Your say

More than just a factory town

The return of foreign-trained Chinese scientists to their homeland will bring great tidings for China's technology market, says the founder and managing director of China Strategic Development Partners, Richard Brubaker, in his blog titled "China's innovative sea turtles return home to lay golden eggs".

The label of "the manufacturing floor for foreign-designed goods" assigned to China has been a title the country has been trying to shake off. With the return of these scientists will come the opportunity to shrug off this title with new ideas and creative innovation, Brubaker writes (www.allroadsleadtochina.com).

Brushing away the holiday dust

With the Spring Festival long gone, students are heading back to school. For those studying Chinese, whose skills may have gathered a little dust over the Spring Festival break, Tam at www.lostlaowai.com offers three suggestions for getting your skills back in shape.

Read comics - Tam says that comics are full of "spuddy characters, short, funny dialogues and can fill a quick half hour's gap in the day when you don't want feel like you're actually studying Chinese".

Listen to the radio - She suggests Hangzhou-based FM 996 on Monday to Friday at 10 pm-12 am. "It's an advice phone-in program that's good for a laugh in itself."

Watch a Chinese kungfu soap - Tam says reading up on the history of the soap's characters/history in English is a good way to become immersed in the story without having to use English subtitles. It also helps familiarize you with the Chinese language.

Just like us

Are expats in China typically more interesting people or is just being in China enough to make people more willing to listen to your story? This was the question posed by blogger Christine in her post Expats of the World at www.Myadventureinchina.blogspot.com.

Here, Christine explores the notion that just being in a foreign country makes people more likely to listen to the stories of other expats.

She explains: "In Canada and in the US, of course, we would not talk to a stranger in a restaurant, or have supper with someone who just posted a comment on your blog. But being abroad, and in a country where being a foreigner is written on your face, we do. We notice Westerners like ourselves, we strike a conversation, we look for opportunities to meet and share experiences."

For the love of the game

Sympathetic to football fans unable to watch live games, KMM at www.barking-at-the-sun.net offers a list of five ways to find live (or almost live) soccer games in China.

Guangdong Sports (European Football Channel) - The best medium, but only for those with satellite.

ESPN Star Sports - Still a decent channel for football, but games are now more sporadic.

CCTV-5 - Good for watching the Bundesliga and Chinese international games.

Going to bars - Not the best option as beer and people can be distracting.

Online - The easiest but least satisfying method.

(China Daily 02/29/2008 page19)