Winnie the Pooh and the Ice Festival Too

正I first went to the Harbin Snow and Ice Festival in 1996.I remember the train ride—it took 22 hours from Tianjin. And I remember the cold—locals laughed at me for only wearing four pairs of trousers.I recently returned to Harbin and found that,like everything else in China,the festival is not what it was.     

Calling Nanjing home

My last visit to Nanjing had been about 15 years ago and I was keen to see what had been happening to a city that I remembered as just one big pleasant ocean of green. The kindly people at the local government had been sending me oodles of information, but to me that was all just so much dry stuff. Things like the fact that GDP per capita was around nine times as high in 2003 as it had been in 1989."That's great," I thought, "but what does it mean? What's it like to live and     

The Jianguo-My home away from home

Why did I come to China, people sometimes ask me. The answer is that it just happened, and then I kept coming back. My daughter and I first went to Xi'an in 1985 because one of our relatives was living there at the time. We liked the place, and so we returned every year. Before long, my daughter got to know some students and decided to come here to study for one year. That was from 1991 to 1992.Again, I came to see her, and ended up staying at the Jianguo Hotel. From the very start, I very much liked this place. In those days, it was pretty much the only     

Boin to Dance

It was at the London premier of Bravo China! that I first saw her. She was performing Soul of the Peacock and it seemed to me not an artist but a bird - a graceful peacock with a small elegant head and proud gait - that danced before me. Four years later I met Yang Liping, arguably the most famous folk dancer in China, in person. She is of the Bai ethnic minority that lives in southern Yunnan Province.     

Fantasy and Reality

"When it comes to China,you can never know enough."These were the words inscribed on the first page of the booK Law and Society in Traditional China,given to me by a fellow student Tan Bo-Chen,on day one of my year at Peking University back in September 2016.Over the past few years,I have slowly come to understand the depth of meaning in this phrase about such a culturally unique and historically great civilization.The more time I spend in China,and indeed the more I know about China,the less I seem to comprehend it This country is absolutely fascinating:There is a mismatch between past and present;tradition and modernity;fast pace and slow pace;cities and mountains.     

LETTERS

Environmental protection is currently one of the most highlighted issues around the world. For my part I would bring chopsticks along with me to use when I ate out in restaurants. The idea was to cut down on the wood needed to make the disposable ones. Unfortunately it did not last long, partly because my friends and colleagues always laughed at rne.     

A Southerner in the East

正‘It’ll be no problem.""I’ve been to China before,how hard could it be?""Bruh,I’m basically Chinese,no worries!"These were the words I was swallowing as I sat in my dormitory room at Tsinghua University,which was occupied by two suitcases and me.It was the second day of what would be at least a one-year stint in Beijing.I was to complete my final year of law school there and potentially seek employment     

Macao and Beijing on the Sly A European＇s Impressions ol His First Visit to China

I recently made a trip to China.Though I only had time to visit three places-Hong Kong, Macao and Beijing-the country made a deep impression on me.For one, it was nothing like I expected. I had arrived with a backpack and a good camera, hoping to capture some snapshots of traditional life in Chinese streets. But at the same time I suspected that the old ways had disappeared to make way for grand buildings and other symbols of newfound wealth. I     

LETTERS

Iam a teacher of English at a vocational school in Gansu,and I have been reading your magazine for about 10 years, It is really helpful to me, because at first, I could hardly read through the articles without the help of an English dictionary, But now, I am really happy I can. After about 10 years of hard work, I came to reatize that your magazine is both interesting and of high qual- ity. From it, i have learned a lot about the history, culture, geography, and the economic development of China.     

Sapporo Snow Festival

During my stay in Japan I had the opportunity to visit the 54th Sapporo Snow Festival at the invitation of Mayor Nobuo Katsura. I had been to Sapporo several times before, but it was the first time for me to go there     

Couplets in Chinese Culture

Culture and tradition are the soul of a country.When a country loses its culture and tradition,it is difficult for it to make progress.Chinese people protect their culture and traditions.I have learned about Chinese culture and tradition at school.It is visible everywhere in China but I did not really understand it in the beginning.Then I realized sometimes I have to experience something in order to understand it.     

