Archive - Tales of the Orient by Simon Ostheimer

Forever Shanghaied

In 1992, former chartered engineer Ben Zabulis visited Shanghai (in fact, China) for the first time, a trip of exploration that began a lifelong love…

Jun 20 •

Put It On a T-Shirt

Meet Dominic Johnson-Hill, artist, raconteur, and former owner of the coolest t-shirt shop in Beijing (possibly China), who has found a new home in the…

Jun 6 •

Simon Ostheimer

On the anniversary of my father's birthday, I've compiled several tributes that came in when he passed away in March 2020, which I felt unable to…

Jun 4 •

Simon Ostheimer

April 2025

Meet Mark Kitto, former British army soldier turned China media mogul, who lost it all and reinvented himself as an author and actor - including a turn…

Apr 25 •

Simon Ostheimer

March 2025

He gave his life to the land, and - in establishing a protected nature reserve dedicated to preserving the indigenous trees of Malaysia - has left a…

Mar 14 •

Simon Ostheimer

February 2025

Panda-pocalypse

How we went to the southwest Chinese city of Chengdu on a trip to see the pandas, and entered a pollution-filled haze that the air quality index said…

Feb 28 •

Simon Ostheimer

Gateway to China

Welcome to Xiamen, 'China's Gate', a remarkable city on the country's southeast shores that has a long and illustrious history, fantastic weather, and…

Feb 21 •

Simon Ostheimer

January 2025

Food writer and one-time chef Chris St Cavish leads me on a xiao long bao tour, where we discover how the famed soup dumpling can help tell the story of…

Jan 24 •

Simon Ostheimer

It's a Long Way to the Top

To mark the end of 2024 I did something unexpected, and possibly foolhardy. Inspired by a (fitter) friend, I climbed to the top of China's famed Yellow…

Jan 17 •

Simon Ostheimer

Phnom Penh Bites

Discover the many tastes of the Kingdom of Wonder on this list of some of my favorite restaurants in Cambodia's hectic, but charming capital, and my…

Jan 10 •

Simon Ostheimer

November 2024

A Shanghai Story

Meet Gerry O'Sullivan, Irish-Australian author of 'Gangsters of Shanghai', a ripping police yarn that delves into the sordid glamor of Shanghai in the…

Nov 1, 2024 •

Simon Ostheimer

October 2024

In the mid 1980s, barely any foreigners had visited China, let alone lived there - but American Brian Linden was already on the ground, and headed…

Oct 25, 2024 •

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