Expat in China

At age 40, Greg and Heidi Rhodes kept a rash promise to each other made 17 years earlier, when the naive, mortgage-free expats swore to return to China with their own children. Arriving back in the Middle Kingdom in 2005, they were surprised to find their former home city, Chengdu, unrecognizable. Familiar landmarks and expectations had been swept away by China's rushing tide of progress, replaced by glass skyscrapers, McDonald's restaurants, and a frenetic scramble to get ahead. Armed with a scant few remembered phrases of Chinese, two unsuspecting offspring, and (sometimes) healthy curiosity, the Rhodes set about learning to navigate their city, and their family, on brand-new terms. Join the family as they toast China with drunken college students and battle a Buddhist monk with inflatable baseball bats. Always honest, often funny and at times poignant, Expat in China tells of a year filled with surprises, challenges, and adventures.

At age 40, Greg and Heidi Rhodes kept a rash promise to each other made 17 years earlier, when the naive, mortgage-free expats swore to return to China with their own children. Arriving back in the Middle Kingdom in 2005, they were surprised to find their former home city, Chengdu, unrecognizable. Familiar landmarks and expectations had been swept away by China's rushing tide of progress, replaced by glass skyscrapers, McDonald's restaurants, and a frenetic scramble to get ahead. Armed with a scant few remembered phrases of Chinese, two unsuspecting offspring, and (sometimes) healthy curiosity, the Rhodes set about learning to navigate their city, and their family, on brand-new terms. Join the family as they toast China with drunken college students and battle a Buddhist monk with inflatable baseball bats. Always honest, often funny and at times poignant, Expat in China tells of a year filled with surprises, challenges, and adventures.

Twice Greg Rhodes and his wife, Heidi, have lived as expats in China, once many years ago (1988-1989) and again more recently, in 2005-2006. The first trip was a post-college, pre-career exploit in the still-emerging country, and the second was a family adventure with their two children in the rapidly modernizing nation. Between trips Greg has worked for others and worked for himself while always wondering where those planes taking off at the airport were going. Greg has a passion for photography and local people when he travels, and his list of places to visit just keeps getting longer.