Explosive Start

I ducked involuntarily as the first set of explosions went off and made my way in double time to the street corner, where I had spotted an arcade that could be used for shelter. Running quickly in a crouched, military maneuver while inhaling gunpowder fumes, I was totally oblivious to the laughter and head-shaking coming     

My Visit to Tibet

Like so many other people in the West, for a long time I have had a very romantic idea of Tibet as a mystical fantasy land. When, before the Beijing Olympics, somebody asked me what I thought about the riots in Lhasa, I realized I didn＇t really know anything about the past or the present reality in Tibet! This made me decide to start learning about the history and the current reality in Tibet.     

Qipao Comeback

正WHEN I was about 13 years old,a shop called Shaolin opened up in my hometown in southeast England.At that time,I had no idea what or where the name Shaolin came from–my friends and I would pronounce it"shay-oh lin"–but after my first visit to the shop,I was certain it would become a firm favorite on our list of places-to-hang-out on a Saturday afternoon.Shaolin was an Aladdin’s cave of Chinese goods.On entering,you were fi rst struck by atmospheric,dim lighting and the heady smell of incense.Then,the sounds:A CD of bamboo flute music accompanied by sounds of nature,and the tinkle of wind chimes evoked a sense of calm that made you want to stop and browse.For me,these sensory experiences became synonymous with"the Orient,"and     

The changing face of Dongbei

A fewyears ago, taking the train to Shanhaiguan, I noticed it was going on to Changchun, a city I knew very little about. In fact, there seemed little incentive for me to go to the Northeast because I had the preconception that it was all declining heavy industry. I had no idea of its physical or cultural diyer-sity and its great tourism potential. Nor did I appreciate the efforts being made to revitalise the area and move to a modern economy. Recent visits, although brief, have shown me there is a lot to see and to experience. A longer return visit features in my future plans.     

My Pantheon of Chinese Teachers

正On my Chinese language learning journey,I have encountered several invaluable teachers. When I first started learning Mandarin in my native United States, I took classes at an international language center near my home.My first teacher was Fiona, an immigrant from China’s Taiwan. Fiona made it her mission to fine-tune our ears to the phonetic pitfalls of Chinese. She had a beautiful soprano voice and taught us the Chinese phonetic alphabet song.The sheet music to the song had a cartoon of a little horse clutching a microphone and singing karaoke.     

Journey to the West

For as long as I can remember,my dad had talked of the jewel in China's western territory,Tibet Autonomous Region.As a student of international relations and Chinese,I have been living in China for the past three years.Tibet was a region I was desperate to see but its remoteness and my inability to find the right time to go delayed my journey.After a few e-mails back and forth with my dad,who is based in the UK.     

Deng Zhonghan：Microchips for China

I saw a parade of floats from the reviewing stand on Tian＇anmen Square at the celebration of the 5oth anniversary of the PRC, and was impressed at the achievements they displayed in agriculture, national defense and education. But at the same time I felt ashamed at having made so many excellent microchips in Silicon Valley in the U.S., but none for my home country. It was then that I made the decision to come back to China.＂ Deng Zhonghan （John Deng）, vice president of China Association for Science and Technology and academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, remembers clearly this moment of truth 14 years ago.     

Riding a Train For 38 Hours

Irecently had some free time in between studying and starting a new job, and decided to go traveling. For some reasons the things I usually found charmingly strange about Beijing had just annoyed me during those last days of the semester,     

AN ARDUOUS BUT WARM JOURNEY--Care and compassion makes an overseas returnee's journey to China less stressful

It was late March and the number of novel coronavirus disease(COVID-19)cases in the U.S.was surging.My classes had moved online,and it was crunch time for me.Should I stay or should I go?I thought long and hard before deciding to cut short my studies as a visiting scholar in the School of Journalism,University of Missouri,and head back home to Beijing.     

Friendly Competition

Recently,I had the chance to attend the Ehbor Cup Tour of Fuzhou,which was a three-day,three-stage cycling event open to professionals and amateurs alike from all over Asia.Unfortunately,I wasn’t a competitor.I’m not quite fit enough to make it up a mountain at my own pace,let alone when trying to beat more than 100 other people.I’m not sure I’d want to see myself in spandex either.However,it was from my comfortable,and physically un-strenuous,position on the sidelines that I had time to reflect a little.     

