C anada’s favorite coffee shop hit Chinese shores in early 2019, with their first store opening in Shanghai. Since then they have expanded to other large cities in China, with their most recent opening right here in Xi’an on July 29th. The shop, located at MIXC not far from exit C of the HuiZhanZhongXin Metro stop is a bit of an odd choice, being far from the downtown area, but is likely just the beginning of their expansion in Xi’an.
Forgive me for this month’s contribution being a hot bake in the sweltering summer, however it all balances once served with a scoop or three of cooling vanilla ice cream.
This sweet is a traditional South African dessert with a pep and tweak from a classic British baked chocolate pudding. I don’t claim it, nor shall I entitle this as my own recipe as it does come from my chef school recipe file. As a student, I made this many a time and has often proudly taken place of honor on many dinner tables back home.
It’s no secret that people here love a nice beer in a can or bottle. Often you can find one table with 10-20 at a time. And I’m sure we are all familiar with the sweet bottled Rio drinks lining the fridges of Everydays all over the city. But I foresee something new on the horizon. Because why should you only put beer in a can or bottle; why not a refreshing chardonnay or a Manhattan cocktail? Yeah, we are officially in the future.
Even though the summer is winding down, there is still plenty of time left to crack open a cold one. But the question is, which cold one to crack open? While there are plenty of imported options available to quench your thirst and numerous craft brews, the imports come with a heavy tax and the craft beer comes with the craft tax, taking their prices well above what you’d pay for an equivalent local beer. So, if you’re looking for cold, refreshing, moderately alcoholic beers to carry you through an evening of barbeque al fresco, consider some of these local options.
Sometimes the difficult memories can be the ones that stick with you in the most detailed way – like trying to cram the most important physical pieces of your life into a 30kg piece of luggage and moving to an unfamiliar new country and city. I still remember walking out of the T2 arrivals terminal at Xianyang airport, rehearsing how to say the address of my university in Chinese over and over again in my head so that a taxi driver wouldn’t get confused by my poor intonation of tones. Fast forward four years later, a bucketful of new memories and experiences, great friendships and some faded acquaintances, we arrive to the present day where I find myself trying to accurately puzzle together my experiences and feelings about life in one of China’s most historical and beautiful cities: Xi’an.
Are you a Chinese student who wants to study abroad for an undergraduate degree? Or perhaps you are a foreign teacher in Xi’an who has students looking to study abroad? Or perhaps you are a family with a third-culture child who you want to send to abroad for school? No matter who you are, I hope you find something useful in this article.
The fortifications of Xi’an, better known as the Xi’an City Wall, are a prominent feature of Xi’an and are often used in the symbolism and iconography of the city. As one of the largest and most complete fortifications of its kind, the Xi’an city wall has endured the constant expansion and renovations of a modern Chinese city. In fact, the Xi’an City Wall has been incorporated into the infrastructure of the city, standing not only as a testament to the historical nature of the city, but also as a functional part of the overall landscape.
Do you remember your childhood dreams? The things you visualized when you were still playing with your toys? There was a lot of fantasy and magic, but also lots of wishes on what you would be when you grow up. There were also some discrepancies (like being too old at 30) but overall, all of us had some sort of visualization that being here, in China, made it possible to reach.
Let’s say, for example, that you had a difficult childhood and wanted some things your family couldn’t afford. You came to China and all of a sudden you had this amazingly crazy lifestyle where you can simply buy those videogames, cameras, gadgets or toys you always wanted.
“Sound of the Silk Road” premiered to thunderous applause on July 23rd 2021, in Xi’an at the Shaanxi Grand Theater. The production was a collaboration begun under the leadership of Dr. Zhou Bing, chairman of the Shaanxi Tourism Group Co. who originally envisioned the production, US production company Nederlander, Broadway Executive Producer Don Frantz (of Lion King fame) who expertly organized both Chinese and American talents, and Broadway director Gabriel Barre (Amazing Grace, The Wild Party). The musical honestly revealed the magnificence that can be created when Western and Eastern cultures bring together their unique strengths and talents to collectively design something amazing.
Summers are made for the beach. Even if you spent your youth landlocked far from any shore, the basic idea still stick with most people through the popular zeitgeist. It used to be common for those desiring summer beach time to hop on a plane to Thailand or the Philippines and within hours, be basking in a tropical sun. However, with the COVID-19 situation not seeming to be getting much better abroad, the idea of drinking cold cocktails while looking out at the ocean seems a distant, if not impossible, dream.
