After reading a couple of Eileen Chang novels and short story collections, I wanted to learn more about this intriguing author. So last week I headed to my public library and checked out her collection of essays, Written on Water (Columbia University Press, 2007).Chang wrote … [Read more...]
Book of the week–Dreaming in Chinese
Yesterday I posted something about my early days of learning Mandarin. I often think back to those days. And that was certainly the case when I read Deborah Fallows' new narrative, Dreaming in Chinese: Mandarin Lessons in Life, Love, and Language (Walker & Company, 2010) … [Read more...]
One man’s junk
Back when I was studying Mandarin in Hong Kong, it was difficult, if not almost impossible, to practice speaking the language outside the classroom.People in Hong Kong speak Cantonese; in those days few spoke China's official language, Putonghua or Mandarin.After my … [Read more...]
Cafe society
As much as I longed for a trace of familiarity in China, in Hong Kong I felt at home in simple coffee shops and cafes like this one (the Mido in Kowloon). I didn't hang out in the traditional expat spots like Lan Kwai Fong very much. And when I went clubbing in Wanchai, it was … [Read more...]
Dairy Farm: a Hong Kong institution
I love this photo from the 1950s. It reminds me of the cafes along the perimeter of campus when I lived at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.But according to my friends at Gwulo.com, this Dairy Farm branch was located in Repulse Bay, another favorite place to hang out on … [Read more...]
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