currency wars

This pretty much explains it. Enjoy!


[HT: Wronging Rights]

aggregated china posts #4

This may well be the last of MissBeee's posts on our China trip:

Lazy Lijiang Days.

Food.

Previous posts on our 2010 China trip:

a great wall day

aggregated post on china trip

aggregated china post #2

stealing from the best -- aggregated china posts #3

someone's grandparents went to china

stealing from the best -- aggregated china posts #3

I'm "aggregating" posts again. Three posts are a continuation of MissBeee's series about our China trip. She has some great pics:

1) Xi'an: Er.
2) Going South.
3) Tiger Leaping Gorge.

Plus another post from Mrs. B. about last weekend in NH:

A month of this and that.....

The pic above is at the guesthouse in Lijiang.

Earlier posts about our trip to China:
a great wall day
aggregated post on china trip
someone's grandparents went to china
aggregated china post #2

aggregated china post #2

I again find myself able to aggregate some posts about our China trip last month. This time I collected two of them from my lovely daughter Missbeee:

1) Parents 2) Xi'an

Be blessed!
RB

someone's grandparents went to china

[July 4, 2010]

aggregated post on china trip

RB hasn't posted much on the trip to China.

However, for the past week Mrs. B has.

So why shouldn't RB free ride?

Excuse me. This is not free-riding. RB is merely a techno-savvy aggregator.

[Mrs. B thinks the above sign was designed especially for RB.]

1) Back

2) The Forbidden City

3) Jingshan Park

4) The Great Wall

5) Summer Palace

6) Beijing Olympic Site

7) Temple of Heaven

a great wall day

Today (Thursday) we went to the Great Wall. This is a mandatory tourist event and it takes about eight hours. First you buy your ticket and wait on a bus. Today had rain early on so it wasn't the popular day to visit the Wall. As a result we had to wait an extra hour for the bus to fill. These folks don't waste empty seats.

Except for one other couple, everyone on the bus was Chinese and the tour guide did not speak English. This turned out to be a blessing. The first 40 minutes of the bus ride she spoke nonstop and fast. Then she stopped for five to ten seconds to ask the driver a question and then started up again. I have never seen someone talk so long so nonstop and so fast.

We had to stop at a jade factory, which consisted of a ten by ten room where a couple of guys were cutting jade and a humongous room where dozens of women tried to sell you jade.

We spent a couple of hours at the Wall and the sun came out for us. Now we are really tired. Not so much from today but from yesterday: eight hours on our feet on concrete at Tienanmen Square, The Forbidden City and Jingshan Park.

Be blessed!
RB

moving across twelve time zones.

Mrs. B. and RB leave for China on Monday. We have the visas in our passports, tickets for international travel, tickets for China domestic travel, lodging reservations (with copies in both English and Chinese) as well as a Beijing Metro map.

We are scheduled to arrive Tuesday afternoon in Beijing, play tourist for a few days, and then travel to see MissBeee in Weihai (point A on map) on Saturday.

In the meantime we are busy with all the last minute stuff to get ready.

Be blessed!
RB

China Turns 60 | Foreign Policy

Photo Essay: China Turns 60 | Foreign Policy

Shared via AddThis

outsourcing guilt

Yesterday I stopped at the SLU Library on my way home and picked up a couple of new books from the "browsing section." I've already finished off one, Jan Wong's A Comrade Lost and Found. It is an autobiographical tale of her search a couple of years ago for a long-lost acquaintance from university days. Days in the early 70's when Canadian Wong was one of the first foreign students at Beijing University. Days in the middle of the ten-year reign of terror known as the Cultural Revolution.

Now a journalist, Wong was then a young "Maoist wannabe" and Marxist True Believer who voluntarily ratted on a bright young Chinese student for expressing a desire to go to America. This women disappeared soon after. Under a burden of guilt, the fifty-ish Wong returns to Beijing for a month-long, quixotic quest to discover what happened to one of the Cultural Revolution's millions of victims, in a country with a collective amnesia of, and missing records from, that decade.

I recommend the book, an entertainingly fast read, a combination guide to present-day Beijing and a detective story of tracking down a long-lost woman thirty years after the fact in a country of over a billion people.

Against all odds, Ms. Wong finds the woman, hears her story of suffering internal exile and punishment as well as of her story of eventual financial and social success in modern China.

Wong of course apologized for ratting her out. It eased her guilt a bit to be forgiven by the victim as well as to learn her part in the downfall was actually relatively minor.

The book ends with a sense of closure, even on a note of redemption. However, there is also a sense of incompleteness. Ms. Wong knows that all she did, and all she received in terms of forgiveness, was not enough. She and everyone did all they could, but it was not enough to undo all the wrong she committed as a young woman.

