Big Noses in Beijing

About the Book

What would it be like to pack up the family and go to live in China for three years? To swap the clean air and convenience of North America for the chaos and clamour of the world’s most populous nation?

Journey with Sally Grattidge behind the bamboo curtain as she strives to raise a family, see some of the country and generally have a life while learning to cope with the culture, the language and the ubiquitous "China factor." From the exhilaration of mastering Mandarin and visiting fascinating places, to the despair and sheer frustration of trying to get the simplest things done, the narrative sweeps the reader along on an expatriate roller-coaster ride. Throughout it all, the author paints an intimate portrait of the Chinese people, as she discovers what they are really like beneath that inscrutable public face.

About the Author

A spellbinding trip to India as a teenager gave Sally Grattidge an enduring passion for travel . . . and for telling the stories. Her piquant observations have been published in magazines in Asia and North America. A native of Scotland, Sally lives in Calgary, Canada with her husband and three small boys.