The China Teaching Web

The makeshift sanctuary at the church that I attend on Sunday mornings was full of Chinese people last week; this week there were none. The police came during a midweek meeting and asked questions that were not answered satisfactorily. The congregants were sent home and their leaders were given a list of regulations from the [...]

There’s big news in the travel world this week. According to news reports,  Thomas Kohnstamm, formerly a writer for Lonely Planet has admitted that parts of the guide books that he wrote were plagiarized or made up. He also says that although he wrote parts of a guidebook about Colombia, he never actually traveled there. I just have two [...]

While I did not climb Mount Everest when I arrived at its base in 2006, my journey to the world’s tallest mountain left me feeling a little bit like I had scaled its heights. In fact, there were different times during my journey that I almost gave up on going to see it. Traveling alone in Tibet as [...]

The Weekly China Roundup from RR on TeachAbroadChina.com

If you call the ‘fire department’ in China, don’t expect a batallion of firemen in red coats and hats to show up at your doorstep. Instead, you may have another kind of batallion fighting your fire; soldiers are the firefighters of China.
Who better to teach about sex than a doctor, [...]

Level: Beginner to Advanced
This is a good way for you to share about your culture and learn about Chinese culture. This topic also usually brings a lot of response from the students.
Warmup: Ask your students to pretend that they are getting on an airplane today to visit your country. Ask them to close their eyes [...]

“There are very few gays in China,” one of my students explained to me recently. What she was probably trying to say is that there are not very many people in China who have ‘come out of the closet.’ And it is no wonder. While the recent Edison Chen Scandal in Hong Kong may have [...]

You must be feeling disappointed right about now. You were searching for Edison Chen sex photos on a search engine and you were led here. Sorry, you were led astray. There are no photos here. But wait! Do not close the page yet. Stay for a few minutes. You are one of many people who have wandered [...]

I need to make a confession. It is time to humble myself. Sometimes I am not a good ESL teacher. Why? Quite simply, I am often lazy. I do not want to prepare for my class. After all, I am teaching my own language. I should be able to make something up on the spot, [...]

If you live in my city there is good news for you if you have recently had your cell phone stolen. Call your number and wait for someone to pick up. If you’re lucky, your friendly neighborhood thief will have sold your phone to a second hand shop.  Of course, you’ll have to buy it back from the shop. [...]

Level : Intermediate - Advanced
Age: 13-Adult
This topic helps you to learn more about your students. It also allows you to share about differences between families in your home country and China.
Warmup: Briefly introduce your family to the students. Talk about your relationship with varous members of your family including your brothers, sisters, grandparents, etc. Ask [...]