Getting Out of the Bubble

DISCLAIMER: This is, once again, my perspective on a very broad topic. I can only write from what I have seen and heard. I do not think this is a definitive view, just one person's experience.  Disability is something that is still slightly taboo in China, with the one-child policy (soon to be two-child policy) there is great importance placed on having strong healthy children and, when healthcare isn't universally available, simple problems can become debilitating. Something that would be relatively easily handled in the UK with NHS resources becomes a lifelong disability, it's sad to see a child out begging on the street who could have probably been "normal" with physiotherapy in early life. Of course, not all families abandon their children for a life of begging on the street and many disabled children are loved and integrated into society, and most of the time that means being put into mainstream schools. Working at public school in Suzhou there were a f...

If China is known for one thing (other than pandas) it has to be for Communism and the way Chinese Communism has developed and evolved in a way that has allowed it to persevere when other communist nations succumbed to Western Democracy. Of course China isn't the only country that has kept a Communist government (Cuba, Laos, Vietnam, North Korea), but I think it is fair to say that China is the country that has done the best under Communism. China is quickly becoming a global force to be reckoned with and it is predicted that it could soon overtake the USA as the world’s biggest economy, and all of this done under a system of control and structure that many frown on. Cultural Revolution Era memorabilia But, mention Chinese communism and one of the first things that comes to mind for most people is Mao. Mao is probably the single biggest symbol of modern China and his legacy has shaped how we see China, and how China sees itself. He turned China on it's head and can b...