Have you recently started to learn a new language and are looking for study tips and tricks? Or have you been studying a language for a long time and are running out of ideas of how to keep it going? Here are some of our favourite study methods to learn Chinese and Japanese that were…
Category: China
Should I take up an international job contract in Shanghai?
Now that I’ve moved in Japan and have a bit of hindsight and perspective I thought I’d share my thoughts for those of you considering making the big move to Shanghai, or perhaps elsewhere in China. I moved to China for a teaching position at an international school at very short notice and had an…
Zhujajiao 朱家角 – Shanghai’s 1,700 year old water town
If you are thinking of where to go on a day trip near Shanghai either with friends or visitors – look no further, Zhujiajiao is the place to go! This ancient water town can now easily be reached within about 1-1.5 hours on the new metro line 17’s penultimate stop. I have to admit, walking…
Xi’An – China’s Great Ancient Capital
We have learned so much during almost 2 years in Shanghai and yet, broke the most important rule: Do not travel in China during national holidays. However, the 1st of May holiday was our last long weekend left in China (we will reveal soon where we’re going next…) and it seemed like a no-brainer to…
Doing an HSK test in Shanghai for the first time!
We have been studying Mandarin for just under two years now and finally decided to get an HSK qualification, the HSK2, under our belts. We had worked our way through an introductory book, the HSK1 and 2 books with our tutor and had been revising for a few months now, so it was definitely time…
Shanghai Botanical Gardens
Last Sunday Shanghai surprised us with hot and steamy weather, so we decided to visit the Shanghai Botanical Gardens, that have long been on our to-do-list! The entry fee is only ¥15 and you could easily spend many hours in the gardens, renting a boat to go around the lake, picnicking with friends or just relaxing…
10 days in Yunnan Itinerary
We just returned from our road trip in Yunnan and before we start writing about our discoveries and impressions of one of China’s most beautiful landscapes, we’d like to share our travel itinerary with you. Planning where to go in Yunnan and how to get to and around each place was a difficult start as…
Shanghai Photography Walk
Last Saturday we were very fortunate to go on a private photography walk with Franc Peret, a professional filmmaker and photographer based in Shanghai. These are just some of the outcomes of our street photography in the Former French Concession (near Tianzifang) and what we learned… A common sight in China is people collecting and…
Tiger Hill in Suzhou
Once upon a time, a white tiger appeared on the hill to guard it after the burial of King Helü, king of the state Wu until 496 BC … or so the legend says! After a day of Suzhou’s parks and gardens, we decided to head to Tiger Hill which features a leaning pagoda that was…
Discovering Suzhou’s landscapes
As we sat at Daga Brewpub’s rooftop terrace on a warm and sunny afternoon two weekends ago, we decided to make the most of the spring weather and spend the weekend in Suzhou. While enjoying our iced coffee, we quickly decided to book Garden Hotel Suzhou due to its prime location in the heart of…
Jitensha Adventure 