A Clear Sight Into Myopia

正A white paper reveals the high prevalence of myopia among the Chinese and the high socio-economic cost incurredAs a toddler, Beijing boy Xiaoming was curious about his mother’s spectacles.From time to time, he would grab them from his mother and try them on himself.He had fun wearing them, while the sight of the huge, thick glasses upon his small,innocent face also made     

China Re-Visited and Progress Reviewed

FROM 7th to 19th October1993 I visited the People'sRepublic of China with a delega-tion of five other members fromBangladesh and had an uniqueopportunity to see the changesthat took place in China aftermy first visit in 1982. In 1982 I visited Beijing,Guanzhou, Shanghai and Hang-zhou and this time, besides Bei-jing and Guangzhou, the threenew places were Xian, Kunming     

Chinese Characters No Double Dutch

So cute! Your handwriting is the equivalent of babytalk,＂ was the reception I got when I proudly showed my Chinese friends theChinese characters I had painstakingly brushed, At that time, I had just started life as a college student majoring in Asian Science, early in the game to come to the realization that I was merely imitating - the ＂double Dutch＂ phase of children＇s language learning, and successful Chinese ＂immersion＂ would be a long haul.     

THE PARTY AND THE WORLD

正In 1936, U.S. journalist Edgar Snow made his first visit to Yan'an, Shaanxi Province, home to the headquarters of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China(CPC) during the late 1930 s and early 1940 s. At that time, China faced a severe crisis from Japanese aggression while the corrupt Kuomintang regime refused to form a united front of resistance with the CPC. The CPC-led Red Army had just settled down in north Shaanxi after an epic military trek called the Long March to break the siege of the Kuomintang forces and fight the Japanese aggressors.     

AN ARDUOUS BUT WARM JOURNEY

正Care and compassion makes an overseas returnee’s journey to China less stressful It was late March and the number of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the U.S. was surging. My classes had moved online, and it was crunch time for me. Should I stay or should I go? I thought long and hard before deciding to cut short my studies as a visiting scholar in the School of Journalism, University of Missouri, and head back home to Beijing.     

China's Contribution to International Human Rights During the Past Seventy Years

正I. Introduction This year marks the 70~(th) anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. Consequently, this is a suitable moment to reflect on the contributions made by China to international human rights.Seventy years is a very long time, and much has happened during this period.Therefore, such a review by definition needs to be selective.     

Following In the Steps of Emperors

"The world is small,"said Confucius.When he made that comment he was standing 1,545 reelers above sea level on the top of Taishan Mountian.When I stood in the same spot,I wondered if the great sage had a premonition about globalization,or he just marveled at the bird's-eye view. I lost count of the steps after 30 minutes. The part of my brain that switches off when I do anything strenuous signaled shutdown and my feet moved metronomically.I kept telling myself I was following in the foot- steps of 72 emperors,Confucius and even Chairman Mao Zedong himself.Suddenly the phrase"one step at a time"took on a     

LETTERS

Irecently read your article .entitled ＂Coupling and Unoupling Chinese Style＂ with great interest. Though the events mentioned in the article weren＇t part of my life, I know them to be true. My parents told me that they had bowed to a portrait of Chairman Mao at their wedding, a must for any wedding process of the time. The gifts they received were mostly wash basins and thermal flasks, several of which remained unused till I was a teenager.     

Getting Lost in Chinese Menus

正Just over two months ago, I returned to Beijing for the second time, six years after my first visit to the city and after having studied Chinese for two years. What was the first thing on my mind as I emerged into the city from Dongsishitiao subway station? Before I found my hostel, and before I bought a Chinese SIM card, there was something I needed to do which I had been craving for so many years: one of Beijing's street-side snacks. During the weeks leading up to my departure, I had not been able to stop thinking about the world of food     

Restoring Faith

Life in Lhasa returns to normal after violent riots It was 7:30 p.m.on March 26.Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous Region and a world-famous tourist attraction,was unnaturally quiet.Many stores and res- taurants had alreadv locked their doors. There was little traffic and few pedestrians on the streets.From time to time a police car cruised by on patrol."I was so afraid when I saw the bad