Here’s one the first lessons of living in China: Nothing is ever spelled consistently. For instance, Qingdao, a town on China’s eastern coast, about midway between Beijing and Shanghai, is the very same as the formerly spelled Tsingtao, pronounced “Chingdow” (with the the “d” giving a slight “t” sound). It is this same venerable town that…
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The Forbidden City, like the Great Wall or the Terracotta Warriors, is on every top-10-things-to-see-in-China list. Oh, fine. Probably not on every list, but close enough. I think the first time I was introduced to this landmark was when I saw The Last Emperor waaay back in the day. The scenes of the Forbidden City,…
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Xi’an China is probably best known for being the base from which to see China’s famous Terracotta Warriors. What isn’t as well known is that Xi’an (formerly known as Chang’an) ranks right along with the likes of Rome and Constantinople as one of the 10 Ancient Capitals of the World … and, and … the…
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