Posts by Michael Taylor

The woes of Chinese street food vendors – by Michael Taylor

THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARED IN RAMBLIN' MIK

It’s 4am. In the damp dark coolness of morning in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, nothing seems to stir – huge expanses of roads are left empty, basking in the unused yellow glow of street lamps. You could be forgiven for thinking that the whole city is sleeping, but if you look behind the huge, developed face of Ningbo, into some of the darker corners and alleyways away from the main roads, you will find someone like Mrs X – who does not wish to be named – busily preparing for the day ahead. She, and thousands like her across China, is an unlicensed street food vendor.

Strangers on a train, with bad intentions – by Michael Taylor

A few years ago I decided to visit my friend Tom who was teaching English in Xichang, Sichuan province. I knew nothing about the place, except for my friend’s description of it as a lot more lawless and wild than Beijing. So I packed my bag with a few clothes and my passport, and headed down to Beijing West station to buy a ticket and get on the next train.