Introductions

If I had a bookshop it would be run a bit like "Black Books'.  I wouldn't want to sell anything I wanted to read.

Yep, I'd have that problem too.

I imagine my bookshop having polished wooden floors, a big bay window at the front and everything just so. I suspect people wouldn't be allowed to touch the books, lest they move them somehow. The just wouldn;'t do.

Also, there would be no buying things when they were important to they way I had arranged my window or shelves. No buying the pretty books, they are for decoration only. You may buy the books with ugly covers only.

Hi Afairman, welcome to the Saloon.

Welcome aboard, Afair!   Feel free to bombard us with questions.  Makes us feel useful.

Hi all,

new to the site, not that new to China. Been living/working in China since 1998 and now, well since Jan 2003, in Beijing.

I am not a teacher and know absolutely nothing about teaching English, albeit one year in Shenyang I taught hotel staff English in exchange for an upgrade to a VIP suite.

My previous jobs gave the opportunity to visit many places in China ranging from large cities to places so small that there was no beaten track to be off.

My Mandarin is understandable but not fluent and at time still have trouble with the old 4 is 4, 14 is 14, 40 is 40 tongue twister.

Welcome aboard, manlin.  Yer don't have to be a teacher to teach English here. So what do you do instead??

I guess we could do with some more non-teacher expats to tell the other side of the expat story here. Sometimes we forget not all of us have classes and marking papers to deal with.

Welcome!

Welcome aboard, manlin.  Yer don't have to be a teacher to teach English here. So what do you do instead??

I originally came to China as an irrigation engineer and spent the first few years irritating, sorry irrigating, Liaoning Province, Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang and work related to the relocation caused by the Three Gorge Dam Project.

However since 2005 I have been providing Destination Services and as a hobby organise networking events in Beijing. I'm not sure how much info I can provide about those activities without falling into the please do not advertise category. I suppose anyone interested can always pm me for info.

Welcom manlin. I'm also in Beijing, came here from Kunming to work in a non-teaching job, but quickly got fed up and went back to teaching. I think being a teacher has spoiled me for the real world. 

Good to have you aboard! 

Welcome to the Saloon, Manlin.  Seems like you are a much 'older' China-hand than many folks here.  My view is decidedly from the front of a classroom, so I look forward to getting to know you and your view of China.

  Welcome aboard, Manlin.  Another Beijinger... we Suzhouites are losing market share.

 Networking, huh?

Welcome Manlin!  Don't be a stranger. 

Hello. *waves* 

I'm new. Do you hate newbies like all the other sites I've been at? I'll try not to piss you off.

Where do I get a pool pass? Is it ok to feed the animals?

Yes, you can feed the Chicken. Nothing else.
No, we luvs newbies.
Yer not allowed to piss in the pool!
Have a beer.

Animals yes, members whose names begin with G at your own risk.

Thanks for the heads up.

Are we German here? Why is "Chicken" capitalized? Is there some member called Chicken or something?