Monthly Archives: July 2005

Beijing is constantly changing. There is a massive effort underway to improve, clean, energize, stabilize, etc the city before the 2008 Olympics. [What you didn’t know that the 2008 Olympics are going to be held in Beijing?] The subway now … Continue reading →

I picked up a copy of Beijing’s 1983 Statistical Yearbook Sunday morning in panjiayuan. [n.b. I overpaid. He asked for 20, and I gave him 15 yuan, which is less than US$2 for something that has much more value than … Continue reading →

China is so often viewed as monolithic that we ignore that keeping the appearance of unity is a costly endeavor. Chinese from Guangdong may not think that secession is a viable political option, but the rotation of both political and … Continue reading →

To the Zhangs, my excellent hosts for my far too brief stay inChengdu. From freshly brewed Brazilian coffee to wonderful hot pot banquets with the extended family to patience with my inability to express myself in Sichuanese, my visit was … Continue reading →

Businesses use colors to differentiate themselves here in theover-saturated, over-populated urban Chinese environment. [N.B. Chinese television advertisements are absolutely incomprehensible to me for the same reason. Constant motion, images flashing on and off, voices blaring…. No car dealership in Indiana … Continue reading →

Airline tickets are a commodity with very little productdifferentiation other than price and time; however, if you are flying domestically in China, I have two recommendations: avoid Shandong airlines and fly Hainan Air if you possibly can. Hainan had a … Continue reading →

I have not read Plato’s Republic for a long time, but the story of the cave has come into clear focus for me through the succulence of Sichuanese cuisine. Last summer at Peking University, I ate the same dish almost … Continue reading →