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.
July 29th 2008Asia » China » Jiangxi » Nanchang » Xin Jian No sooner had I returned from working in Nanjing I was invited to attend a race in which the Big Belly Cycle Club needed a big presence as a show of force. We met at the Merida cycle shop on 169, Bei ... 4 photos[full story]
June 10th 2008Asia » China » Jiangxi » Nanchang » Xin Jian Britain’s education system was still suffering from chaos in the early 1970s, with successive governments seeking to abandon the post-war Tripartite system. The rejection of the concept and imp ... [full story]
June 3rd 2008Asia » China » Jiangxi » Nanchang » Xin Jian I’ve just had my world rocked today, if what a young Indian man told me is correct. Apparently, drugs, including heroin, cocaine, Ecstasy and many others are freely available in Nanchang’ ... [full story]
May 28th 2008Asia » China » Jiangxi » Nanchang » Xin Jian I was actually hoping to have a rest from writing on my blog for a while, but a had a short, but intense conversation with a student today who set me thinking. The student surprised me, because she w ... [full story]
April 28th 2008Asia » China » Jiangxi » Nanchang » Xin Jian Jiangxi is in the process of implementing a new retirement policy for foreign English teachers, which is a little puzzling as to the intended improvement of Jiangxi’s education system, though th ... [full story]
April 23rd 2008Asia » China » Jiangxi » Nanchang » Xin Jian Like George Bowling’s delusions about his own worth in Orwell’s , I though my university degree would propel me higher in society. George Bowling fought in the First World War as an ordin ... [full story]
April 21st 2008Asia » China » Jiangxi » Nanchang » Xin Jian Teaching oral English to Chinese students in Nanchang, Jiangxi is a strange beast to tame. I am left with a nebulous perplexity at the perception of foreign teachers by Chinese students, who at best ... [full story]
April 17th 2008Asia » China » Jiangxi » Nanchang » Xin Jian I had an interesting chat with some students today in a quiet place on campus. We chatted generally on the subject of , but soon ended up talking about girlfriends and boyfriends. Interestingly, stu ... [full story]
April 9th 2008Asia » China » Jiangxi » Nanchang » Xin Jian The car came to a halt outside at what was to be my digs for the following two years, just as darkness had successfully took charge of the evening, leaving an oppressive, motionless heat. I looked ea ... [full story]
April 4th 2008Asia » China » Jiangxi » Nanchang » Xin Jian Ask what Chinese students want to do with their life these days and you’ll elicit one sure answer - . Several times I have tried to generate a sensible discussion, or a reasonable outlook from ... [full story]
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