From East to West

During the current crisis, I have gained a greater level of appreciation for the Chinese capacity for solidarity.  Not only have the majority of individuals willingly complied with government-borne instruction on how to respond to the virus, but people have also been overwhelmingly complimentary of the Communist Party’s efforts to keep them safe.  I first witnessed firsthand their capacity to unite around a common cause and message back in 2008 when the Olympics were held in Beijing.  We had arrived in July of 2007, and so we were present for both the buildup to and production of the Olympic Games which were held in August during the summer of ’08. But before the Olympics were held, a devastating earthquake struck China’s Sichuan Province (immediately north of where we were living at the time).  The loss of life was more than 80,000.  There was also negative sentiment stirred up by some shoddy construction that had put the lives of students at risk. ...

I have been living in China off an on since 2007, and I wanted to take some time to introduce you to the place I have called home more often than not over the past thirteen years.  Prior to moving to the Far East, I had little concept of what was in store for me.   There was a certain mystique about the world’s most populous nation, but minimal understanding.   Now all these years later, there is still a great affection for the variety of people I have gotten to know over the years. My hope is that you might gain a new perspective as I have on the “Middle Kingdom.”  Thanks for tuning in!