The book ends with its own sort of collective amnesia. Like the Chinese who try to forget, ignore, and be silent about Cultural Revolution because it was so terrible and because so many victims also victimized others that there is nothing that can be done now, Wong wants to think that since there is nothing more that can be done about what she did, things must be passingly okay.

I don't think she really believes it though.

She is right. It is not good enough. There is nothing she herself can do to make it good enough. No one can doubt her sincere desire to make things right. No amount of human effort can make things right.

There is only one source of complete redemption, only one source of complete and total forgiveness for what she did. Ms. Wong, as do the rest of us, needs to outsource her redemption. We all need to accept what Jesus Christ did on the cross: His payment, His redemption, His forgiveness.

Anything else is ultimately phony. Deep down inside, we all know but try to forget that our best is just not good enough. We tend not to recognize the truth of the situation because we can't handle the truth. Any other way that tries to bypass the truth of Jesus is incomplete, unsatisfying, and ultimately dishonest.

We have a great God who is not only able to redeem the guilty, but is desirous to redeem the guilty who are completely undeserving of redemption.

That my friend is grace. That my friend is the love that surpasses all understanding.

Be blessed.
RB

small beginnings and the hui of the lord

In Tuesday's post about the Hui (pronounced way, Chinese Muslims) I mentioned that it took 10 years for the first 50 Hui to be saved. Then it took another five years to go from 50 to 200 Hui believers, a growth rate of almost 32%. At that rate it will take just another 39 1/2 years for all 50 million Hui to come to Christ.

If it took five years to go from 50 to 200, how many of the Hui will be saved during the last five years of the 39 1/2 years? 37.5 million. Only 12.5 million will be saved in the first 34 1/2 years. Three out of four Hui would come to know Christ after, in the last five of nearly 40 years of work.

How long will it take for half of the Hui (25 million) to come to Christ at this rate? 37 years and three months. That means the last 25 million, the last half, will be in the last 2 years and 3 months.

This is the miracle of compound interest or geometric growth. It doesn't seem much is happening but little by little it grows until at the end it seems to explode. It goes slowly for thirty-four years, the vast majority of Hui are unsaved, less than one in four know Christ. After three dozen years not even half are saved.

Then BAM!

The growth rate isn't any different than when going from 50 to 200. The effectiveness is the same. However, if it were not for the diligence of those leading the Hui to the Lord when the numbers of new believers is small, the growth would be stopped in its tracks. There would never be the explosion decades later. It is getting started, getting the ball rolling, that is the most important. Without the hard work when few results are seen in actual numbers, the base for future growth never gets established.

Maybe this helps explain the following verse:

Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin....
~ Zechariah 4:10 (NLT)

isa al-masiah in china.

This is from a newsletter from a family in China who minister to the Hui (Chinese Muslims).

It took 10 years to go from zero to 50 (average five real believers per year), then five years to go from 50 to 200, so at this rate of multiplication, how long to see all of the 50 million Hui to Christ?

They had no answer. So I pulled out my financial calculator. 50 to 200 in five years is a compounded annual growth rate of 31.95%

To get to from 200 to 50,000,000 at that rate (compounded) would take about 39 years and six months.

That is really not very long now is it?

Also from the same newsletter:

This past week, one of our Christian Egyptian brothers living here said, "I am very upset, I saw a bumper sticker in Arabic on a car today here in China...I would never see in Egypt,...it said, "Fight and slay the Infidel"...then later another Chinese brother said, "The Hui are posting on the internet that they are upset that so many of the Hui are becoming Christians."

Might it be time for believers to become intercessors?

BTW: Isa Al-Masiah is Arabic for Jesus the Messiah.

the sky is high and the emperor is far away

Some think of China as a highly controlled society where heavy-handed government power decides what is allowed and what is prohibited. Fortunately, the truth is that the economy is so large, so diverse, that government can not keep track of the tens of thousands of small factories in the country, let alone know what they are actually doing.

A case in point: The BBC reports that a Chinese factory has been manufacturing "Free Tibet" flags. I love it. A Chinese factory is making flags for protesters whom the government is trying to suppress.

A student sent me the link to the story.

Enjoy.


FYI: Another translation for the title of this post is "Heaven is high and the emperor is far away" (Tian Gao Huang-di Yuan). "Chinese folks use the phrase to express a kind of gleeful subversion of any authority figure" (Source: Wikipedia).

china '07 summer trip website

We finally finished the website SLU's CIIS Fellows Program: China Summer '07. There are slide shows, the written word, as well as links to websites, photos, and background readings. The site provides answers to such probing questions as: What are labor standards like in China? Are they improving? What does CIIS mean? Who's the Ivy chick?

