Life in the West Archives

Leaving China Is Hard

Sometimes leaving is harder than arriving. Though often temporary, you build your life in a new city. New apartment, new

Nature has never been of an utmost importance in my life. Being outdoors lacks appeal to me; could be due

Years ago, when I went to have my fortune read at the Shihlin Night Market in Taipei, the fortune-teller gave

Years ago, when I made the serendipitous – and seemingly accidental – decision to come to China, I actually had

When I had first met my husband, I knew that sharing our cultural traditions would be memorable. We came from

During my days as a university student, I traveled quite a bit. Not overseas per se, however, moving from city

Last year, July 2017, I arrived in Shanghai for the second time to attend a graduate program. My parents do

Recently I, by myself, have started the difficult process of getting my 5-year-old daughter to be able to (fall a)sleep

The funny thing about assumptions is that more often than not we aren’t aware of the fact that we are

Since moving to Beijing around 15 years ago, trips “home” to Australia have always prompted me to compare my Beijing