Mick

We were not able to view the moon last night due to heavy cloud cover and thunderstorms. Although rare, I think the "blood moons" are in some sort of cycle where they are more frequent. I saw a program last week that said we were due another one in April, 2015.

Randy, when we lived in Guangdong, there were two Hong Kong TV stations on our cable system. Anytime a "sensitive" news item came on the local news, the item was displaced by a public service ad or just some peaceful music and pictures of a meadow with flowers. I wonder to what extent these demonstrations are being shown on Mainland TV. Do you get Hong Kong stations and if so, what do they show?

Great post, Randy! I really enjoyed finding out about those out of the way places and would love to visit some of them. The Maling River Canyon looks especially fascinating, although walking across rope bridges high in the air is not my idea of fun.

Great to hear from you again, Jimi. Don't be such a stranger! With your wife away in China, grab yerself a bag of Cheetos, log on to Candle, and catch up with some of your old friends. Just make sure you don't get too much of that orange dust in your keyboard.

The trend I began to witness during my years in China was as follows: as more and more people had increasing amounts of disposable income, travel became widespread, especially domestic travel. Tourist areas were packed out on holidays. We left China eleven years ago and I would imagine that trend is even more pronounced now.

Here is Serpentza's latest upload, a take on why National Day is a good time to avoid tourist destinations in China: http://youtu.be/baHuw7qrM_k?list=UUl7mAGnY4jh4Ps8rhhh8XZg

Dan, I didn't see your post until this morning. Sorry for the delayed response. In terms of the reasons for the phenomenon you describe, I think it is difficult to attribute one cause that will cover all cases. Often, it just boils down to the fact that some folks are a-holes to the core and other people are seen not as human, but as objects that are existing solely to meet their needs. I lived in China for five years or so and saw the beginnings of this change begin to manifest itself. When I first arrived in China (1997-98), this sort of refusal was virtually unheard of. Yet by the time I left (2003), it was happening more often. I witnessed several episodes on busses that were truly despicable. I think one of the main factors may indeed by the little emporer syndrome that manifested due to the one child policy. When you take that reality and couple it with how competitive Chinese society has become it is easy to see how people grow to be increasingly self-absorbed and socially retarded. Add to it that the society is changing at such a rapid pace and it become even more clear that young people see the elderly as being from another world and another time. I suspect that this trend will continue to worsen until there is a huge social backlash, and the pendulum will swing in the opposite direction. From a sociological perspective, this is how things seem to work.

As always, some great photos Randy. I so enjoy looking at these views of China off the beaten path. That neighborhood on the narrow street looks especially interesting. I wonder what it is like at night - I can imagine it would be pitch dark unless there is some form of lighting. Do you know if they have any kind of street lights back in that area?

Between the foul concoction she is having you drink and the tiney hiney workouts, you ought to shed some weight for sure.

Interesting results, indeed. I did it for two states and two counties - Lincoln County, Tennessee (where our house is) and Limestone County, Alabama, a six-iron from my front door. In both cases I was above the top end of middle class. I sure don't feel like it as we live in a modest house, in a rural area just outside a very small town, in a modest sub-development. Weird.

Fasten you seatbelts, Randy! I went through a typhoon when I lived in Shantou, but it was not too bad. Blew down a lot of trees and broke a few windows in the building I lived in.

During my years living in China, I often encountered the flower girls. After awhile, they learned to leave me alone, especially if Li was with me. Interestingly, during my first year when I lived in Hefei, a large group of flower girls, their handlers, and a number of beggars, all met in a park next to our campus each morning and got their "daily assignments." It was very organized, almost like a work crew meeting before starting the days work.

A&B, it is great to hear from you. It sounds as if your wife and step-son are adjusting well to life in the US of A and are both making significant progress toward their goals. My wife was also a teacher, at both the high school and later, at the university level. She started her own business after our arrival (we had been living together in China) in the States back in March, 2003. Our immigration journey once stateside was sometimes slow, but uneventful. The AOS interview was no big deal and we did not have a ROC interview as I recall. My wife is now a citizen. I hope your journey is smooth and quick and it is good to see you posting on the board. I look forward to hearing more from you as your journey unfolds.

We usually don't have any formal celebration, but often do buy a tin of moon cakes. We do try to look at the moon if it is not cloudy and we have shared the story of the Mid-Autumn Festival with our daughter Salina.

Randy, I would be interested to know what the response to this has been on Weibo. Has it been a hot topic with much debate or has the response been more of a "ho-hum, so what" type?

And it you don't believe it, you can ask Norton! Tom, I am no moon cake expert except to say I don't much care for them. When I was teaching in China, I was gifted each year with enough moon cakes to feed Mao's troops during the entire Long March. Many were "re-gifted" and others sat for months in the back of the refrigerator. I discovered that after a few months festering back there, they made excellent hockey pucks.

