Stuck in the Middle Kingdom with You

  Fanta Pagoda, in the shadow of Yushan in Changshu. Xu Lizhe, who wrote this poem shortly before jumping off one of #foxconn's buildings in #Shenzhen, 2014

 ESL in China is partly about teaching English, but largely about having fun and playing games. Schools are often businesses, and the customers are parents. Make those kids happy. If they don't learn much English, who cares? The grades can be faked anyway. So in this episode here are a few games I invented in school, usually without much planning (which is probably self-evident). Fun times had by all!

  The colonial grandeur of Shanghai's Bund Father of modern China, Sun Yatsen The man behind many a grisly murder, Big-Eared Du

  Huaihai Road, Shanghai, with the protected London plane trees Parents advertise their single children in People's Square park. JG Ballard's childhood home in Shanghai The more quaint colonial houses of the French Concession Longtang lane in Shanghai - the beating heart of the city, and the one-time "frontier posts for class struggle" Old meets new - plush Xintiandi, consumer heaven down the road from the CCP's founding HQ "China Dream, My Dream" - the gentle, omnipresent, propaganda of city life Square dancing in Shanghai – charming for some, a nuisance for others

  The best spot in town. Became Brooklyn Bar in... 2015, I think, but still owned by the same fella.

  Hi there! Today, a little more detail about ESL teaching. Ever thought about doing it? I explore the pros n cons. For more see the survival guide below which I made as a recruiting agent.