This week I bring on another fellow expat here in Beijing and we talk a lot about what life is like in China both now and when he first came over over a decade ago. Hailing from Detroit, Michigan, David is a writer and editor now based in Beijing, China and is an active participant in the arts community. In this episode David shares stories of living and travelling throughout the USA and China and some of the changes he’s seen over the last twenty years. Also in the ESL industry, we talk about the current state of the industry and whether or not it’s a good idea for people to go overseas to teach these days. We also talk a lot about learning languages as we share a common challenge of currently learning Mandarin Chinese. Some of the artists and creative types Dave mentions throughout the podcast: Poets: Carl Sandburg, Wallace Stevens, Ezra Pound, John Berryman Bands: The Mendoza Line, Black Flag, The Stooges, (maybe) Vladimir’s Universe Chinese bands: Carsick Cars, Brain Failure, New Age of Decay Rappers: Jackson Turner (RIP) Gamelon guy: Lou Harrison Artist/musician: Matthew Lusk (he has my 1983 drum machine) Art group: The Nessa School Chinese Magazine: Spitoon Find David on Twitter @unionherald. Show notes up at https://www.stevensirski.com/ssp23-david-horton/