New book.

 One of the main reasons I went back to China last time was for the release of my book in Chinese and English. When I was there in 2012, I had made arrangements with a publishing house called Xiamen University Press. Peter and I both taught at Xiamen University when we were in China. This university is pretty famous over there, although probably no one in Australia would have heard of it. The campus we taught on was new only about 3 years old and still being developed.

I had previously emailed Xiamen University Press after working my way through their Chinese website trying to find out how to contact someone there who spoke English. I finally did, and the main editor there read my book and agreed to publish it in a bi-lingual form, English and Chinese. 

Quite a few books are published this way, with the English wording on one page and the Chinese wording on the facing page. Here are a couple of pictures….the book cover and the university building where the launch was held.

  

Haha, of course, being Chinese the arrangements changed a few times in the last few days. The launch was supposed to be on a Saturday, but then it was discovered that that didn't suit some important people who were coming. But I had already told some of my friends in China who had already made their plans to travel to Xiamen for the launch. Then the second date didn't suit so it had to be changed again. Eventually a date was settled on, but only one of my friends could come in the end. But it was a good day with a good attendance, and I gave an hour’s lecture on writing the book etc.

This building is just inside the main university gate, you can
just see the gate on the left, perhaps we would call it an entrance
rather than a gate. Chinese people get mixed up with 'gate' and
door or entrance. They will often say to meet at the 'gate' of a shop'
rather than the door.

The book is now available in most Chinese book shops and also at Xiamen University Press’s website.

Here are a few pictures of the university buildings and where we taught.

We had to travel from home by bus to the ferry then by ferry
to the mainland, (about 20 minutes) then bus again to the
uni buildings. The smaller ferry on the right here is like the ones
we would take. The ferries were timed to suit the teachers
timetables, so we didn't have to wait long for them.

Inside the ferry...full of teachers off to the campus that was on the
mainland. Xaimen is a small island, joined to the mainland by bridges
but it was a long way to go by road to the uni.

This was where our apartment was, very nice modern area. Our
apartment is in the building on the right by the white car.

Uni hotel and administration building. It also held the staff
canteen. Buses took staff all around the campus. It covered a huge
area and took quite a long time to walk it.

One of the new buildings almost ready to be used.

The entire university, all campuses had
distinctive architecture. You can see some
buses here waiting to take the teachers
to the ferry after class.

The teaching buildings, five floors high.