The Debate If you've been reading the news, you're probably aware that Google has threatened to make an exit from China. Google accused Chinese hackers of infiltrating its computer network, and the Secretary of State has backed up Google's demands for an explanation. In addition, Google is frustrated with the censorship applied to its search engine in China. The Chinese government also recently announced that it would begin scanning text messages for "unhealthy" content, and within the last year, both Facebook and YouTube have been banned from the Chinese Internet, as well as many blogging and photo-sharing sites (I access these sites using a VPN that connects me to a U.S. IP address). With all of these issues in the news, I thought it would be interesting for the 10-year old students I teach to have ... read more

Many people think of China as a land where the dominant characteristics of society are homogeneity and obedience. This is true, to a point. For example, when I asked eight-year old Chinese students to write laws for an imaginary country, two of the most important laws were "protect national secrets" and "carry an identity card." But China, especially southwest China, is also home to an impressively diverse group of ethnic and cultural minorities. The only problem, of course, is reaching these places, and transportation in China can be a headache. The most popular way to get around China is by taking the bus. In rural areas, you don't even need to buy a ticket. The easiest way to hop a ride is to put out your hand and hitchhike until a bus with empty seats ... read more

This week I started to worry that I hadn't blogged recently, and I didn't really have any material I felt like writing about. But, I told myself not to be too concerned, because new things always pop up here. I was sure something would come along soon, and I was right. Be careful what you wish for... I have a history of losing my wallet. It happens a couple times a year, and disaster usually ensues. Banks, insurance companies, Visa, the Massachusetts RMV, they must know my name by now from all the cards I've replaced. So it was only reasonable to expect that my wallet would go missing in China, and I was prepared for it. Kind of. I was on my way to the gym to meet a friend, but I got there early. ... read more

Living in China always presents opportunities to explore and new discoveries that surprise me. Why, just the other day I discovered that chicken feet at Walmart cost more than twice as much as chicken breasts, which are the least valued part of the chicken and sell for less than a dollar per package. And whether it's as mundane as hanging out with the bike repairman at the Rotary of Death or as exciting as hiking past the last checkpoint before Tibet, there is always something to do here. I was not, however, expecting this invitation: "Merrill, have you been to the midget park?" "Excuse me?" "The midget variety show. You know, the little people kingdom at the Butterfly Park." It turns out that a friend of mine has been shooting footage at the park for a ... read more

Travel Destination No. 1: As I sit here munching on puffed corn, candied orange peels, and slices of processed American cheese, I would like to tell you about my first planned trip. I am planning to go to the Nujiang (Salween River) valley with some friends in early October. The Salween River Valley in northwestern Yunnan is a rugged, rural area that runs parallel to two other major Asian rivers - the Mekong and Yangtze. These rivers originate in northwest Yunnan, but are separated from each other by large mountain ranges. Only one road goes up the Nujiang Valley, and there is no road that connects the Salween to the rivers east of it... you'd have to drive around the entire mountain range to reach the Mekong. The area around the Salween is rain forest, but ... read more