Author Archives: herschelian

About herschelian

Started my 60s by moving to China with my DH. Surprised to find I am still here in Beijing eight years later - still finding it an adventure!

冰激凌(bingjílíng), ice cream, gelato, eiscreme, kulfi, crème glacée……

Posted on July 19, 2019

‘I scream, you scream, we all scream for ICE CREAM’ was a little ditty I learned as a child, and it is true that most people of every age and nationality love ice-cream. This wonderful iced confection we all enjoy … Continue reading →

Posted in Food & Drink, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Don’t walk on the grass!

Posted on May 19, 2019

All public parks have rules governing the behaviour of park users – lighting fires, picking the flowers, dropping litter are among the many prohibitions These are usually displayed at the park entrances, and in the park itself smaller injunctions are … Continue reading →

Posted in Strange signs, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Is it a boy or a girl?

Posted on April 3, 2019

The Chinese, like the people of India,  prefer having sons to having daughters on the whole. In both nations this is for a variety of  ancient cultural and social reasons. It didn’t matter too much here in China, until it … Continue reading →

Posted in Family life in China, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mind you don’t cut yourself ! – buying a knife in China

Posted on March 23, 2019

At the moment the UK seems to be experiencing a horrible tsunami of knife crimes, some as a result of gang quarrels in the major cities, but with other people being knifed on the streets at random. So far, the … Continue reading →

Posted in knives, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Happy New Year 2019 新年快乐

Posted on February 1, 2019

My warmest good wishes for The Year of the Pig to all those who read my blog, may you have peace, prosperity and good health for the coming months. Spring Festival 春季  Chun jie is a very special time in … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 9 Comments

Beggar’s Chicken – A Sunday lunch to remember.

Posted on November 18, 2018

Once upon a time – long, long ago in China’s ancient past there was an Emperor who was fleeing from his enemies after a battle. He disguised himself as a beggar, and whilst on the run, being very hungry he … Continue reading →

Posted in Food & Drink, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Chopsticks – everything you need to know (part 1)

Posted on October 27, 2018

The world can be divided into 3 areas depending on how people eat their food. The first area is where people use their hands to eat; this area, roughly speaking comprises most of Africa, the Indian sub-continent, the middle east … Continue reading →

Posted in Book reviews, Chinese cultural history, Food & Drink | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

‘3 bowls of noodles’ let me introduce a brilliant blogger.

Posted on August 29, 2018

To all of you who read my blog (thank you!), I would like to introduce someone who knows far, far more about China than I do, and who really understands Mandarin with all its nuances. You will learn a great … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Himalayan viagra,冬蟲夏草, caterpillar fungus

Posted on August 28, 2018

I haven’t been writing this blog for a couple of months as I have had some health issues to contend with, and then – just as I seemed to be getting on top of things – my DH carelessly managed … Continue reading →

Posted in TCM, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

鲁班 Lu Ban and Leonardo da Vinci

Posted on June 10, 2018

A week or two ago an old friend invited me to the opening of a very high profile exhibition, and there were all sorts of dignitaries both Chinese and Western walking up the red carpet to attend the event – … Continue reading →

Posted in Chinese inventions, Lu Ban, Cloud Ladder, siege ladder, bicycle prototype, genius, carpenter, ancient China, exhibitions, Leonardo da Vinci, kites, Chinese idioms | 5 Comments