A Totally Impractical Guide to an Emotionally Stunted Weekend in Hefei

A Totally Impractical Guide to an Emotionally Stunted Weekend in Hefei

The first time I went to Hefei,  the glorious provincial capital of ayi-central Anhui, about 3 or 4 years ago, I stepped off the D-train after four squishy hours onto the platform and was carried along in the swarm (because really, in China, in the train stations, it 

A Totally Impractical Guide to an Intellectually Dirty Weekend in Nanjing

A Totally Impractical Guide to an Intellectually Dirty Weekend in Nanjing

I often (well, once every few months, which is technically often in geological terms) get emails from people asking me for advice on what to do in, say, Random Chinese City I Mentioned Once In a Post. Although I feel slightly honoured that someone actually 

2nd Tier City, 1st Class Hotel: A Totally Impractical Review of Hangzhou Oakwood Residence

2nd Tier City, 1st Class Hotel: A Totally Impractical Review of Hangzhou Oakwood Residence

As you may know, my Super Secret job with the linguistic CIA sends me all over China to do covert linguistic operations. If I told you more about what I do for a living, they’ll kill Noam Chomsky. We can’t have that. What I can 

Hey Zhou: A Totally Impractical Guide to Hangzhou and Fuzhou

Hey Zhou: A Totally Impractical Guide to Hangzhou and Fuzhou

I’ve been on a bit of a ‘zhou bender in the past month, flitting around the Eastern seaboard of China with two 4-day stints in Hangzhou and one down in Fuzhou. Given this, I should be writing a top ten list of places to visit,