You sound a little jaded and unexcited about things. 32 countries, worked in 12, travelled for 22 years! You should be writing a book about your experiences. Maybe you are suffering from travel overload. I doubt you will ever settle down. Not sure whether to worry about you or envy you! Full Comment>>

Most people at home were amazed at what I was doing so late in life. My contact with family is a little ragged and I have yet to see what happens when I return home, something I haven't done yet. Good article. I'll be prepared...maybe. Full Comment>>

So pleased to know that you can hitch hike safely in China. Don't know whether that is a smart thing to do back home any more. Too many crazies. Well done young fella! Full Comment>>

Seriously though, if you are a 10 - 20 a day cigarette smoker in these cities that means you are virtually puffing away on 30 - 40 coffin nails a day, certainly a short journey to poor health and early demise. You need to give at least one of them up. So, stop smoking or relocate. Or both! Full Comment>>

Can that sort of air intake be addictive? Will we see China's version of nicotine patches for those that love to venture out into the city smog for their fix but need to give that up to stay healthy? The Beijing patch? The Guangzhou patch? I can see a business opportunity here!! Full Comment>>

I guess it's a bit frustrating when you come to China from an environmentally aware country and have to witness littering, waste and a laissez-faire attitude towards the environment. The pollutants entering the atmosphere where I live can even make the snow black! The idea is to maintain your standards while you ... Full Comment>>

Never let truth get in the way of a good story! All newspapers are the same my friend. Full Comment>>

Hence the term "Little Emperors" I guess. We teachers joke about what China will be like when this generation we teach become the nation's leaders. Will they stamp their feet and throw a tantrum when another country disagrees with them or will they say: I'm telling my mom!? Full Comment>>

I didn't realise it was as such a huge problem as this article has pointed out. In my first few months in China I was astonished at the amount of food that was wasted at some functions I attended and I commented on this a number of times to those that invited me and colleagues who had attended. It was a few months ... Full Comment>>

These are the ones that have been caught and jailed or executed. More interesting to read some stories about the ones still operating or the ones living the high life in the USA and Canada. Full Comment>>

Well the Chinese people need to be protected from western propaganda and under no circumstances should they be allowed to be entertained. The nerve of movie makers! Full Comment>>

And there's a waiting list of over 2 years for policemen from other Provinces who have asked for a transfer to the Jiangsu station!! Full Comment>>

Can anyone give me the cell number of the girl in red?! Full Comment>>

SNAP!! Right on the money. I was discussing this with Chinese friends too and the opinion of many of the locals was interesting. They don't like to get TOO friendly with the expats because they know they will not be here in 6 or 12 months' time! That kind of explained to me why it is sometimes difficult to make ... Full Comment>>

Amen to that! Full Comment>>

Thumbs up debbie. Another example of why such a high percentage of Chinese find their sex lives unsatisfactory. Just don't know! Full Comment>>

Love / hate relationship. Yeah that pretty well sums it up. Nicely put. Full Comment>>

If you find relevance in the article then it is a good read. I could relate to many things. 1. The disbelief of friends when I said I was going to live in China for a while. Now they all enjoy my articles I write about life here and many say how lucky (and brave) I am. 2. I bought just a few too many clothes, half ... Full Comment>>

Amen to that - correct! Full Comment>>

I wonder is this any different from other countries? Apart from the push by parents to marry their sons and daughters off it seems this romance game is played out all over the world. In Western countries parents tend to keep their noses out of their children's personal lives. Online courting is pretty popular ... Full Comment>>

As much as I hate the lack of traffic and parking rules and get rather annoyed at exactly what upset this guy in Dalian I have to agree with crimochina. You are a visitor in this country and you can't take the law into your own hands. Walk on the road like the rest of us idiots have to. Full Comment>>

I think what donluis is referring to has been covered ad nauseum in the Answers section of this paper. While I wholly agree that stress and insomnia would have a negative effect on your sex life I also think that there are other reasons that were not considered by the survey - maybe due to invasion of personal ... Full Comment>>

Oh I love this guy! He has nailed 5 things he dislikes and you can't help but agree with all of them. I await the next 5 and although I doubt I will be surprised it's somewhat refreshing to get this perspective from another Asian neighbour. Was his book a best seller in China? Has he been blacklisted? It would be ... Full Comment>>

I tend to think that the rich locals see China the same way we see it as foreigners working here. Strange policies, illogical thinking, mind numbing beauracracy and not a lot of incentive or motivation to change things by the vast majority. The copycat nature of the manufacturing industry providing unbelievably ... Full Comment>>

It's interesting to read your opinion of taxi drivers but my dislike of them may also have something to do with my inability to chat with them in Chinese. The biggest life changing moment for me was coming to China but in this, my second year of teaching here, I have come to realise that my one man crusade to teach ... Full Comment>>