An animal named Panda

My first sight of a panda was in an incubator: not me, him. No larger than a human baby, but cuddly just the same, yawning and endearing in its cuteness, it couldn't help but leave me with an amusing first impression. I was in Sichuan Province at the little known Panda Research Base, seemingly off the beaten track, for the footpaths were quiet and there were no queues for the picture ops, much to my delight. Tourism here has been bypassed     

Misadventuresin China

<正>Many of my Western friends tell me that they don’t find the Chinese to be very friendly.They generally don’t smile at strangers or say"hello"in the elevators like we frequently do in the West.Some construe this as being unfriendly or insincere,and it is by some Western standards,particularly American.I have found this notion to be otherwise false.I may not get smiled at by passersby on the     

The changing face of Dongbei

A fewyears ago, taking the train to Shanhaiguan, I noticed it was going on to Changchun, a city I knew very little about. In fact, there seemed little incentive for me to go to the Northeast because I had the preconception that it was all declining heavy industry. I had no idea of its physical or cultural diyer-sity and its great tourism potential. Nor did I appreciate the efforts being made to revitalise the area and move to a modern economy. Recent visits, although brief, have shown me there is a lot to see and to experience. A longer return visit features in my future plans.     

Quarantine Days

AROUND 4 am on May 2 my telephone startled me out of sleep and rang incessantly while I reached for it in a daze. On the display were several unfamiliar numbers. I had just touched down on home soil the day before, back from Mexico via Aeromexico flight AM098, so I concluded no one but the disease control people would be looking for me at this time of day. My call back proved me right. Doctors from the Disease Control Center of Chaoyang District, Beijing, were on their way to my home.     

LETTERS

Suggestions from a Russian StudentI am a Russian student, majoring in world history,and I also study a few foreign languages.I am extreme-ly impressed by China Today magazine, as it is sointeresting and useful to me. It is full of informationabout modern China, Chinese politics, economy andsociety.I particularly enjoyed reading the artide entitled,"Developing Western China," because it gave me aninsight into the life of people in western China.Foreigners like me find the western regions …     

The Spirit of Making Do

Ireally wanted to go home for Christmas in December. Even though I’ve lived abroad before, I’ve always managed to make it back to the United States in time for the holidays. This year, when my parents generously booked me a ticket just in time for New Year’s, I was grateful to be able to go back to the States at all.     

Voices

正"China has undergone some remarkable changes over the past 30 years.My wife can speak Chinese.She brought me to China in the 1980s,when the country had just kicked of its policies of opening-up and reform,and I immediately fell in love with the place.When I went back 30 years later,I was amazed at the velocity of its growth.In a country of such openness all are moving briskly towards a better future,"     

My Neighbor＇s American Kids

EVERY time we had dinner, I felt awkward when my Chinese morn repeatedly asked me to eat more. My mom in America would never push me like that. Finally I couldn＇t tolerate it anymore, so I asked why she did that. She told me it was because she loved me and really looked upon me as her own child, and she worried about whether I felt hungry. From that point I understood that Chinese people had led a poor life in the past. What worries parents most is whether their children have enough food. Although their lives have dramatically improved, they are used to voicing the old concerns. I still don＇t feel easy with constant requests to eat, but when my Chinese mom tries to persuade me to eat more, I always thank her with a smile instead of feeling angry.＂     

我的藏区自驾行（英文）

<正>I have been to Tibet a few times in recent years,but I didn't write much about it.There is a lot to remember,but I didn't know where to start and how to put it into words.Maybe something rooted in my heart stopped me from making it a worldly place,or I haven't found the language to describe how I deeply feel.My bag is packed with true and rich feelings on every trip,which are scattered along the road and infused into my blood,then captured into my mind and blended into my soul.