To the Irish bar, Finnegans Wake, for Christmas lunch. The price of the meal had risen by just under 100% since booking it so the 6 of us were pretty hacked off before we started. Sitting down at 2pm we passed through the prawn cocktail and then the soup and eventually at 3:30pm got the… Read More »
As I entered reception there were a handful of men on stepladders putting up balloons, bunting, Father Christmases, tinsel, snowflakes and generally making it look festive. Around a central area were a couple of hundred comfy chairs. “We’re getting ready for our Christmas party later today” she said. Imagine a factory printing 12,000,000 bibles every… Read More »
Winter rabbits have appeared in Nanjing. You can pick one up for a couple of yuan on Zhong Shan Bei Lu. A man cycles round on his bicycle and stops periodically on the pavement and attracts mothers and children who poke their fingers through the bars of the tiny cage, the tight home of the… Read More »
I was strolling around the temple area and saw a crowd gathered around something on the street. I was on one of the quieter streets which lead out of Fuzi Miao and I assumed that there was a street performer. As I got closer I realised that there was no noise coming from the crowd… Read More »
Sentimentality is big business in China especially when it comes to weddings. The bride rents a “one size fits all” white wedding dress and he rents a nice suit. They go with the photographer to the park and pose for sentimental photos. These are the photos which are circulated to friends and family. Tradition demands… Read More »
Nightlife in Nanjing is vibrant. I often walk out at night with my camera and see what’s going on. It saves me having to watch CCTV9 which, being the only English channel on Chinese TV, is the one which we are all tempted to watch. However, it is only concerned with China and telling us… Read More »
It was Emanuele who saw it first, a huge black plume of smoke billowing into the sky above Shanghai. We were walking down Jiangsu Lu and on reaching his apartment we went to the window to see better what was on fire. It had to be something big to create smoke of that magnitude. Not… Read More »
The Nanjing metro system is new, bright, spacious and clean. The trains run smoothly and on time and it’s only 2 yuan (20p) to ride it. “Welcome to take Nanjing Metro” the female announcer’s voice comes through the tanoy. “Take care of children and old people”, “Balloons and flying animals are not permitted”, “No running… Read More »
It’s crab season here in Nanjing and every shop has crabs on display, crawling around slowly in buckets or tied with elastic bands to stop them clawing their way to freedom. It makes sense to sell crabs to people who are heading home on the metro and looking for something easy to get for their… Read More »
Word of my blog has reached the depths of the expat community and I am now (secretly) blogging for Nanjing Expat magazine. This is aimed us foreigners in the city and is distributed widely throughout the city. According to the editor my last piece was the one which caused the greatest number of comments and… Read More »