by Alison | Jul 8, 2026 | Blog, Chinese Language and Culture, Travels
On Monday and Tuesday of this week, I went to Shaoguan （韶关）, a city in the north of Guangdong province to visit a couple of schools. My university has a cooperation with a couple of schools in the Ruyuan （乳源） area, and I am considering the possibility of going there...
by Alison | Jun 24, 2026 | Blog, Travels
This last weekend was Dragon Boat Festival, and by this time of the semester, I’m usually ready for a little trip. Several years ago, my roommate and another friend went to Qingdao, and last year, a few friends went to Qingyuan (a town near Guangzhou). I didn’t have...
by Alison | Jun 17, 2026 | Blog, Just Life, Travels
I love hiking, and I’m thankful that Guangzhou has so many places to go hiking. When I need some time alone in nature, I usually go to Baiyun mountain (白云山) because it’s right beside my house. It only takes about 10 minutes to walk to the gate, and I have a delightful...
by Alison | May 20, 2026 | Blog, Chinese Language and Culture, Travels
I may have mentioned before that I really enjoy hot pot. China has many different flavors of hot pot. Different areas often have their own specialties. Sichuan and Chongqing hot pots are both spicy but with different degrees of spiciness and with different...
by Alison | May 6, 2026 | Blog, Chinese Language and Culture, Just Life
Since I live in Guangzhou (in the Canton area), I have plenty of chances to listen to Cantonese Opera when I’m walking through a park. However, since the music is everywhere, I didn’t realize how often I had heard it until I watched a small Cantonese opera show in the...
