Love

China’s divorce rates continue to climb and recent statistics show that women are increasingly initiating the proceedings – according to an article in The China Daily, 70 percent of divorce cases filed in a Shunyi court last year were by women  - a phenomenon that is believed to reflect a nationwide trend. The Ministry of Civil Affairs has also stated that in 2010 “1.96 million people nationwide applied for divorce while only 1.2 million tied the knot” across the nation.

• Read more

The elusive Mongolian pie, restricted zones, swindling cops, love where you least expect it, China in 1992: this story of love and drama has it all, and a happy ending of course.

Author Larry Jer is Canadian-born Chinese. He did a stint teaching in China just north of Beijing.

Happy belated Valentine's Day everyone!

Remember when you were a teenager? I do, and it wasn't pretty, both literally and metaphorically speaking. You look back on all the crazy things you did and marvel that you did them -- and that you occasionally got away with them!

In a blast from the past (and for those of you with teenage kids, a reminder of our present), I found these three interviews with UK teens on The Guardian online. I've included some choice quotes for you for you below, but if you'd like to read more click here.

• Read more

What’s the secret to a happy marriage? Is it sexy lingerie and rose petals strewn over a king size bed? A diamond ring every anniversary? Separate His and Hers vacations? Although all of the above will certainly help, the art of conflict resolution is the true key to a lasting and happy relationship.

 
Conflict is inevitable in life. With your boss, colleague, neighbor, parent, sibling, children; but the hottest buttons always seem to be the ones your partner hits.
 
Some of the more common and least effective ways of dealing with conflict are:
 
The Silent Treatment
You keep quiet while your eyes burn into him like laser-hot beams, unfortunately you’re not from the planet Krypton so it has the same searing intensity of yesterday’s Jell-O. You remain uncommunicative except when asked if anything is wrong and you reply, “Nothing.” This requires a lot of patience and controlled fuming, especially if business travel takes him out of the picture for a few days. This can also cause consecutive nights of insomnia as you lie awake, tossing with righteous indignation, while he at the same time is thinking “ZZZzzzzzz…” 
 

• Read more

I came across an article in The Australian that made my heart turn into flowery, romantic mush. It was about first loves reuniting after years and lives apart. Whether it was 20, 40 or even 60 years since they’d last seen each other, the couples all spoke about how lucky they were to have a second chance at first love.

• Read more