English Tests in China

During my time here in China, I sometimes discussed the issue of students in China learning English and the teaching methods with my colleagues. One of my Chinese friends said that they had to "read a lot of paragraphs and translate paragraphs", which didn't exactly give me a real clue about how the lessons look like.
But one day ago I came across an English Test used in Middleschools in China, published by the Nanfang. When I looked at the test I was just like "Excuse me?? This doesn't make sense at all!".
Are you ready for the challenge? Try the English test here: https://thenanfang.com/difficult-english-examination-chinese-middle-students-shocks-netizens/ 

A little preview of the English test awaiting you

Note: Chinese parents are spending huge sums on English classes for their kids and working as an English teacher in China pays quite well for Westerners. One of my colleagues asked me recently "What can I do to improve the English of my child? She always just laughs when I talk English with her". After giving her a few tips I actually asked "How old is you child again?", "3 years". Wow! I highly doubt that any parents in Germany are concerned about their kid learning English at the age of three. 

Zhuhai - Pearl by the Sea

It has been more than one year since I came to Zhuhai, China and I still love this place. In fact I am working on a blog post about all the curiosities and things I have experienced during my time here, but it's not finished yet.
Zhuhai is a wonderful place to be, especially now that it got a bit colder (comparable to a normal summer in Germany). In general my time in China has been very pleasant so far, full of good experiences and I would definitely recommend it as a travel destination (though a bit of Mandarin and a good translation app like Pleco are necessary).

Anyways, in order to show you all where I am living, here's a nice clip of Zhuhai, which I found online:

Enjoy watching!

Business in China

There can be plenty of obstacles doing business abroad, in a foreign country, as you deal with another culture, other business behaviors and much more. But there is one specialty that makes business in China even more complicated: Your Brand-Name!
You might think now: "Wtf? I go to China, set up my business and just use my back-at-home-well-established brand name". That's what you think. Due to the Chinese language, one has to choose a brand name very carefully.
As sounds/syllables have different meanings, your brand name might end up meaning something ridiculous. Nevertheless most companies go for a sound adaption, rather than a meaning adaption. BUT, if you really want to master the art and make an impact, you will try to do both. Below is a list of famous brands who adapted one or the other way or not at all.

All I ever wanted in life.....

...is to have a blog about airlines, their food and services.
Just now I stumbled across this website, showing pictures from airline food all over the world. It even gets categorized into business class, economy class meals, etc. Lovely!
http://www.airlinemeals.net/
So Check out the airline food you might get on your next trip!

Why China will make you stronger...

Just stumbled across this lovely blogpost about "10 ways China will make you stronger":

- Super strong immune system
- No more fear of massive crowds
- Strong stomach
- Master of Chili and Sichuan Pepper
- Able to cope with every kind of smell
- Expert in shouting
- Badass Cyclist
- Problem Solver
- Great alcohol tolerance
- Super patience

Read the full article here: http://www.cityweekend.com.cn/shanghai/blog/10-ways-china-will-make-you-stronger/

Really made me laugh!

Life as an intern in China

Watch this awesome video from a good friend of mine about his time in Zhuhai! Lovely :)

Differences between China and "the West"

I just want to share this blogpost which I recently read about things which could shock people when they come first to China. I can agree on every single point on this list and although they didn't shock me I definitely recognized that there was a difference.
For example how much relationships matter in China. It's unbelievable how fast you can make connections and also how many people want to make a connection with you.
Anyways, check this out:

http://whenonearth.net/10-things-china-shock-first-time-visitors/