Hey, my name is Beijixiong (北极熊), which is Chinese for Polar Bear. I know it seems kind of pretentious to use a Chinese name (since I'm English), but I do work in Beijing - and my friends here have given me that nickname because I'm big and white. It's certainly not the worst nickname I've ever had.
I've been in China for almost a decade now, working as a TV host and writer around the country. I've also directed 3 documentaries, the latest of which involved following panda bears around the mountains of Sichuan province. On a somewhat strange note, one panda I was playing with decided to ignore the carrot in my hand and munch my finger instead. It wasn't too fun at the time, but these days I'm proud to be the only person I know who has been bitten by a panda. I even have a semi-cute scar on my ring finger.
For the past few months, I've been working on Beijing Cherry, a novel that combines the tale of a young woman's sexual awakening with insights into modern-day China. I'm hoping it can be both erotic and enlightening - although finding a balance is proving quite a headache.
If you want to get in contact, feel free. It's not always easy to respond, because the Great Firewall of China isn't conducive to speedy communication, but I'll do my best...
Fei returns to her hometown in rural China and gets dragged into a sordid incident.
The young waitress approaches our table with all the enthusiasm of a slug on tranquilizers. She stops beside me, not bothering to say a word or make eye contact, and slams the bowl of noodles down so hard that a wave of hot soup splashes onto the table-to...
