Julien, A French man in Asia
Un français en Asie
Incredible China – example 21: Warning! Work in progress…
011/05/2013
The renovation work in front of Phoenix City has started when I moved in this neighborhood (September 2011). The initial plan was to open a new subway exit for Sanyuanqiao station for Chinese New Year 2012. Couple of weeks ago, it was not finished yet and the subway station exit was still closed.
The new joke from the workers happened when they started to pour concrete on the pedestrian street to the subway. We can believe that those marks are footprints in the snow but that’s not the case… dozen of persons walked in the fresh concrete as no indication warned them. 
It remembered me an old post in Incredible China series where I described the workers’ effective working time (24/7). How workers can be effective and conscientious with this working rhythm?
A letter, a word – B… for Beijing
001/05/2013
This word on my new series “A letter a word, China from A to Z” is most likely the one that I choose without hesitation. I surely select Beijing for this post.
Beijing is the symbol of my life in China. It highlights so many things in my memory: my first adventures in this amazing country, my first working place abroad but also the image of a multi-faceted city.
In few minutes, you can move from the atmosphere of any megalopolis in the world (NYC, London or Paris) to a street in the middle of a third-world country where misery can touch any sensitive people then come back to a middle-size city where locals eat, dance and sing in the streets.
This city has also an immense cultural background. Beijing was for many years and for many empire dynasties the official kingdom capital. All the sites are amazing: the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the Lama Temple, and the Temple of Heaven… (more…)
GungHo! Pizza, online gourmet pizza delivery
023/04/2013
You can find numerous home-delivery websites in Beijing. Couple of months ago, I discovered sendmetickets.com, the website that can deliver to your office any concert and events tickets.
I am bit hungry today so I focus on one my favorite food delivery site, Gungho! Pizza.
I highly recommend trying their pizzas anytime any days. If you live in Beijing, you may see the delivery guys wearing pink clothes and riding pink motorcycles.
The orders are done directly on their nice and cool website (that avoid long talks with the central that can’t find your address; McDonald’s style). Delivery guys are always on time, with some changes and really kind. (more…)
A letter, a word – A for… Adventure
017/04/2013
It is always hard to leave our country, our daily life and our habits. This is what I did 2 years ago when I accepted a job offer from my company in Beijing, China.
Lot of people recommend to make enquiries on the new country, go and visit the potential new city and be ready for these big changes.
On my side, I decided to jump on the other side of our planet without good knowledge of this new country. Few weeks after agreeing with my company, I was on a plane to Beijing without clear return date.
I wanted adventure; I had adventures even few hours after landing in China… (more…)
A letter, A word – China from A to Z…
115/04/2013
I got one new idea when I went through some basic guidebooks for my next travels. I should write about my life in China with simple words that can describe easily this country. I start from today new series that is called ‘A letter, A word – China from A to Z’.
I will try in 26 posts to share my view and my understanding of Chinese culture and way of life.
This is a funny and also strange idea as Chinese didn’t use letters from our alphabet to write their words. From the title of this new series, we can already see the big gap between our 2 cultures.
Words from some letters are easy to find and in all our minds (B…Beijing; T…Tiananmen) but some articles will be really surprising. More to come…
Silvermine, life of ordinary Chinese by Thomas Sauvin
029/03/2013
in China
I take the opportunity to have bit of free time today to share a really nice reportage from a french artist based in Beijing. He wants to promote old chinese culture through their old images.
Beijing Silvermine – Thomas Sauvin from Emiland Guillerme on Vimeo.
You will have a unique photographic portrait of the capital and the life of its inhabitants following the Cultural Revolution.
Incredible China – example 20: forks & knives
019/03/2013
I was in the supermarket closed to my apartment couple of weeks ago because I wanted to buy a new wok, the big chinese pan. I walked in the kitchen part and I found the kitchen tools shelf.
Of course, most of the tools are chopsticks. Every sizes and colors are available. Nearby, I discovered something really strange. All the forks, knives and spoons are sold unitary. You can buy one fork or one spoon!
China should be one of the only country in the world where it is hard to find cutlery sets. I even saw some locals spent some time to choose one big spoon…
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