Today’s topics include famine, coffin heists, and pig iron. They also include economic development, policy, and the growth of the steel industry. Now, for the 0.01% of you who did not immediately click off of this blog out of boredom, get ready to learn about the destructive effects of backyard furnaces in China! China’s economy […]
Avoiding Internet Censorship in China
The Chinese government has high hopes for their ability to censor Internet content. But despite the government’s goals, their ability to successfully do it is questionable. There are many ways people have found to circumvent the government’s Internet filtering, such as use of proxy servers, private emails, and manipulating one’s search. But, there is one […]
Introduction to Mandarin
Disclaimer: I started learning Mandarin a year ago, so I am still a beginner. All of what is written below is simply what I have observed, as an English speaker learning Chinese as a second language. Sincerely asking me for advice on this topic is a bit like asking your grandpa (who only recently learned […]
Language versus Dialect
The next post I have coming up (it will be posted tomorrow) is a simple introduction to Mandarin. Mandarin is a dialect of Chinese. I think I should clarify the difference between a language and a dialect first, as many people get them confused. There isn’t a super clear distinction between the two, which makes […]
The History of Fireworks
I lay in the darkness of my room and the comfort of my bed. The Sun went down a couple hours ago, and I was on the verge of sleep. It’s summer, and I have no tests, projects, or homework assignments to worry about. I can usually peacefully drift off to sleep. BOOM! Never mind. […]
Dragon Boat Festival
June 25, 2020 was the Dragon Boat Festival. In theory, when I decide to write about events, I should write about them sooner than over a week after they happened. My bad. If you finish reading this and you wish you had this information sooner, so that you could properly celebrate, a time machine has […]
An Introduction to Written Chinese
If you want to be fluent in Chinese, you are going to have to memorize about 44,000 subtly different drawings of sheds, broken furniture, yoga poses…the occasional waffle iron. That’s what I see. -Bengt Washburn I mean…he’s not totally wrong. When starting on the journey of learning Chinese, probably the most daunting task is learning […]
The Belt and Road Initiative
Sparks shot out of the computer like it was trying to create its own 4th of July fireworks display, interrupting the environment of the otherwise cool and dark room. The crackling noise was so loud that it yanked me out of sleep. I quickly sat up and immediately flinched backwards on the couch, until I […]
Internet Censorship In China
The internet is a place full of bloggers, businesses, and a plethora of other information and people. The United States’ internet mostly operates outside of government intervention. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and every other media company have their own standards of what can and can not be posted (the rules are explicitly stated in the Terms […]
