Author: life-china

When it comes to eating spicy food, there are two schools of thought in China. There is the school who thinks it’s almost sinful and creates an imbalance of ‘heat’ in the body, with knock-on effects such as hotheadedness and la duzi. Then there is the other school, from Sichuan, Guizhou, Hunan and Jiangxi, who believe spicy food is necessary for health, bolstering the body’s life force and driving out ‘damp.’ Unfortunately for committed spice lovers, Shanghai is clearly in the first camp; most ‘Sichuan’ restaurants here have all the heat of McDonald’s Szechuan McNugget Sauce. So, I...

You’ve lived in China for a few years now, but so far your medical self-care consists of bacteria-killing baijiu and biannual trips to the emergency room for stitches after a bar fight. But if you ever hope to call yourself an Old China Hand, then it’s time to embrace TCM, my friend. Traditional Chinese Medicine is a 2,500-year old practice observing the effects of various herbs, movements, and pressure points on the body. Acupuncture is a key specialty within TCM, but newcomers are often afraid of the unknown. And afraid of those needles. But the...

Wolfgang's Steakhouse 1/F, Sinar Plaza, 588 Dongchangzhi Lu, near Xinjian Lu View ListingTaxi Printout Quick Take: Classic US steakhouse from an ex-Peter Luger head waiter What It Is: Wolfgang Zweiner (not Wolfgang Puck) is an old head waiter from Peter Luger, New York City’s most iconic steakhouse. The white-haired waiter spent 40 years in a place known for its beef, not its service, and he came out of that knowing a few things about what makes a good steakhouse work. Peter Zweiner is Wolfgang Zweiner’s son and a former investment banker. When dad...

On Douyin, a nice set of gel nails can get you half a million likes. Think that’s weird? Instagram made nose hair extensions and condoms on your beauty blenders popular. Beauty trends are weird. But manicures are great. They're pretty, they're affordable, and they're easier to get than a raise from your sexist boss or your boyfriend's love and respect! You see a style on Douyin that you like, you screenshot it, and bring it to the nail salon. Bam. Internet ready nails. Nail salons even put the Douyin nail styles in the fixed price...

The plane trees will be budding any day now. That means it’s time for top-flight Chinese Super League football to come blinking and lumbering out of its cave. Yeah, sure, it’s not the EPL or the Bundesliga, but it’s better, cheaper and more fun than a lot of the lesser European leagues and it’s a damn sight better than the disgraceful MLS in the USA. The Shanghai Sides Shanghai has two teams in the CSL, which began its nine-month season on February 23 with local side SIPG taking the Super Cup and continues...