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Why Live or Travel in Xinjiang? Any traveler who has made their way around different parts of this country can tell you that although China is by no means boring, it is not well-known as a very ethnically diverse land. Once you cross the border into Xinjiang though, it doesn't take a detective to see that things are very different here.
We received some interesting mail from the U.S. here in Xinjiang today. The letters were nothing special save two minor - yet surprising - details: 1) they used only one 42 cent stamp each instead of the necessary 90 cent stamps and 2) somehow we sent them to ourselves.
Buying Train Tickets on Spring Festival: A Migrant Worker's GuideGetting your hands on good train tickets in any major Chinese city during the Spring Festival is without a doubt one of the most difficult tasks known to man. But what happens to those migrants workers who have moved to small cities in Xinjiang that don't have train stations? Linked to by Danwei.org.
Anatomy of a Modern Chinese WeddingEver wondered what a Chinese wedding looks like? In this article you'll find out the differences and similarities between Chinese and western weddings based on the many weddings that we attended in a short two month span. This article was mentioned in the Wall Street Journal's Best of China Blogs: Sep 11th.
Chinese Massage Therapy Sucks: My Experience with Suction TherapyEverybody today is so gung-ho about Chinese medicines and ancient therapies that are supposed to make modern pharmacies look silly, but in my experience these "therapies" aren't just painful, they're actually quite funny.
Xinjiang's Best Food: Uyghur BreadAnother post in the popular series on Xinjiang's Best Food, here we explore the wonder of the famous Uyghur Nan. This article was also featured in the Wall Street Journal's Best of China Blogs: Dec 5th.
This 7-part series reveals some of the best reasons to travel or work here in the far west portion of China. Filled with personal stories and beautiful pictues, be careful because you may find yourself wanting to travel here in the near future.
A perk of living in China is the ability to purchase pirated DVD's at an incredibly discounted price. Whether or not the movie is entertaining is unimportant when you get a chance to look at the back cover!
Finding a turkey for Thanksgiving has been virtually impossible for us for the past couple of years living here in Xinjiang, but this year a miracle happened. Find out how we were able to find a turkey and what we did when we found it!
