Even though I had come looking for them, I was still surprised at the sight — wagon wheel ruts and the footprints of a child in the weathered sidewalk of a small town on the Minnesota prairie. I had seen them before, back in the 1960’s, but did not expect that they would still be visible […]
Friday Photo: Relaxing
On a cold day in Beijing, there’s no better thing to do than sit in the sun along the red wall near the Forbidden City.
All Together Now
Last month, The Atlantic published a series of amazing photos from China showing people — lots of people — doing things in unison. I had a good chuckle because seeing people do things as a group is a fairly common site in China. Students (from pre-school to university) learn how to march in step and do […]
Friday Photo: Descending Into Hong Kong
Another thing I miss about living in Beijing is the opportunity to travel, not just around China, but all over Asia. Of course, the fabulous city of Hong Kong was a frequent destination, usually to attend meetings, but sometimes just to get “out.” A few months before moving back to Minnesota, I got to fly […]
Imagine Having to Answer These Questions
Last week more than 9 million Chinese high school students sat for the annual college entrance examination, a test for which they have spent the last 2 years of high school preparing for. It’s a make-or-break rite of passage in China. If a student passes, he/she gets to enter the Chinese higher education system. This will mean […]
Friday Photo: Satisfaction
I took this one in Zhengzhou during my first year in China, way back in 1984. So many things are typical of China at that time–the layers of clothes on the kid; the face mask; the orange soda (no Cokes yet); the bicycles with the plastic baskets. But one thing is universal — the look on […]
