Beijing doesn't really have a long autumn - it's one of the shortest in China, due to it's unique geographical location in China's northeast, and that means that around the time that the leaves are turning orange back home, the Mongolian winds start blowing from the north.

That means that it gets cold here in Beijing pretty quickly. Luckily for all of us, the government provides free heating to every citizen - every apartment building is equipped with some form of communal heating, typically radiant. The problem is that the free government heating doesn't come on until November 15th, which is around the time that it begins to become necessary for survival.

However, this isn't my first time experiencing China's cold autumns. My time living in Ha'erbin, in China's far-flung Heilongjiang province, has left me hardened to the moderately cold weather. And I'm taking precautions.

• Autumn Gloves for Bike Riding: 9.9 RMB
• Fuzzy Slippers with Hard Rubber Soles: 20 RMB
• Vodka to Take the Edge Off: 10 RMB
• And, of course, my spiderman thermal underwear: Priceless

I'm thinking that this winter is going to be fine - as the weather gets colder, I'll just keep buying progressively more clothing. I wish there was something I could do about the tile floors in this place, but there's something you all have to understand about China: there isn't a lick of carpeting in this entire country, unless you count that fake-antique rug crap they sell in the states. No, they consider carpets to be worse than unnecessary - having lived with tile floors for so long, Chinese people understand how much dust and crap really accumulates on the floor, and hiding it in a carpet the way we foreigners do just doesn't work for them.

I'll bite. I just wish my floor didn't radiate so much cold - when I stand up, my head's in a nice, balmy climate, but my feet are dying down here - well, actually, now that I've got my fuzzy slippers (with hardened rubber soles so I can wear them in the bathroom) things are doing much better down in foot country.