• There has always been a lot of talk about human rights in China but how about animal rights? There is no such concept in China according to my students; if you kill your dog in front of a policeman in China, there is nothing that he can do about it. Pets are like objects; you can whatever you want with them.
• Golf is a rich man’s sport in China so few play. What is the next best thing? Croquet! I recently observed a group of older adults playing croquet with shiny metal mallets in an enclosed ‘court’ created especially for the ’sport.’   
• You have to be very dedicated to helping people in China if you want to be a doctor. A medical student explained to me this week that young doctors in China only make around 2000 RMB a month. A doctor who has been practicing for 20 years can expect to earn more based on his knowledge and experience.
• You know those ‘Muslim’ migrants from Xinjiang province in Western China who sell barbecue meat on sticks in cities all over China? They may look poor but appearances are deceitful. A friend who knows one of them tells me that they can sell 1000 sticks of barbecued meat in one day! That means that the guy who sells barbecue in my city makes about 500 RMB per day. That’s nothing to sneeze at in China. Oh, and be careful. Apparently, that kind of food is disease infested.

See you next week!