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We are Lily and David Cooke.  Lily is Chinese, David is English.  We have been married for eighteen years and live in South Warwickshire, in the United Kingdom.

Being regular visitors to China, we are often asked to comment on various aspects of this fascinating and rapidly changing country.

Our problem has been, however, that all too frequently we find ourselves talking to people whose image of China has already been conditioned by a combination of media misinformation, the negative propaganda of a few misguided liberals, and the socio-political expediencies of the so-called "West".

In the face of such conditioning, is it even possible for people like us to comment on the real China?

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The ancient Chinese classic "Dao de Jing" begins with the line:

Dao ke dao fei chang dao

The true meaning of this stansa is almost too deep to bear translation, but if we were to try to give it meaning in English we might come up with something like:

"The principle that can be (conceptualised as) the principle is no longer (by virtue of having been conceptualised) the real principle."

That being the case, perhaps we might also be allowed to say:

"The China that can be (talked about as) China is no longer (by virtue of having been talked about) the real China."

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But how do you talk about China without actually talking about China?  Well, perhaps we could begin by letting go of all our preconceptions about that country and allowing China to talk to us.

And in a sense, that is what this website is all about.  By putting our own experiences (and those of a few close friends and family members) onto the web, it is just possible that somewhere in all this "talking without talking" the real China might -- just might -- begin to be heard.

So in the final analysis, as well as being about "Our China" --- the China that we experience and the people that we meet --- we hope that this website will provide a platform for some fascinating stories that otherwise might never be told.   Enjoy!

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Lily & David in Zhu Jia Yu, near Jinan


What do we mean when we say: "... a combination of media misinformation,

"Look, it's not about news", explained David, after Lily's latest outburst against what she regarded as Anti-Chinese bias on the part of the media, "it's about readership and viewing figures. Media companies are commercial entities. They simply can't afford to let the truth come between themselves and a good story."
the negative propaganda of a few misguided liberals,
... who seem able to spend inordinate amounts of time and energy in highlighting the "plight" of a handful of troublemakers while conveniently ignoring the opinions of the vast majority of ordinary Chinese people, the incredible journey they have embarked upon, and their immense pride in what they have achieved since Liberation.
and the socio-political expediencies,
As when Gordon Brown agreed to meet the Dalai Lama ("we must maintain the facade of democracy and liberality") but declined to invite him to 10 Downing Street ("we can't afford to upset the Chinese any more than we have to -- after all, we've got our own Games in four years time!").
of the West"?

And if that is the case, what does the "real China", look like?
The fact is, there are almost as many "Chinas" as there are people writing about China.

From the Western journalist, seeing the country mainly through the eyes and ears of his/her interpreters, to the backpacking tourist, seeing the whole expanse of Chinese history, culture, people and politics through the pages of “Lonely Planet”.

All these versions of China are entirely valid -- in their own way -- but they are not our China.
And what do we mean by "Our China"?
On our visits to China we try to stay for at least part of the time with family or friends.

Living with ordinary Chinese people, in ordinary Chinese neighbourhoods, enables us to learn more about the everyday concerns and aspirations of the ordinary Chinese people.

Travelling further afield around China, we usually stay in the very cheapest Chinese-style hotels, living and mixing with as many different kinds of people as we can.

At all times we endeavour to live as closely as possible to the people we meet. This is the China we wish to put on our website.


Demonstration of a box to hold extra snippets of information when needed.

"New China" from the Liberation era to the present day.  (Coming soon.)