CHINA

Country Overview:

“Love the food, hate the government”

I arrived in China in May 2013 and left August 2020. I taught English for awhile, did my master’s of politics & foreign policy at Tsinghua University, worked for a year at China Today, and then two years at Xinhua News Agency. I spent most of my time in Beijing, but also traveled to Shanghai, Wuhan, Inner Mongolia, Shenzhen, Panjin, Guangzhou, Tianjin, Qingdao, Xi’an, Sanya, Macau, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.


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Beijing vs. Shandong // Dec. 1, 2019

Beijing Guo'an vs. Shandong Luneng // December 1, 2019 Beijing won 3-2 to finish 2nd in the CSL for 2019 Fans are shouting 傻逼 at a Shandong player in response to a foul For more about China, visit www.degenh.com

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Beijing’s Last Game at Gongti

Yesterday was a really big day, not only for Beijing Guo'an, but also for the city and me as an individual. 

With a 3-2 win against Shandong Luneng (scoring the final goal in the 91st minute), the players managed to offer an action-packed afternoon to their 51,000 fans in their final game of the Chinese Super League (CSL) season. Despite the exciting game, they finished 2nd in the CSL after Guangzhou. 

More importantly, Beijing Guo'an has officially said farewell to its beloved Workers' Stadium in the heart of Sanlitun. The team now starts preparations to move to the Olympic Stadium for the next three years while their regular home undergoes extensive renovations.

When I first got to Beijing, I expressed an interest in the team to a coworker and she ended up getting me a signed Beijing Guo'an jersey in 2013. I’ve been a fan ever since and have attended numerous games over my years in the capital. With an exciting last game of the season, and last game at the stadium I’ve visited many times, it also signified my last Beijing game as I am planning to leave China before next year’s season begins. Thanks for the memories!

The last picture is from my 3rd thanksgiving dinner at a bar on Friday.

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So I thought it was funny because "player" can also mean someone who flirts or gets with multiple girls, and the guy is talking to 2 girls, but it's funny because they are children. I don't necessarily think my sense of humor is the same as everyone else's, but I thought this banner was unintentionally funny.  

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These are the World Cup games I applied for

The dates are between June 20th and the 30th. I might not win the lottery, so I’ve gotta wait until November to buy a plane ticket. It’s a slow process, but the wheels are in motion.

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FIFA

Application for tickets is in. 4 games starting in Porto Alegre, then Curitiba, on to Sao Paolo and a last game in Rio. It’ll be 2 months before I know if I won the random selection and it couldn’t come soon enough.

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