Notes From Xi'an 西安随感

I have begun to sometimes write Notes about wider China topics, so I have decided to create this page that just lists the more Xi’an centred Notes. Hopefully it will make it easier to get a general impression of the life and the city here in Xi’an and why so many of us like living here. There is also the Xi’an  Links & Listings page that may be of some use. (The top two or three articles might stay the same as they may be most useful but I am adding others below)

Xi’an… I Like It

Reading and listening to so many negative, one-sided, manipulative, smug and condescending voices on things China recently (and they were just my own!), I feel like simply writing a brief note reminding myself of why I like living in Xi’an. First and foremost, I like the people that surround me on a day-to-day basis, the Xi’anese.  They are a matter-of-fact bunch, a straightforward lot, and a generally supportive and friendly collection of people… read more

Ode To Xi’an

Xi’an. Modern City, city of the ancients, city of technology, science and education, city of a city wall, city of the Buddha’s finger, city of Emperors, city of conquest, city of contradiction. An ancient city of culture without culture, a contemporary culture sublimating a culture, a city finding balance in a future culture… read more

Xi’an’s Coffee Shops and Cafes- Un Assortimento Speciale

As a break from beginning to look at a little Confucionist and Daoist thought I will take a moment to reflect upon my first hobby, that of finding a bit of coffee shop down time in which to enjoy a little reflection on Confucionist and Daoist thought or, more often, the life that circles around us here in down town Xi’an. Also, in celebration of, and in an attempt to draw a little attention to, a couple of newly discovered coffee based watering holes, I have decided to go a little further than usual and identify a mostly subjective, though with a tinge of objectivity, coffee shop Top Five… read more

Teaching In Xi’an

It is about time I outlined what can be expected from a teacher’s life in Xi’an. The first point to note and to emphasize is that it offers the chance of a very good life. It is easy for a native English speaker to not only find work here but to be paid exceptionally well for doing something, in many cases, that they are not particularly well qualified to do. There is a full spectrum of opportunities for teaching English in Xi’an… read more

What Is Xi’an Like? Part I

I have written a few notes here now but have not yet really given an account of what Xi’an is like, so I will do that now. This note will come generally from the perspective of a foreign teacher here, though with an eye on the whole. Xi’an is a great place to live, but I must first be clear that the life here for a foreigner teaching is far and away easier than it is even for our Chinese counterparts, let alone the majority who do not have anything like the opportunity for the lifestyle we have… read more

What Is Xi’an Like? Part II

The city centre is surrounded by an ancient city wall with the main routes out of the city all passing through one of a variety of gates, the largest being simply the North, East, South and West gates… Taxis are easy to flag down, run on a meter, relatively cheap and often used when first arriving as bus routes in Chinese characters can be somewhat daunting at first and, depending on mood, somewhat depressing later… read more

The Yellow River Soup Kitchen, Xi’an

These pictures represent a small glimpse into the workings, projects and characters of The Yellow River Soup Kitchen. Below this gallery are a couple of brief extracts and opportunities to continue reading, first, the founder’s enlightening thoughts on his and the projects motivations and growth… read more

Xi’an’s Transportation Development is in Motion Even if the Wheels on the Bus are Not

With the onset of summer interrupted by frequent rain showers it is may be not a bad time to partake in a bit of reflection, particularly with regard to a few of the transportational changes that have ridden into Xi’an in recent years; arriving on a wind of progress, though on the back of an almighty stimulus package, one that has included a few unpleasant side effects. The laid-back nature and slightly underdeveloped cityscape of Xi’an that I so liked upon arrival is changing… read more

A Xi’anese Mountain Forest Park and A Fish Pond Nong Jia Le

Just a brief travel note to highlight the joys found a few kilometres outside of central Xi’an, in amongst the Qin Ling Mountains. A mountain range that stretches East to West, marks a natural boundary between China’s North and South and which is easily accessible from Xi’an’s city centre. There will also be a quick nod at the end towards Oscars Café/ bar… read more

Oh Xi’an!

Xi’an, Xi’an, Xi’an!

I liked it when I first arrived and I like it now. We can complain about this and that, I probably do, I certainly have, but I enjoy living here. I read somewhere recently someone bemoaning the lack of running opportunities here in Xi’an, or more specifically, the negatives about actually putting foot to tarmac in this fair city… read more

The Jackson Pollock of Traffic Congestion

What is it that makes people so self-concerned and so blinkered to the consequences of their actions? I don’t know but check out any road junction here in Xi’an and you’ll see the consequences. I have arrived back in Xi’an to discover that the road maintenance work on Chang An Nan Lu has nearly been completed. There is however a small stretch that remains without road markings… read more

National Day Is Upon Us Here In Xi’an

So, National Day is upon us and the geese have gotten fat. The roads have been rebuilt, shop frontiers have been homogenised in gray, buildings; whether old, new, run-down, falling down or in the process of being built, have been painted and we are all being told to wear gray pants, shirts and a cap. Ok, the last point strays slightly from the truth but maybe not too far from the essence of life here at the moment… read more

Voluntary Work In Xi’an- Not Like This

I recently have been looking around at voluntary projects in Xi’an and came across these two companies, i-to-i and Global Volunteers. All I can say is never, never, never do these things, never. Now, I understand if one does not have experience of doing these kinds of projects or have any knowledge of the host country… read more

Xi’an is Not London but Nor is London Xi’an

A return to Xi’an fraught with expectations and fear…, well may be I exaggerate a little, it was though a little intriguing to see how I was to find life here, having spent the longest period away for a few years. Being transported from down town London, by way of cars, aeroplanes, transit trains and buses, to the less salubrious environment of Yang Jia Cun… read more

Some Habits Best Kept, Others Maybe Not

A couple of things that stood out on the Chinese culture front last week. The first, was listening to a Chinese colleague outline her lunchtime ritual. She noted how she goes from school to her car across the road, which she pays to park, then drives straight down the street to her daughters school, also where her husband works. This whole process takes under 10 minutes… read more

Your Average Xi’an Morning

I woke slowly and with sleep still in my eyes peered out through our new ‘dust-net’. I saw that an inch-thick layer of lunar-like dust had again settled and completely covered the bedroom. I carefully rose from the bed, shaking a thin layer of dust from my hair, that troublingly had managed to find a path inside the net. My girlfriend still lay sleeping peacefully… read more

Needles, Hurdles and Temples

The week that was, began when I was woken by an incoming text message to my girlfriends phone, while she still lay sleeping. The message from a friend of hers relayed the news that we should be careful of fellow bus passengers armed with needles, needles that carry a deadly strain of some unpleasant and potentially life threatening virus… read more

Rain, Shine, Line Dancing and Traffic Congestion

A note back on the streets of Xi’an and rainy streets they are to this week. The dry and, no matter what other hardened foreigners might say, humid city streets of Xi’an have been turned into May-soon washed, quagmiresque tributaries. In other words, it does not rain here much, it was just becomingly stiflingly hot but this week it has pretty much rained non-stop… read more