Background: For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the Communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, his successor DENG Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by 2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight.
May 16th 2008Asia » China » Hubei » Wuhan We thought a bit of a female perspective might be a good idea so I took the camera with me for one of my times walking around Wuhan, getting lost, and finding new and interesting places. I did, howeve ... 15 photos[full story]
May 14th 2008Asia » China » Hubei » Wuhan The numbers are still mounting quickly as more villages and towns near the epicenter are being reached. I have been getting a lot of my information from the cbc website which is interesting. Of cour ... [full story]
May 13th 2008Asia » China » Hubei » Wuhan Now the news is starting to emerge we realize how bad yesterday's quake was. We didn't feel anything here at the school but other friends at home in their apartments at the time have mentioned that a ... [full story]
May 12th 2008Asia » China » Hubei » Wuhan This is just a short note to say to everyone that the earthquake today had no effect on our immediate area as far as we know. I did not even take it seriously until Pat called a few minutes ago to se ... [full story]
May 10th 2008Asia » China » Hubei » Wuhan Today, Saturday, found me heading off to Mo Mountain with 7 others from our group of teachers and friends. The group probably would have been bigger if it hadn't been for a birthday party we all atte ... 40 photos[full story]
May 7th 2008Asia » China » Hubei » Wuhan This is one entry I probably shouldn't publish but what the heck! I spent the day recovering from a night out on the town experiencing some of Wuhan's nightlife for the first time since we have been ... [full story]
May 4th 2008Asia » China » Hubei » Yichang » Three Gorges Dam We had a long weekend at the beginning of May for Labor Day. We decided to go on another “family vacation” to get out of Wuhan and see another part of China. The final verdict was to go ... 49 photos[full story]
May 5th 2008Asia » China » Hubei » Wuhan Well, I am feeling guilty for not posting anything for awhile. We are in the middle of a week off school but Nancy was writing her end-of-term final paper for the course she is taking at the moment s ... 6 photos[full story]
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