Answers of the Day

I had no expectations when I first came to China. I have been here for about four and a half years now, with a couple of months each year spent in England just for work. China still surprises me, not always in a good way, but not always in a bad way either. My social life here is good, I have many friends here both foreign and Chinese. What I do find is when I am back in England, which I am...

Put it this way. You really need to understand what you're getting into before marrying and not let yourself be blinded by love/lust. A lot of westerners who date locals seem to get caught up in winning over the parents. That's all fine, but you need to vet them as carefully as they're vetting you. If you were Chinese, your parents would be doing just that, so you need to do it for yourself....

You don't necessarily need a lawyer. Look closely at your contract, make sure it clearly states that you are paid summer and winter breaks. Don't assume anything, it should be clearly stated. 

If your contract clearly states that you are to be paid then send notice to the school give them a week or give them an ultimatum (they may choose to let you go, even universities are...

You've overdone it on the weights. You probably have a high level of visceral fat and a lot of that fat resides in your abdomen. When you strain a lot doing weights sometimes fat or other tissue can push it's way through a weak spot in your abdominal wall. One of the weak sections is near your navel. A hernia near your navel is called an umbilical hernia. Search umbilical hernia to find out...

I think, people here don’t really know the ill effects of smoking on kids… today on my way to work, a bike halted right next to me at an intersection… This guy looked like in his early 30s puffing a cig with a very young girl sitting pillion. I wondered if they were related... 

Major destinations are easier to predict (via ticket sales purchased the max. of 10-days in advance). Short trips, especially between smaller cities are harder to predict, therefore advance ticket sales are limited (airlines have been doing the same thing for years).

Buying a ticket same-day would be easier as they would have 'real time' data on seats available between destinations (...

There are no branches of American banks in China, but there are many Chinese banks which are correspondent of American Banks. You can open an account in a Chinese Bank (may need two ID with photo) and wire transfer money from your American Bank. I do that sometimes.

You can also take money out of your American Bank account either with a credit or a debit card. But you will pay a 3 %...

My wife and I have been investing for a long time into the Shanghai Index. I'm like so excited by this recent two day crash and hopefully it'll keep crashing, I need those stocks I'm watching to fall to a lower price. Remember to watch the MACD lines (yellow and white) if they get close together or touch its a good chance to sell and a sign that a spike in the price is coming or happening. Ask...

Most meaningful stuff is when I teach. There's little room for cultural learning and science, but I sneak it in anyway. I'll ask questions to the class, which I later answer correctly: What happens when you cook milk? Why should we shake hands with the right hand? Why do we like fatty, sweet and other unhealthy foods so much? Why are kuaizi called chopsticks in English? Why do animals hunt at...