#China life

[slavic-roots-western-mind]

Life in China Observations #4

It's been a while since I last did this, so let's go again!

Identity is complicated The question "where are you from" can be just as complicated as it is simple. For many people, their country of birth is where they're from, which is usually the case here. However, if you happen to be born in country A to parents from cultures B and C, immigrated and became a citizen of country D and now attend university in country E and are now on an exchange program in China, the question "where are you from" is not that easily answered. From what some of my friends told me, where you're from is actually the place where your dad was born in even though you may have been born in a different city which is a pretty interesting concept known as the "ancestral home" - 祖籍 (zǔjí) or 籍贯 (jígùan).

You have to make the first step I may have mentioned this in a previous post, but people are constantly doing something and unless you specifically and intentionally reach out and work on your friendship, you may end up drifting apart. Maybe this is a specific thing, but back home I could go a few weeks without really reaching out to my friends and then someone would suggest grabbing lunch together and it would be like no time had passed at all since we last saw each other. Here? Quite different.

Beauty and pop trends There are all sorts of weird and wonderful trends that you can come across in China. From using bread as a study tactic to decorating your workplace with banana plants, I feel like the more I assimilate here, the bigger the reverse culture shock will be when I go back home, and not just for me. dr.candiselin covers some of these trends on Instagram (not a promo post!), and I recommend checking out her content, it's quite brilliant.

Taobao You can buy anything on taobao. Literally. I saw someone selling a house there. I was previously a little shocked to see animals such as cats and bunnies being sold, but after seeing houses and cars being sold I honestly don't know what else is there to surprise me with.

Prepare in advance (foodwise) for the lunar new year During those 8-12ish days during the holdiays a lot of stores were closed. The convenience store outside my campus was open thank God, because otherwise I would have been living on instant porridge and instant soup which was my main food source 2 weeks prior due to being ill and there is only so much instant oatmeal that you can eat before slightly losing it.

Being ill is a nightmare And I mean the mandatory-bed-rest-no-going-out-for-at-least-5-days ill kind. You need to go to the hospital or a clinic to get a note to give to your school otherwise the day's you're absent will be counted, and once they reach a specific percentage you won't be allowed to take the exam (which can seriously mess with your grades, even more if you're there as an exchange student).

The weather can change at the blink of an eye I remember back in December the weather was in the negative digits and then suddenly the next day it was around 20 celcius?? The very next day it went to 3-4, and even now in March it's very all over the place. The weather forecast is not that useful because I'll leave the dorms wearing my coat in the morning only to return carrying my coat, jumper, long-sleeved shirt and wearing only my t-shirt.

More affordable beauty products I saw some products go for around $80 online?? And here on Taobao they cost under $10? I'm assuming it's the shipping costs that drive up the price so drastically, and now I'm pondering whether it would be cheaper to order online or to travel to China every couple of years just to stock up on beauty products.

#studyblr #langblr #chinese langblr #study blog #college life #student life #aesthetic #study motivation #asia #chinese language #mandarin langblr #mandarin #slavic roots western mind #china campus #college #travel blog #student #china #learn chinese #chinese #chinese learning #chinese culture #life in china #china college life #study in china #random observations #china observations #china life #life #lifestyle

[ilikeit-art]

A 2-year-old child with positive energy accidentally fell from the sixth floor. A bank employee passing by at the critical moment caught him with his bare hands.

#baby #life savers #china

[fuckyeahchinesefashion]

winter moments in china 2023

#china #douyin #video #fun #winter #weather #snow #life #audio

[hollandwhore]

LMAO HE DONT GIVE A FUCK IM CRYING

#living his best life #cant blame him #carlos sainz #cs55 #f1 #formula 1 #formula one #china gp 2024 #shanghai gp 2024 #ferrari

[holiday-inc]

Funny things that happen, and amazing things to see.

#prankvideo #Funny video #Amazing Video #China life #Living in China #Youtube

[reasonsforhope]

"Proving that change is possible if the will to create it is present, Chinese megacities like Beijing that were once famous for their apocalyptic grey skies are enjoying the lowest levels of air pollution they’ve experienced in the 21st century.

Falling 42% from an average high in 2013 when Chinese air pollution was higher than 50 particles per cubic centimeters of city air, the change has increased the lifespan of Chinese urbanites by 2.2 years.

The news comes from a report published by the University of Chicago called the Air Quality Life Index which listed some of the actions taken by the Chinese government to reduce air pollution, described by the CCP as a “war on pollution.”

This has included reducing the presence of heavy industry like steel production in city centers, as well as restricting coal power plants from being built inside cities while shuttering those that were already there.

Some cities like Beijing have reduced the number of cars allowed on the roads during peak hours, similar to London’s congestion charge. Lastly, China’s mass urban tree-planting campaigns have been well documented.

While the life expectancy has risen on average 2.2 years, some cities have seen far more drastic increases. Citizens living under the new “Beijing Blue,” are predicted to live 4 additional years, while those 11 million in the north-central city of Baoding are predicted to gain 6.

“At the foundation of those actions were common elements: political will and resources, both human and financial, that reinforced each other,” the report said. “When the public and policymakers have these tools, action becomes much more likely.”

In fact, the decline in China’s pollution levels has been so drastic that it lowered the world average, which the report says would have increased if not for the Middle Kingdom’s war on pollution.

