Singular They is Really Okay
So, there’s this sort of new phenomenon among the Zygotes (Generation Z), mainly in the US, about gender-neutral third-person pronouns. I...
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From the Middle Kingdom to the Middle of the Americas
Zhongguo is Mandarin for Middle Kingdom or Middle Country and, since 1000 BCE, has been the Chinese name for China. For almost seven...
Stop Changing My Language for Your Feelings!
“One hundred percent of all mothers are women.” To most people, this statistic is an example of stating the obvious and gets them asking...
Hohhot and Baotou - the Heart of Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia extends across northern China from the eastern edge of Xinjiang Autonomous Region to the western edge of Heilongjiang...
After Seeing Harbin’s Maple Leaf Village, I Miss the Old One in Canada
At the risk of some Zygote (my name for Generation Z, chosen specifically for this article) rolling their eyes as they sigh “okay...
Experience Inner Mongolia in the Hulunbuir Grasslands
Call them grasslands, plains, prairies, or steppes, they’re wide open spaces like those some people dream about. The Hulunbuir Grasslands...
Suifenhe - End of the Line
Suifenhe, China is in the southeastern part of Heilongjiang Province along the border with Russia. It’s also the end of the line for the...
A Smoking Room in Harbin
My two favorite things in the world are coffee and cigars. I like my coffee strong and black - no milk, no sugar, no flavorings, just...
Unit 731 - Man's Inhumanity to Man!
We've long heard or read about man's inhumanity to man, how humans can treat each other in a manner that is, well, inhuman. During the...
Volga Manor - a Bit of Russian Opulence in Harbin
Named for Russia's Volga River, Volga Manor was originally built in 1899, but, sadly, what remains are merely replicas of the original...
Hotels in China named for dead Irish author
Located at number 2 Shangyou Street just off Harbin's famous Central Street (Zhongyang Dajie), this is apparently one of several such...
Mohe, China's Northernmost City
Nestled deep within the Greater Khingan Mountain range among deciduous forests, Mohe is China’s “Arctic” region, though it is several...
Jiagedaqi-Tahe: Quaint Mountain Towns
Surrounded by mountains of the Greater Khingan Mountain Range, and reminiscent of West Virginia (a mountainous state in the eastern...
Fuyuan - China's Easternmost City
Not to be confused with the city by the same name in China's Yunnan Province in southwest China, this Fuyuan is located in Heilongjiang...
Charming Qing'an
Qing'an (pronounced CHING-AN) is a county located within the prefecture level city of Suihua in Heilongjiang Province, China. By train,...
A Place for Prescriptivism
Note: I've updated this a bit since I first wrote it in August 2018. A lot of linguists and language teachers seem to practice what I...
Hop on Over to Heihe
Heihe (approximately pronounced hey-her) is a small city on the Heilong River (or, for Russians, Amur River) across from Russia in...
Dalliance in Dalian
Dalian is a city on the southern coast of China's Liaoning Province. It played a significant role in the Russo-Japanese War around the...
Definitely Dandong
Dandong is a city in China's Liaoning Province on the river that borders North Korea. I went there for the May Day holiday. You can read...
Learning Language to Communicate
This is taken from material I recently prepared for some Chinese high school teachers of English undergoing continuing education. The...
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