China Daily's Hot Pot column is funny and hits home with expatriates who have spent enough time in the country to take delight in cultural differences and frustrations. The community of these 'friends of China' is just fluent enough in the rhythms of Chinese life to get comfortable, but still delighted by this country's capacity to modernize furiously yet remain true to itself. Deep chuckles and loud laughs await, and will make you want to stay just a few years longer.

Read all about it -- the wacky and wild side of China, that is.China Daily, the country's national English-language newspaper,compiles the zaniest, funniest and most thought-provoking Hotpot columns from its Life section in 101 Silly Stories from Cheerful China.The true stories told in these Hotpots serve as melting pots for cross-and sometimes crisscrossed-cultural communications among those who get up to funny business in the world's fastest growing economy.

Meet the woman named Duckmonster, learn about the mechanics of belly radiators and giggle about grabby cabbies that tickle their passengers -- and oh so much more of the best of the bizarre and worst of the wonky. Indeed, it's a crazy cast of Chinese characters and funny foreigners that make reading these English-language columns eyebrow-raising, jaw-dropping joviality.

101 Silly Stories from Cheerful China brings the lighter side of life in the Middle Kingdom to center stage, featuring close encounters of the weird kind, odd observations and magic moments as narrated by some of the premier English-language writers in the country. Mostly amusing, but with a touch of the touching, the best Hotpots have been boiled down to create lO1 Silly Stories from Cheerful China. These writings offer all of the ingredients needed to satisfy your appetite for the spice of life in one heck of a crazy country, a place where the incredible becomes ordinary, the ordinary becomes incredible and ordinary happenings can be incredibly funny.

I GENERALLY SPEAKING

I. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE WEIRD KIND

1 CEO soaks it in ... 1

2 Dealing with the Devils ...3

3 Thrill of being a fugitive ...5

4 Slithering out of darkness ...7

5 Bumps in the road ... 10

6 Touts turn out to be friendly ... 13

7 Stone phone calls through the ages ... 16

8 The big smile said it all ... 19

9 Porn dated at explicit exhibition ...21

10 Age no bar at Chinese clubs ...24

11 It's all downhill from here ...27

12 Reality check on a dream journey ...30

13 Beihai and I come of age ...33

2. FUNNY BUSINESS

14 Peddlers pack a punch ...35

15 Priceless joys of bargaining ...38

16 Cost in translation ...41

17 Making deals and friends ...44

18 Where you shop 'til you drop ...46

19 When money-hungry restaurateurs smell prey ...48

20 Fishing for the real deal ...50

3. ON THE RORD

21 Murphy's Law drives me crazy ...52

22 What the beep are you saying? ...55

23 Driven mad in a cab ...57

24 Getting a fix on happening Beijing ...59

25 Changing gears on life's road ...62

4. CHEW ON THIS

26 Serving up the table talk ._64

27 When Beijing sounds out ...66

28 Meetings with famous meats ...69

29 Steeped in culture, table talk brews ...72

30 Smoke in mirrors ...74

31 Superstition makes for hairy experience ...77

32 Surgical precision at the hospital ...79

33 Facing the music ...82

34 Now, KTV's music to my ears ...85

35 Dude, where's my phone? ...88

36 Buy, buy, buy, cell, cell cell ...91

II. Culture vultures

I. IN PLRIN LRNGURGE

37 Studying more to learn less ...93

38 Competition makes me feel small ...96

39 When babbling makes sense...99

40 Express route to my Mandarin misunderstandings... 102

41 Discovering a language like Indiana Jones... 105

42 More to language than just words... 107

43 A hellish contest with Devil Judge... / 10

Z. you NRME IT

44 In the name of the emperor... 113

45 The name's Bong, James Bong... 115

46 Rewriting the name game... 117

47 What's in a name, anyway?... 119

3. LRBORS OF LOVE

48 Getting married for the mob... 121

49 The formula for love... 124

50 Till death do us part... 127

51 Love's priceless, but weddings are expensive... 130

52 Putting love to the test... 132

53 A picture-perfect bride and groom... 134

54 Marital bliss is free and invaluable... 137

4. CELEBRRTE GOOD TIMES, C'MONI

55 The boogiemen's bash on Fright Night... 139

56 Santa Clause is limping to town... 142

57 Good trip, no fall... 145

58 Go gently into the New Year... 148

59 Celebrating a festival without festivities... 151

60 Love wrapped up in dumpling dough... 154

61 Dumplings stuffed with memories... 157

62 Having a blast during Spring Festival... 160

63 Swept up in family matters... 163

64 Remembering people and traditions lost... 166

5. MEETING THE RERL CHINESE

65 Learning life's lessons... 169

66 The godfather's not Marlin Brando... 172

67 Singing the Super Girl's praises... 175

68 Look behind to find kind folks... 178

69 He's gone in a puff of smoke... 181

70 Xi Shi is a cut above... 183

71 The impossible dream of Beijing's new red chambers... 185

72 Hearts warm the winter chill... 187

73 Mr Makeover colors our lives... 189

74 A finely wrought story... 192

75 Digging in on Labor Day... 195

76 Same old village, brand new livelihoods... 197

77 Saying goodbye at a traditional funeral...200

6. SURPRISE, SURPRISE

78 Tipping me over the edge...203

79 Honestly, try fibbing some time...206

80 Swimming with the Beijing icebergs...209

81 Blessing of the Golden Flower...211

82 What the fengshuimaster revealed...213

83 Losing a perfect job opportunity...215

84 "Chi fan le ma"- always a safe question ...217

85 Mechanics of the bare-belly radiator ...220

86 The good news of rediscovering ritual ...222

87 How trinkets tell 10-second stories ...225

7. THE FUNNY THING IS

88 Jokes are a funny way to learn ...227

89 Chinese know no humor ...229

90 Why Chinese humor is so funny ...231

8. THINK RBOUT IT

91 Ancient wisdom for modern life ...233

92 Waiting for the white rabbit ...236

93 Lessons from the old wise guys ...238

94 Stories that pack a powerful punch ...240

95 Hugging the boundaries of personal space ...243

9. R CLRSS OF THEIR OWN

96 My meter-high bilingual master ...246

97 Life with ducks, chickens and woodpeckers ...249

98 Double trouble for bicultural twins ...252

99 Fueling the fire of tot's desire ...255

100 What's the rush, ent-boy? ...257

EPILOGUE

101 Trapped in the revolving door ...260