Remembering Dr. Sun Yat-sen

I was first introduced to Sun Zhongshan, as he is affectionately known in China…. Dr Sun Yat-sen… Here in Nanjing this grand memorial stretches up the mountainside… he is credited with the overthrow of the last emperor of China in 1911, and the installation of the first democratic republic in all of Asia.

Read more

On a Hard Seat Coach from Wuhan to Changsha

I was on the train to Changsha (Hunan) from Wuhan (Hubei) and chose to travel “hard seat” this time. Across from me was a university student. He watched me do Sudoku—the addictive number game…. Here we were, very close to the big lake (Hu) from which the Province of Hunan (south of the lake) and Hubei (north of the lake) get their names.

Read more

First Thoughts…

I’ve been to China five times in the past three years…. I’ve had good Chinese friends for almost 20 years…. By the time I finally chose to venture overseas to visit these friends and former tenants, we had dozens of potential contacts in various locations throughout China….

Read more