Qing Wendy

David Xuxu and Lotus (Furong)           Since COVID-19 is under control in Xi’an and the weather has gotten nice, many people are out exercising and socializing in our little community or Village 1 of Jiaoda University.  Grandparents often sit outside chatting, exercising on the exercise equipment and watching their grandchildren play.            I got to know a very friendly, cute girl, 6 years old, named Tutu.  She and her friends would often shout “Hello" when they saw me.  One day I made them some paper airplanes and they just loved them.  I soon met Tutu's mother, Furong or Lotus.  In addition, I met Lotus’s mother, grandmother, husband and her little daughter, Xuxu who is one and a half.  We have become great friends! Tutu Xuxu and Tutu       Lotus is a charming preschool teacher and loves to practice English and help me with my Mandarin.  We have had fun sitting in front of her building exchanging language and culture.  She, Tutu and I read a Chine

    Music is ubiquitous in China.    When you walk through the park, you see a gathering of people doing Shaanxi karaoke—either a contemporary  C-pop song or an ancient piece from the local traditional opera. You see a group of older folks practicing their traditional instruments.    You see a lone saxophone player, who has been banished from his tiny apartment, and so has moved to the park to practice his scales, or a contemporary jazz riff.   You see couples “square” dancing" ,  grannies dancing ,     young people exercising to music. (Each highlighted word is a link.)  It's actually so common, it is a phrase that I learn in my language listening class:  "Old retired people often dance on street corners. Young people don't have the time."   😂 Small apartments and beautiful parks seems to be a recipe for creating music! I asked my students to tell me a little bit about how Chinese traditional  music compares to contemporary music, an

The doctor won’t be able to see you now.    Or ever again.    He has been murdered! China is infamous for workplace violence against doctors.    Wendy and I both had students spontaneously come up with this for topic for essays in two different classes.    I want to share with you their thoughts about the problem, its causes and potential solutions.   What are the causes of increasing violence against doctors in China?    Chinese medicine has a long, illustrious history and doctors have traditionally been well-respected.    However, since the 2010s, Western medical journals, including “The British Medical Journal” and the “Lancet” have reported about the surge in patient violence against physicians (1, 2).    Why is this happening now?    One explanation is that in the 1980s much of medical care was privatized and large discrepancies in health care delivery appeared along with astronomical fees.    Patients and their families, facing unprecedented costs and inability to pay