Category Archives: Chinese life

Chinese Market

A colleague on my side project (more on that later) was telling me about his side project, a marketplace app. Another of our coworkers teased him into showing me the app, because ha! It’s an entirely Mandarin marketplace app! But … Continue reading

Posted in Chinese life, New York City | Tagged | 3 Comments

Laowai Pricing

In a small, work-related negotiation, I got exactly what I requested. My immediate reaction was NOT to be pleased that something is going my way, but to wonder if I asked for much, much too little, because why else would … Continue reading

Posted in Chinese life, New York City | Tagged | 1 Comment

Bu Chai

Tom Lasseter, who replaced Tim Johnson as the China correspondent for McClatchy, mentioned today on his blog that Beijing plans to renovate all the hutongs around the Drum and Bell Towers. Renovation is hardly news in Beijing, where the pre-Olympic … Continue reading

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RPGs With Chinese Characteristics

I can’t always combine my love for China and games, but right now, I’m playing two different new Chinese releases. The first is RainBlood, an indie PC RPG from developer Soulframe. It’s technically not new, but the English translation is.  It’s … Continue reading

Posted in Chinese life, game culture, Raleigh | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Passionfruit Hutong

New development studio Passionfruit Games contacted me the other day about beta testing their new puzzle/adventure game Tiger Eye Curse Of The Riddle Box. Passionfruit is made up of many HER Interactive veterans — the team who worked on Nancy Drew … Continue reading

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Silkroad Society

This Joymax press release on multiplayer games, virtual societies, and Asian culture, landed in my inbox the other day: Joymax, an independent developer and publisher of interactive entertainment for the global market, today announced the launch of a third “Clean … Continue reading

Posted in Chinese life, game culture, Yantai | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Extreme Shopping

Cooking Mama 3′s shopping game is uncannily like shopping in a Chinese supermarket. Mama sends you out to find 4 pieces of unwrapped, unrefridgerated meat, but as you search the store to fill your reusable carrier bag, you’ve got to avoid oddly familiar store characters — shouting shop assistants in pastel uniform aprons or a girl with a basket of squid, shellfish and other distinctly Yantai seafood — who’ll slow your shopping progress by trapping you into minigames. Higher levels add loose eggs, heads-on fish and mushrooms to your shopping list, and more people to the store. I keep trying for the elusive perfect score, since I imagine it’ll unlock a “Sunday In The Auchan” extreme challenge level. Continue reading

Posted in Chinese life, Raleigh, Yantai | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Scenes From Imaginary China

I came across this book when I was home in New Jersey cleaning out my old room. (Yeah, my mom said something about how I haven’t lived there in ten years and she’d really like a guest room and that … Continue reading

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Vocabulary Building

“Look, Stick, I got spam in Chinese! It says:  I…. good…. mine…. you… not or no… please… compare or comparison… net… not have… you… Um, that’s all I can read.” “You clearly need to learn the Chinese for ‘Nigerian royalty’ … Continue reading

Posted in Chinese life, Raleigh | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Disconnect

We found mangosteens in the supermarket today! I recognized them from the Yihai market, but I really didn’t expect to find them in such close proximity to drive-thru hush puppies. Tweet this!

Posted in as seen in Beijing, Chinese life, Raleigh | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments