Blog Author - George Ding

George’s Guide to Being the King of Karaoke
Step #1: Take the time to prepare Memorize all the lyrics to your songs, and I mean all of them – every backing vocal, every...
Death of a Building: The Knock-On Effects of Knocking Down Buildings
Three years ago, I taught at a building on the southeast corner of Guanghua Bridge. It was an ugly thing, with peeling maroon paint and dark, musty...
Inflation in the Chinese netherworld jumped this week following the burning of trillions of yuan in paper money on Tomb Sweeping Day, exacerbating...
Trapped in the Water Closet: Preschoolers of the World, Unite
  My earliest memory involves me being locked in a bathroom. I was three and both my parents were studying in America, so I was left in the care of...
Love/Hate: What Kind of Day Are You Having?
  I’m in a love-hate relationship with Beijing. The proportions of love and hate differ from day to day. Great days have been ruined by surly taxi...
Peking Man: George's Guide To Getting a Seat on the Subway
Rule number one: Don’t queue. Your best chance of getting a seat is being the first person to charge through that train door, and being at the back...
When I first came to Beijing four years ago, I thought I had stepped into an alternate universe. At the end of my first interview, when my...
Family Feud: Memories of an Explosive Spring Festival
  Spring Festival is a time for family and blowing shit up, but since I grew up in