Three Reasons for Yangxifu Pride

It’s a mixed bag of reactions whenever I declare I’m a yangxifu, foreign wife/bride, at least in the United States. As a possibly necessary disclaimer, I do not inform acquaintances merely by translating into English, but may mention my husband is Chinese.

Self-identifying as a 洋媳妇 in China would always illicit positive responses, especially from the taxi drivers who mistook my nationality, identifying me as Russian. Many saw nothing out of the ordinary in a Russian woman marrying into a Chinese family.

I mesmerize millennials and many, but not all, of my peers, when I disclose my husband’s nationality. They get caught up in “the trans-national romance,” many having been abroad understanding the subtle nuances of creating lasting bonds, perhaps not as lasting as mine.

Words as Weapons

Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me!

I don’t know who we have to throw sticks and stone at, oops, I mean, thank, for uttering that awful phrase, but clearly it’s an individual who did not surmise, or imagine an age in which words would be brandished as weapons. Cyber bullying, social media as soapboxes, and heck, even personal blogs all across the Web, where words may be thrown-around daggers (yes, I’m looking at this woman in the mirror 😄).

Stumbling upon this post while scrolling through WordPress’s Reader, I felt compelled to reference the blog Haha China.

Chinese Language Learning in America

Real easy, right!? Biang maintains its reputation as one of the most complex characters to write. Credit: Google Images

Five Chinese Words I love (and you will, too!)

Learning Chinese has certainly taken a back seat to the growing to-do lists for ZJ and I. However, ZJ continues his concerted efforts to reinforce the language; he tacked post-its on the living room wall with characters and their English translation (no pinyin!).

Guest Post: Gift Giving in China

My first guest post is from My New Chinese Wife, a resource devoted to finding love in China, discussing one particularly interesting item blacklisted as far as gift giving is concerned in China.

Want to say or share something on Xiananigans? Check out the guidelines for submitting a guest post here. 

The Legend of the Green Hat

Gift giving is one of the most important gestures in China, so regardless of you coming here for business or to meet someone special, this is a custom that you are bound to get yourself sucked into at one point or another. I’m sure that you can find literally thousand of websites on the net talking about Chinese gift giving etiquettes, but in this article I will restrict myself to only one of these.