Midnight Train to Beijing

“Get the seat,” my friend Michael says as I stand at the ticket counter at the Hung Hom train station in Kowloon. “Come on, get the seat.” For some reason, I’m reminded of the scene in the classic buddy film Rush Hour where Chris Tucker finds himself in a standoff with the villains, who are holding a Chinese schoolgirl hostage by strapping her to explosives.... Read More

Writer’s Block

There is a Chinese idiom about a man who buried a sum of silver underground and, worried that passersby would find it, placed a sign next to the plot that read “ci di wu yin san bai liang,” or “There is not 300 liang of silver here.”  Needless to say, the next day his silver was gone. I wonder if the censorship bureau understands this parable because one... Read More

Taxicab Confession

Though this is being posted much later, the events recounted in this piece took place one week after the Sichuan Earthquake, on 19 May, 2008. On that day the flags were flying at half mast, a three-day ban on public entertainment had begun, and a three-minute moment of silence, beginning at 2:28 in the afternoon, was asked of the entire nation. Those in cars blared their horns... Read More

The Crisis of Ambition

I had only been teaching in Beijing for a few months when I decided to ask my students about their future hopes, dreams, and aspirations. It seemed like a simple thing, guaranteed to spark some conversation and discussion and allow me to learn a little more about them. I was therefore surprised when the question engendered no comments at all. I thought it might have just been... Read More

Fireworks Free For All

It began about a week ago as sharp noises echoing through the chill winter air of Beijing. It started with isolated instances—noises heard far in the distance that reverberated from high rise to high rise. As the week rolled on, the frequency increased. Heavier explosions would leave car alarms blaring long after the echo died away. Shrill, whistling screams would be followed... Read More