Category: Community

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ART SUPPLY AND DIY SHOPS

xianeaseARTICLES, Community

People express their creativity in many ways, often through arts, crafts, or other artistic venture. However, it can be difficult at times to find the necessary supplies, tools, or space to practice your craft. And while Taobao is always an option for purchasing materials, many like to get a feel for the materials and their quality before buying. Not to mention that it is not always practical to buy expensive tools to cram into your apartment.
Luckily, in recent years entrepreneurial-minded artists have created spaces to resolve just these sorts of problems. From leather-crafting to pottery wheels, if there is an artistic passion that you would like to pursue, then these places are perfect for you. In addition, they can help you discover other who enjoy the same activities as you, offering an environment in which you can share and learn from others.
Some of these places even offer classes or other types of instruction, usually in Chinese, so even if you are a beginner, you can easily get started on the path to being more creative.

Confessions of an Art Hobbyist

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The choice to awaken and explore ones artistic side can be a doubtful, sometimes self-skeptical but exciting experience. With an iPad and technical pen beneath my palm, it was a year and a half ago when I attempted my first sketch line over an 11-inch digital screen protected by a matte cover. A couple of months later and countless flights down the rabbit hole of free online tutorial classes, I found myself exploring the textures of digital watercolor brushes on moody facial expressions as portraits. Later, the events of lockdowns and self isolation of 2020 hit hard and the emotional effects of extended solitude ignited a desire to attempt breaking into traditional watercolors.

There are a wide range of available paint mediums spanning between traditional and digital art styles and it has been recently debated whether the enhancements in technology and mobile devices have encouraged or hindered the practice of art and growth in the art community. Scrolling through social media, there was a public forum comment that triggered me, “Everyone thinks they’re an artist when they have an iPad.” Centred around the idea that the rapid evolution in new digital and paining drawing applications, technology has improved the ease of use and learning experience when it comes to teaching ones self sketching skills through previously considered taboo practices like tracing and have further blurred the line between artists opinions on respecting an art style and appreciating it.

Good places in Xi’an for photography

xianeaseARTICLES, Community

Xi’an as a city where ancient wisdom meets modernity, and where tradition coexists with the vogue. It is fantastic for photography. Whether you are a professional photographer with all the lenses and gear or an amateur photographer with only your phone as equipment, there are many good places to take photos. Whether you enjoy landscape photography or photographing interesting people, the diverse landscape of Xi’an has something to offer.
As an amateur photographer myself, I would like to introduce you to some of these good places in Xi’an with example photos taken with my phone. I hope these suggestions will be helpful for your photography.

Chinese Drinking Culture

xianeaseARTICLES, Community

Perhaps you are working for a Chinese school or company, you may attend a few business dinners at some point, or maybe you are meeting your significant other’s family during the spring festival in China, Either way, there is lots of drinking involved during these Chinese social events, and the proper etiquette can be elusive. Here are some tips.

Agape Warrior House: An Introspective Day In The Life Of An Orphans Home For Disabled Youth.

xianeaseARTICLES, Community

Sitting in the teachers office, notebook in one hand whilst the fingers of the other feathered over the last page of questions I had diligently prepared the night before in an attempt to maintain a sense of professionalism and respect for the place I was sitting, I looked up to Anya, a teacher and the recipient of all my inquiries and confessed the interrogation was over. She smiled with a grin of curiosity and posed a question to me: What made you decide to visit here today?

Holidays Away From Home

xianeaseARTICLES, Community

If there is ever a time when the expat lifestyle gets hard, it is around special occasions, especially those holidays which are typically designated for family. With travel restrictions still in place, many who would typically head home for the comfort of familiar surroundings will find themselves stuck both far from home and without a clue of what to do. Even those well-seasoned expats who are experienced with the whole holiday away from home situation may find themselves a bit adrift this year, as friends and family who may have come to call will not be able to do so this year. So, whether this is your first year away from home or your fifteenth, you might need some help recreating a bit of the holiday magic right where you are.

Holiday Traditions Around the World

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One of the great things about life as an expat is that you are able to meet people that you would have never had the opportunity to meet staying at home. Along with the diversity of people comes a great variety of traditions and different spins on the holidays that can help you to celebrate in a truly international style. To better understand each other and where we are coming from, we interviewed several expats about how they celebrate the holidays back home.

World Diabetes Day

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November 14 is World Diabetes Day (WDD). WDD was established by the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization to raise awareness about a serious health risk posed by diabetes. The date of November 14 was chosen because of the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting. He co-discovered insulin and, together with John Macleod, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1923. Insulin, which is the primary treatment for type-1 diabetes and used for type-2 and gestational diabetes, has saved many lives.

China Blonde

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On October 1st, 2020, China Blonde hit the shelves. Written by former Sky News newsreader and former expat resident of Xi’an Nicole Webb, this book tells about her experiences while living in Xi’an. If you’d like to get a copy of the book, you can pick up a signed copy on her website www.nicolewebbonline.com (ships globally, including to China) or you can get a copy of the ebook at Amazon by scanning the QR code on the next page.