读万卷书不如行万里路 (Dú wàn juǎn shū bùrú xíng wànlǐ lù) – Read thousands of books and travel thousands of miles. After a two year hiatus I’m returning to China (and to trusty ‘From Palatinate to Peking’) for six weeks. Welcome back to … Continue reading From Law to Language School
入乡随俗 (rù xiāng suí sú) – When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Raising of Tiananmen flag at dawn Chinese flock from far and wide to see the spectacle of the raising of the flag. This tourist attraction requires … Continue reading Five Unique Ways to Experience Beijing
静以修身 (jìng yǐ xiū shēn) – A light heart lives long. One sunny afternoon, we decided to explore the famed 798 Art District of Beijing. In order to make the most of the beautiful weather, we mainly stuck to the … Continue reading An Afternoon in the Art District
心旷神怡，事事顺利 (xīn kuàng shén yí, shì shì shùn lì) – “A merry heart goes all the way” One nine-hour sleeper train later, we arrived in Qingdao … Continue reading Nihao Qingdao!
一日之计在于晨 (yī rì zhī jì zài yú chén) – A day’s planning (or qualifying for the next round) is done in the morning. My attention was first drawn to this event when I arrived at the airport; with orange IAAF … Continue reading Watching the World Athletics Championships
一寸光阴一寸金, 寸金难买寸光阴 yí cùn guāng yīn yí cùn jīn, cùn jīn nán mǎi cùn guāng yīn – An inch of gold cannot buy an inch of time. I’m trying to use my summer time wisely, and so I’m spending as … Continue reading Back in Beijing
机不可失，时不再来 (jī bù kě shī, shí bú zài lái) – Opportunity knocks at the door only once. This is a rough guide on what the Exam entails and how I found it when I took it last September and again … Continue reading An Unofficial Guide to the Peking University Chinese Language Proficiency Exam
“We are honoured and humbled by the International Olympic Committee’s decision to award Beijing the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.” China has redefined itself as a sporting nation, or at least as a nation able to pull off great … Continue reading Sport in China
一步一个脚印儿 ( yī bù yī gè jiǎo yìnr ) – Every step leaves its print; work steadily and make solid progress. This semester has gone by in a flash – it seems like only last month we were retaking the … Continue reading A Second Semester at Peking University
上有天堂，下有苏杭 （Shàng yǒu tiāntáng, xià yǒu sū háng）- the beauty and affluence of Suzhou and Hangzhou is comparable with heaven Hangzhou is a beautiful, lush city … Continue reading From Palatinate to Zhejiang: Durham Reunion in Hangzhou
From Palatinate to Peking 