Yes, all the answers to these questions and more are available at:

http://china07.wordpress.com

Be blessed!
RB

P.S. There may still be some typos and stuff to correct before we are really finished with the site. Any suggestions, corrections, or comments are welcome.

china '07 fun

We have been putting together a website about last summer's China trip. For a sneak preview of the slide show from our "fun" page click here.

Be blessed!
RB

chinese business practices

China's Business Practices Mirror 19th-Century U.S.
• THE BOSTON GLOBE -- AUG. 26

China's sometimes fast-and-loose business style doesn't necessarily reflect a distinct Chinese approach to capitalism. The U.S. itself once shocked the world with piracy, counterfeiting and food scandals, Stephen Mihm, an assistant professor of American history at the University of Georgia, writes in the Boston Globe.

Just as pirated DVDs and Harry Potter books abound in China, U.S. printers published British authors' books without permission or payment, provoking Charles Dickens to condemn the U.S. Hats, gin and paper made in the U.S. would be labeled as fine imports from Paris. An 1859 investigation in Boston found copper sulphate in pickles and watered-down milk bulked up with chalk.

When the U.S. became a major exporter, such practices scandalized Europe. In the mid-1880s, U.S. butter exports to Europe plummeted following the revelation that a lot of it was "oleo-margarine," made of beef fat, cattle stomach and ewe udders. In 1879, Germany accused the U.S. of exporting pork contaminated with cholera, leading several countries to boycott the U.S.

Prof. Mihm concedes there are many differences between present-day China and 19th-century America. China isn't a democracy, for one. But the many similarities suggest that what is happening in China today happens in most newly capitalist countries, as new technologies, expanding markets and wily entrepreneurs overwhelm systems of control designed for rural areas. If the U.S. in the 20th century is any guide, China's business practices will eventually improve under stiff international pressure, says Prof. Mihm. The landmark Food and Drug Act of 1906 was in part aimed at improving the reputation of U.S. food abroad. Also, just as U.S. copyright laws tightened as U.S. authors became popular overseas, Prof. Mihm predicts China will crack down on counterfeit DVDs if and when it has a significant movie industry of its own.

china doll

Went to church this morning with my little china doll Sweet Pea. She has been here for the weekend and a lot of fun to hang out with. We let her run wild at SLU and there is always something to grab her attention there like squirrels, flag poles, puddles, flowers, and manhole covers.

Last night we had two-thirds (6 of 9) of the Blewetts here for a very nice dinner. We haven't had that many together since Easter when all nine were here. Off-spring #4 grilled steaks to perfection while his sister was in charge of hors d'oeuvres.

Just when I got down to my pre-China trip weight! Oh well, I can always do it again.

Tomorrow we leave for DC to move my little Hoya into college for the fourth and final time.

That will leave me Wednesday to begin to prepare my classes for the semester which starts on Thursday.

Be blessed!
RB

P.S. You can double click the image for an enlargement.

i’m back . . . sort of . . . .

I awoke in Chengdu, CN at 5 a.m. Saturday and I arrived back in Canton at 12:40 a.m. Sunday after 32 hours of traveling. I slept maybe an hour or so on the planes, trying to stay awake so I could sleep at more normal NNY times when home.

Anyway, that was the plan.

Well, I did get seven hours of sleep until I awoke. Good news: I went to church and I only slept an hour on Sunday afternoon. Bad news: I was tired, grouchy, and extremely stupid.

I was asked to play tennis, doubles, Sunday night. I hadn’t played in 15 years, had eight hours of sleep in the past 48, and my body thought it was 12 time zones away. I gave it a go anyway.

It was not a pretty sight.

It was no surprise I had no serve. However, I had trouble hitting the ball. I had great form, but I was swinging the racket and missing clean by six to ten inches. On one of my first serves, I tossed the ball up, swung the racket, swished, and the ball came down, hitting me on the top of my head.

My play at the net was similarly impressive. There were a few times when I looked back to see my partner on his hands and knees in the back court. I thought maybe he was injured. No, he was laughing so hard that he couldn’t stand.

Despite my play, I had fun and we, the over-fifty guys, lost a close match in three sets (3-6, 6-3, 5-7) to the under-thirty guys.

I don’t remember Monday. I dozed all day and all evening. Of course, I had trouble sleeping at night. I have not had a really good, uninterrupted night’s sleep yet this week.

I managed our finances during the past few days. I spread work that usually takes an hour or two over three days. This pace was not in the plan.

