Posted on July 23, 2010 by

One of the things many western men do when they visit China or Hong Kong is have a suit made. There are tailors in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong who advertise their services through the big hotels and will make … Continue reading →

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Horse horse tiger tiger – mamahuhu

Posted on July 19, 2010 by

This is a wonderful Chinese word I’ve just learnt – mamahuhu. It translates literally as “horse horse tiger tiger” but what it means is “so-so”. I’ve been given several reasons for the origin of this expression, but the one I … Continue reading →

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In & Out

Posted on July 13, 2010 by

Beijing has a thousand and one places to eat – actually I just made that figure up, there must be far, far more – and every national cuisine seems to be represented from Argentinean and Italian to Ethiopian and Russian … Continue reading →

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Some like it hot…

Posted on July 5, 2010 by

Parts of China are having a heat wave, and Beijing is one of the places where the temperatures have been unusually high for the beginning of July. For the last week and a half it has been very warm, and … Continue reading →

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Tutti Frutti

Posted on July 3, 2010 by

The Chinese love their fruit and eat vast quantities. A platter of fresh peeled and sliced fruit is always served at the end of a Chinese meal, and no breakfast buffet would be complete without a huge selection being offered. … Continue reading →

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