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. Spurred on by Tucker, the little girl yells, “Push the... Read More

Expats to Street Food Vendors: “The Jig Is Up”

Foreigners outside metro stops citywide have been seen walking off in a huff, outraged by what seems to be an outbreak of race-related overcharging. “This is ludicrous,” muttered Daniel McKay of Portland, Oregon, rummaging through his wallet for another one-yuan note. “I don’t have time for this.” “Dwoh-shaow chee-yen?” McKay asked again, then leaned in and asked louder, forcing the baozi vendor to resort... Read More