Note: this post was originally posted to ChinaSource. A couple of months ago, after a morning service at my church, a woman approached me with three books in her hand. She had been born in Beijing in 1948, the daughter of Baptist missionaries (Dale and Alma Bjork). Her mother had recently passed away and she…
China
Being Counted
I finally did my civic duty this weekend and filled out my census form. I noted with interest that this is the first time I remember being counted as part of the population of the United States. When I was young, we lived in Pakistan, so doubt I or my family were included in the…
Rejuvenation Express
When China began building its amazing high speed rail system in the early 2000s, Hu Jintao was the leader of China. As with all leaders, he had a slogan or catchphrase that was used (ad nauseum) to symbolize his rule. With Hu Jintao, the slogan was “build a harmonious society.” For his 8 years in…
Who Was Liu Xiaobo?
You may have seen on the news on Thursday that imprisoned Chinese dissident and Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo passed away from liver cancer in a hospital in northeast China. He had been sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2009 for his part in the writing of “Charter 08,” a document calling for political reform…
Soon, and Very Soon
It’s a new year, and after a break I’m firing this blog back up. One of the things I’ve been working on in the hiatus is this: Watch for details next week!
Do You Know Where Your Underwear is Made?
I’m guessing that the answer “somewhere in China” popped into your head when you saw the title of this post. And of course you’d be correct. But which town in China? Can you answer that question? Last week I ran across a great video, produced by The Economist, that takes a look at Gurao, a…