I did put in a full day at the office yesterday, Thursday. I filled out an expense report for the China-trip grant. This was an intellectual challenge, not only due to my continuing jet lag but also because most of the receipts were written in Chinese with no English. Looks like I’m a few hundred over budget, which I probably will have to eat. I don’t feel too bad since the international and in-China airfares jumped by over $800 between the grant application and when we purchased them. It could have been a lot worse. We were saved by having a couple of wonderful Chinese women on the team who didn’t hesitate to argue and fuss over a couple of yuan (27 cents).

Maybe I’ll be able to sleep tonight . . . .

Be blessed.
RB

miscellany

1.  Last night (Thursday) XC and I were talking while having a late dinner after some interviews.   She knows the people we have been around are all believers and they have all been genuinely very nice.  XC mentioned that she noticed that I was more relaxed, and had no tension while in Chengdu.  She said something to the effect that I must feel in Chengdu like she did in Fuzhou when she was back home with all her family.

 

I think she gets it.

 

2.  Everyone here has continually commented certain CFC people who lived in Chengdu this past year.   They had a very real impact on people and really helped the Chinese.  This is genuine admiration and not just Asian politeness.

 

3.  If you can read this, or could possibly read this, I am not bringing you any gifts from China.  Sorry, but I did not come here to shop and I have had work to do.

 

4.  Chinese yell at each other a lot.

 

5.  I love "tapioca milk tea" with "frog eggs" (i.e., little purple, gummy rice balls) on the bottom.  My students joke that I am addicted to it.  It is hard to describe this drink in a meaningful way.  So I won't.

 

6.  At a large, upscale shopping district in Shenzhen I found an "all for 2 yuan" store (2 yuan = 27 cents).

 

7.  Asian Big Macs are good and quite different.  The meat is highly peppered and they replace lettuce with cabbage.  It is quite appropriate to eat one in taxi while rushing to the airport.

 

8.  Lay's potato chips come in the "classic American" style as well as other flavors such as beef, chicken, and my personal favorite, cucumber.

 

9.  Saw DVD's in Shanghai for sale for 16 yuan ($2.14) with plastic case or 7 yuan ($0.93) in a cardboard sleeve.   Titles included Die Hard IV, the latest Harry Potter, Spiderman 3, Transformers.   Some of these films are not even in theaters here.   I wanted to buy a bunch but came under conviction.

 

10.  When I ordered a "green tea frappacino" in a Shenzhen Starbucks, the clerk was very impressed and pleased that a foreigner would want a local favorite.   I must have scored points because later she gave me some free samples of other drinks to try.

 

11.  I just put XC in a taxi for the airport (fey gee chang).  I leave early tomorrow for Shanghai in order to take the world's longest 45-minute flight to Chicago.  I leave a little after 4 p.m. and arrive before 5 p.m.

 

Be blessed!

RB

i'm blogging blind here

[Note: this was written yesterday but I was unable to send it out]

 

It is Thursday afternoon.  I am in an internet café in Chengdu, CN.   Blogger is blocked in CN so I must post by email and hope for the best.

 

Half our crew left this morning so it is just XC and I.  XC leaves Friday evening and I leave Saturday morning so tomorrow is our last day of work.   We are dealing with a very sensitive subject and it is especially sensitive here.  I think that is because the problem is even worse here than in the industrialized cities on the east coast.   Basically no one wants to talk to us.  The only people who will see us are believers connected to other believers who I know.   However, these contacts have been quite excellent.  We have learned much and expect to learn more tomorrow.

 

Yesterday (Wednesday) morning I took the students to the Panda Research Centre.  Neither of our two Chinese women had ever seen a live panda.   So I thought we could not leave Chengdu without them seeing their own national treasure.  We saw adult and juvenile giant pandas but the real treat was visiting the baby panda nursery.   We saw a 20-day-old baby with the distinctive black and white fur as well as a twice as large 40-day-old panda.  They were in plastic incubators like you would see in an American hospital's neo-natal unit.   There was also a tiny, two-day-old hairless infant in a third incubator.  It was covered with a towel to keep it extra warm but we could see it squirming around under the towel.   We could also see its little pink tail and little pink feet sticking out.

 

I am especially blessed to be surrounded by believers here in Chengdu.  I have had a very good trip and the students have been wonderful.   However, after two-plus weeks without fellowship, I found I miss being with brothers and sisters.  Sometimes you don't realize you miss something until you have it again.   Anyway, I find it very peaceful and relaxing here.

 

I have been trying to stay away from coffee for the past month but today I have had three cups, the last one with CFC's very own Jeff S.   He is doing quite well and if anyone knows his mom, please assure her that he is not only quite healthy, but thriving in the Middle Kingdom.

 

After all that coffee, I really must go now . . . .

 

Be blessed!

RB