Welmer

For centuries the people of Beijing have dwelt in neighborhoods defined above all by the hutongs, clusters of small, brick houses built around a communal courtyard, surrounded and connected to each other by a labyrinthine network of narrow alleys. Hutongs are usually enclosed by brick walls, upon which broken glass is set in a thin [...]

[Read more →]

It is well-known that commerce is deeply rooted in Chinese culture — so much so that it seems at times to be an immutable genetic trait among Chinese. However, there are important differences between Chinese and Western cultural views on trade and business. After coming into contact with overseas Chinese and gaining first-hand experience with [...]

[Read more →]

The recent rush to modernize and the rapid economic growth of China has led to a huge construction boom throughout the country. In my neighborhood in Beijing, when I lived there in the late 90s, it seemed as though a new building sprang up every week or so. Migrant laborers thronged the streets in hardhats [...]

[Read more →]

The vast territory of China encompasses many different lifestyles, cultures, nations and even races. Even within the prevailing Han ethnic group there are differences at least as important as those between the various Romance countries of Europe. The lowland farmers of the Yellow River basin are distinct from those of the Yangtze, who are different [...]

[Read more →]

China in the late ’90s was in the early process of opening itself up to the rest of the world. Decades of isolationist policy were just starting to give way to engagement with the world — economically, politically and culturally. In this climate, more and more outsiders - known as laowai to Chinese - were [...]

[Read more →]

The years have pushed on since I lived in Beijing, so for better or worse, I think it’s time to write down some of the history of the city when I lived there in the late 1990s.
I lived in NE Beijing, on top of an old cemetery near sihuanlu (fourth-ring road) — a location considered [...]

[Read more →]

An urban scene in contemporary China, by Yan Yong (click on photo for gallery site)
Judging from most modern and public art, skill and beauty are foreign concepts to Americans. The statues cities put up and the paintings displayed in museums seem almost as though they were designed to puzzle or disgust people rather than inspire [...]

[Read more →]