The courtyard looks very nice, Randy. It must be great to have that small haven of green in the concrete jungle of a Chinese city. Do you guys live downtown or in the outlying areas?

Great photos of what must have been one incredible day!

Cuzin' tsapper, I wouldn't venture to say it's gonna git kool downcheer til at least October or so. This week, fer eggzample, iz callin' fer mid-to-upper 90s with high humidity. They say a "cold front" is supposed to come through at the beginning of next week, which means temps will drop to the lower 90s, and of course, will also set off a spate of severe thunderstorms. Last year, fall came early but the year before that, it was still warm heading into December. As I recall, that year we had our last day in the 90s a week before Thanksgiving. If things go as expected, though, I think any time after October 1st should be tolerable unless we have one of those summers that just won't leave. Looking forward to seein' you and wish I could also go out to Portland and meet up with Carl. Lordy, if the three of us got together it would shore be Katy bar the door!

Sorry to say that I cannot think of any one book that addresses this issue from an angle related to Chinese/American marriages. In terms of books, however, I think "The Five Languages of Love" by Gary Chapman is an excellent book that speaks of the different ways individuals express love (and expect love to be expressed) and I think it cuts across cultural barriers. I would recommend it highly. As far as issues in Chinese/American relationships, this website here has been around for almost twelve years now and it has a storehouse of wisdom in terms of those very issues. Just spend time digging around in the forums of CFL and you will find lots of info. Good luck in your research and perhaps some other member can give you a specific book like the one you are looking for.

I truly enjoyed my years teaching in China, although I know some folks who had some negative experiences as well. I suspect it all depends on the school you are at and, if you have one, your Waiban (Foreign Affairs Officer). They can make or break your China experience, depending on their character and motivations. I would love to go back and teach for a year maybe, but my health issues won't allow such an endeavor. Heck, I can't even go for a visit and my docs tell me getting on a plane would be akin to Russian Roulette for me. They gave me a report that said folks with my level of lower extremity edema had a 90% chance of developing Deep Vein Thrombosis on any flight over two hours. Still, I am interested in how the trends are going as I frequently consult with folks who are heading over there to teach.

As a former "Foreign Expert" teacher in China, I can see how the government needs to provide more stringent guidelines on who they allow to teach in the schools over there, particularly the schools that teach young children. Back when I first went to China (1997-98), there was either no real requirements for teaching English, or there was no enforcement of whatever rules that may have existed. Pretty much the only qualification needed was being a native speaker. This led to numerous problems and a wide range of "expertise" when it came to language instruction. Also, there were more than a few "foreign experts" that had no clue as to the basic rules of grammar, etc. I was fortunate in that the university where I taught had very strict guidelines and in most cases, required a Masters Degree in either English, Education, or a related subject. I taught courses in English Literature, but my main work was teaching in the graduate program in Journalism. Randy, it has been eleven years since we left China and I am sure that the market has changed a lot since then. Back then, if you could breathe you could find a job. I would be interested to know, what is the market like now for English teaching jobs? I have heard that there is a real over-suppply of applicants for each position. Is that the case? Back in the late 90s, it was almost impossible for some schools in second tier cities to find teachers.

Truly, a really handsome couple. So glad to see your pics.

One of my absolute favorite dishes Li makes is squash and onions over rice. The squash and onions are grown in our garden and you can't get any fresher than that. We pick the squash, pull the onions, and carry them into the house. The veggies are delicious and she spices them just perfectly. Yum Yum!

Joecy, I can relate to what you are saying. I am retired, my wife is at work a minimum of 11 hours a day, counting her commute, and my daughter is in school until 3 pm each afternoon. On top of that, I have some fairly significant health problems that decrease my stamina somewhat, so all in all, I am fairly isolated. Back in March I had a major heart episode and since that time, my docs say that it is dangerous for me to drive. As a result, I am not only isolated, but pretty much stuck in the house. Sometimes I find myself wanting to just stand on my back deck and scream. I have found that what works for me more than anything else is to have some sort of routine. Also, I make sure to get dressed every day as if I was going to go out of the house. I have also found that having various projects to work on, with set goals, etc. helps keep me focused as well. I do some volunteer work through my church and that gets me out of the house (since I have been unable to drive, a friend from church comes to pick me up). Life can get very lonely I am sure, especially for you. When I moved to China back in 1997, I experienced similar feelings of isolation. This was particularly true when, after the first year, I moved to another city and my wife Li was unable to come with me the first year due to her work unit. I arrived in my new city in June, but the new semester did not begin until August and the campus was deserted. I passed the time by taking the bus downtown and exploring the city, but I did get very bored from time to time.