My ABC List after Eight Months in China

A friend asked me to make an ABC list to on China. Here it is.

Apartment…. Most of us, but not all, live in an apartment. It’s how you get more people into a smaller area. Some are plush, others are not.


Bread….many different forms, none like home (no whole grain). Much is made simply from flour and water. It’s fried, baked or steamed. The one variety most like US has a sweeter almost Wonder bread quality.




(This bread will bake in this street oven. Top is behind with eggs cooking on it.)



Cash…we don’t use credit cards. We do have ATMs card but only to withdraw money from bank accounts. All my transactions are cash. The largest bill is the 100Y and it is widely used.

Diet… Delicious vegetable dishes are the common place. Also notable is the abundance of fat and oil in dishes, the rarity of boneless meat or fish, the frequency of eggs in meals, the many varieties of dumplings and the scarcity of green salads. Desserts are nearly unheard of.

Exercise….Walking is a favorite. Many people walk after a meal. But you also see, in the mornings especially, a lone person here and there doing modified tai chi and stretching exercises. In parks and large open areas you might see groups in dancing or true tai chi exercise.

Friendliness…People are friendly and helpful. I can’t talk to many but it doesn’t totally matter, we smile and talk at each other, and those who do speak English go out of their way to use what they know. …And for F there is also Furnace…or the lack of one. There is no central heating. Windows and doors are often left open. We put on more clothes and turn on the space heater.

G…. The gate at the school that closes on my gated community at 11pm and opens at 6am? ....Ginger? Grandparents…many couples live with their parents. Their one child is babysat by the grandparents. You see grandparents tending children everywhere.

Hair…I thought everyone would have black hair. But hair here is also many shades of dark brown and some medium brown. There is also quite a bit of dyed hair. Much like home people here cover their gray hair or change their color. And although the reddish dark hues are as popular here as at home, you also see blond and light brown shades. Also for H let’s not forget “Hello” since as a foreigner it is the most commonly heard word.

IVs…Many times the first dose of a medication is delivered by IV drip while the patient is at the clinic or hospital. Sometimes patients are seen sitting in or walking near the clinic with IVs attached. ---And there is the Internet! The Internet is as important here as elsewhere.

Jade…is worn for good luck. Most often it’s in the form of a bracelet or pendant. I have a ring.

Kitchen…Some are more equipped than others. Generally the apartment sink is in the kitchen. Water is cold. The bottled drinking water dispenser has a cold and hot tap, but otherwise we heat water on the element. Some people heat water on portable coal burning bucket-type devises. People have one or two electric or gas elements, a wok, a soup pan, and a rice cooker most assuredly. Many have refrigerators. Some have microwaves. A few have a countertop oven. Some cook over burning wood. Some kitchens are tiled and have marble counters. Some have cement floors and plywood counters. The food that is cooked in these kitchens is healthy and delicious.

(Portable coal-burning cooking devise)






(Cooking in a wok overburning wood)









Laundry…Many have a washing machine. Some wash their clothes in the rivers. Laundry is washed in cold water. There is little hot water plumbing. The washed clothing hangs out windows, on roofs and in living room alcoves to dry as only the laundry businesses have dryers.




(Laundry drying in the living room.)


Mail… Mail takes about two weeks from the States and a few days in country. Two letters were delivered without my name on them. I get no junk mail. Mail is given to the men at the gate who get it to each of us. You can buy an envelope, a box, and stamps at the post office where you go to post your mail. Nothing is self-sticking. You find glue in dispensers at the post office. Oh, and let’s not forget Mah jongg….the favorite pastime of all Chinese in this part of the country. It must compare to the mania for golf in the States.

(An afternoon of mah jongg at a farmer's restaurant in the countryside.)