A Parent Confronts Conformity in the Classrooms of ChinaLITTLE SOLDIERS An American Boy, a Chinese School, and the Global Race to Achieve By Lenora Chu 347 pp. Harper/HarperCollins Publishers. $27.99. Alan Paul is the author of “One Way Out” and the memoir “Big in China.” His children attended a British… Aug 24 17August 24, 2017Article at New York Times
‘I Owe China an Apology’: Ex-Expat Writer Alan Paul Explains WhyI owe China an apology. One of my most popular The Expat Life columns was about the rather intense and seemingly insane quest to get my Chinese driver’s license. That involved studying thousands of questions in badly translated English and scoring a… May 14 15May 14, 2015Article at WSJ
‘Dixie Doc’ at the Great Wall of China: Writer Alan Paul on Expat MemoriesSix years after moving back from Beijing, I no longer think about my 3-1/2 formative years in China on a daily basis. Repatriation is a long process and now the whole experience has been processed through my system and simply become a part of who I… Feb 10 15February 10, 2015Article at WSJ
‘Panda Dad’ Recollects ‘The Expat Life’When my wife Rebecca was named Wall Street Journal China Bureau Chief, I gave up my jobs as a Senior Writer for Guitar World and Slam magazines and moved to Beijing in August 2005. I was prepared to plunge into an exotic new culture but quite naïve… Feb 02 15February 02, 2015Article at WSJ
Eight Questions: Ryan Pyle, 'The Middle Kingdom Ride'By Alan Paul Canadian Ryan Pyle moved to China in 2002 and established himself as a freelance photographer, traveling the country shooting for a host of publications, including The Wall Street Journal. In 2010, he turned the lenses on himself and his… Mar 18 13March 18, 2013Article at WSJ
What's So Special About Chinese Rock?Canadian journalist Jonathan Campbell spent a decade immersed in Beijing's burgeoning music scene, as both a drummer and promoter. During my own time there (2005-09), I knew Campbell a bit - he played one gig with my band, Woodie Alan – and… Dec 07 12December 07, 2012Article at WSJ
Can Chinese Basketball Learn From Lin?Journalist Jim Yardley's story antenna started vibrating when "Boss Wang," the impulsive, bullying billionaire owner of the Taiyuan Brave Dragons, hired ex-NBA coach Bob Weiss to try to turn around the worst team in the Chinese Basketball… Feb 23 12February 23, 2012Article at WSJ
Panda Dad on Rules, Rights and Rock 'n' RollWhen I posted my 'Panda Dad' essay the other day, I didn't really know what to expect, but it certainly was not nearly 200 comments, pickups by several other blogs – and now a Today show appearance, scheduled for next Wednesday. I just had some… Apr 01 11April 01, 2011Article at WSJ
Into the Great Wide OpenThere are countless motivations for traveling, but most people abandon "throwing yourself into the deep end to see if you can swim" after they have kids. It just feels too risky to set off on aimless wanderings into parts unknown with children in… Mar 29 11March 29, 2011Article at WSJ
Tiger Mom…Meet Panda DadLIVE TONIGHT: The Journal's Katie Rosman will liveblog Amy Chua's appearance, with husband Jed Rubenfeld and older daughter Sophia, here. Follow on Twitter at @WSJIdeasMarket. I have watched the uproar over the Tiger Mom debate with growing annoyance… Mar 29 11March 29, 2011Article at WSJ
Alan Paul: Kind of (Beijing) Blue“Sometimes I see the world through Jefe’s eyes, rich in the color of another’s tasteI imagine this world in new degrees, through threads he spins like tapestries; saving the wonder others waste…” Alan Paul was part of a writing movement that picked… Mar 11 11March 11, 2011Article at Jambands
Black, Gold and RedDuring my three-and-a-half years living in Beijing, I went native in a lot of ways. I ate Chinese food for breakfast, lunch and dinner most days. I tried to shop in local markets as much as possible. And I never got the Slingbox or satellite TV… Jan 18 11January 18, 2011Article at WSJ
Sweet Home BeijingChangsha, China The scene at the windowless Coco Club, a "private club for successful people" in Hunan, Mao Zedong's home province, was improbable by any measure. A packed, drunken crowd of local high rollers was screaming for American roots music.… Sep 18 09September 18, 2009Article at WSJ
Kobe’s Next Conquest: ChinaOne of the great curiosities in modern sports is the Chinese people’s lavish affection for Kobe Bryant. During last year’s Beijing Olympics, he was greeted with a rapturous reception and mobbed everywhere he went. He appears in commercials and on… Jul 16 09July 16, 2009Article at WSJ
Signing OffThis will be my final Expat Life column. After three and a half years, 91 columns and six months back in the U.S. it is simply time to move on. My recent 13-day return visit to China helped me achieve closure with most parts of my existence there,… Jun 26 09June 26, 2009Article at WSJ
An Old Friend in China Searches for the Right PathI just returned from a 12-day return visit to China. The trip was prompted by the release of "Beijing Blues," the debut CD by my band Woodie Alan, and we played 10 shows in 10 days to mark the occasion. I never would have returned so soon without the… Jun 06 09June 06, 2009Article at WSJ
An Expat's ExoticaI always understood that living in Beijing seemed pretty wild to most people back in the U.S. On visits home I had to make a conscious decision whether to exaggerate or downplay the exoticism. The truth is that in a big, rapidly developing Chinese… May 09 09May 09, 2009Article at WSJ
Who Knew?The volume and intensity of response to my recent column on battling the repatriation blues caught me off guard. It is a subject to which virtually all expats who have returned home keenly relate, and almost uniformly feel isn't well understood by… Apr 24 09April 24, 2009Article at WSJ
It's China, or the JobMy work life was one of the many areas in which I was extremely fortunate during my China venture. I was able to maintain relationships with the two magazines I primarily worked for before moving -- Guitar World and Slam -- while also greatly… Apr 10 09April 10, 2009Article at WSJ
Combating the Repatriation BluesEveryone in my family has been battling the Beijing blues. Back in the U.S. for almost three months after three and a half years in China, we've settled down in school and work, and we are all basically doing fine. But sadness is creeping in. For the… Mar 20 09March 20, 2009Article at WSJ