Although Chinese city air is still several times higher than the WHO’s recommended minimum, it shows what’s accomplishable with political and civic effort—particularly to its neighbors in South Asia where the report warns air quality is worsening."

-via Good News Network, September 1, 2023

#china #pollution #air pollution #coal #carbon emissions #pollution reduction #tree planting #beijing #air quality #aqi #life expectancy #asia #south asia #good news #hope #hope posting

[livetogether--diealone]

SEB-STACHE, China 2019

#at least i think it's china 19 #and fits the short life span of the stache #and charles fake one made me miss it a lot #also finally some good giffing i thought i was going mad and had no skill with the cota ones this weekend #sebastian vettel #f1 #chinese gp 2019 #jo.gif

[viagginterstellari]

Lighting a cigarette - Yangshuo, 2019

#picoftheday #travel #china #guangxi #original photographers #photographers on tumblr #street photography #streetphoto color #river life #fisherman #birds #fishing boat #photooftheday

[rosizoitsa]

Wakeman Labs' Robot Girl Safety Matches

Inspired by vintage Japanese matchbox labels.

#My Life as a Teenage Robot #mlaatr #Roz's art #eyestrain tw #this was supposed to be more inspired by a combination of historical Chinese art and Art Deco #but unfortunately it didn't work out so well #since Art Deco movement apparently wasn't big in China #I also wanted to use Chinese script #but I don't really know jack about Chinese language #plus I'm a little more familiar with Japanese

[nalidyne]

E G G

#always late with deadlines #life beating the shit out of me lma0 #ヘタリア #hetalia #nyotalia #nyo america #nyo france #nyo england #nyo china #nyo russia #APH

[slavic-roots-western-mind]

Types of dumplings in China

Prior to my arrival to China, I only knew about wonton and jiaozi, which I assumed to similar to pelmeni.

As it turned out, there is no end to the variations of dumplings, so here are some of the most common dumplings in China that I've come across so far!

饺子 - jiǎozi These are thin veggie or meat filled dumplings, and they can be steamed, boiled or fried but I've only tried the steamed variety so far which is pretty tasty. They somewhat resemble pelmeni, but the tast is noticeably different.

馄饨 - húntún (wonton) These dumplings are similar to jiǎozi but thinner and they're usually eaten in soup.

生煎包 - shēngjiānbāo These are slightly crispy, fried dumplings usually with a pork-filling。

锅贴 - guōtiē These dumplings are the crispy-ish type, deep-fried and steamed with various fillings like veggies and meat.

水饺 - shuǐjiǎo They're quite similar to the 锅贴, but these dumplings are boiled (note the 水) without the frying.

小笼包 - xiǎolóngbāo These are steamed buns, usually filled pork but they can also have other fillings like veggies and seafood.

Honourary mentions： These aren't dumplings, but they're adjacent enough imo.

肉包子 - ròubāozi These are biggish steamed buns with a meat filling. I have these for breakfast and they're really good.

菜包子 - càibāozi Same as the ròubāozi, but with veggies and also pretty tasty.

If I missed any, let me know which ones as I'm always looking to try new things!

#chinese food #studyblr #college life #student life #study blog #life in china #aesthetic #student #study motivation #travel blog #china #study in china #college #slavic roots western mind #asia #chinese #dumplings #asian food #jiaozi #baozi #wontons #bao #rou bao #cai bao #cuisine #food #foodpics

[fuckyeahchinesefashion]

an art student working on clay sculpture homework by 吉吉急急

#china #fun #douyin #video #comments be like me fixing my life #me working like nobody's business to meet the deadline

[batwynn]

I’ve been turning on the pretty, battery-run string lights in my living room every day now, and it’s finally settled in my heart what it means to actually use things and not save them for a later that might not exist.

#use the fine china #turn on your string lights #eat well #drink that tea you’ve been saving #don’t save everything for later #sometimes you don’t get one #and it makes life a little better #my living room is full of little glowing bees and vines #from the dollar store #it’s better #I apreciate them #and I will use them #later isn’t promised #Batwynn Talks

[toffermyc]

You had a good childhood if you know at least one of them.

#disney #nickelodeon #hannah montana #sonny with a chance #wizards of waverly place #victorious #icarly #thats so raven #jessie #suite life on deck #high school musical icons #shake it up #kc undercover #ariana grande #demi lovato #selena gomez #miley cyrus #zendaya #sharpay evans #china anne mcclain

[leona-florianova]

I need China Miéville to write more Hellblazer stories, because that short one in the christmas special of original Vertigo run (250) wasnt enough .. like..Miéville had John figured out and his way of writing urban fantasy would work perfectly.

Perfect.

(*tho it would be so much better if it wasnt colored by Jamie Grant n Stefano Landini.. why would you do this to lineart like this...its so painful to look at..)

#china mieville #hellblazer #john constantine #thoughts #comics #every time comic is colored by stefano landini or jamie grant i loose a bit of my life #n it going through print doesnt help it #smooth n greasy with bland colors #ughhh #i was so happy when i remembered mieville hellblazer n then boom #stefano landini #jamie grant #... #anyway anyway.....i love when hellblazer writers make john very lame

[xiaolanhua]

Zhang Ruoyun and Tang Yixin GQ China – July 2023 issue

#zhang ruoyun #tang yixin #cactress #cactor #cdramaedit #chinese actress #chinese actor #couple photoshoot #gq china #my edit #* #userdramas #there's something about actors who are real life couple doing photoshoots together... #asiandramanet #chineseartistsinc