China has two different societies, one on the coast that is privileged and the other rural. One that is becoming incredibly rich, and the other that is so poor it generates tremendous amounts of migrant workers that do construction and other service jobs without papers. For internal immigration in China is still controlled, and to enroll your child in school requires papers.

In the US in the 1960's, the poverty of parts of rural America lead to the war on poverty. Katrina showed that the US still has incredible poverty in areas. President Johnson's response to the extreme poverty was programs to create a Great Society.

China has advanced tremendously. In Shanghai there is even a magnetic train, where the US has none. I was thinking about a book I carry, and wondering if it is still relevant. It does not show the magnetic train of Shanghai, or the traffic jams and pollution in all the major cities. The damage to the environment. It does not show how rich China has become in many areas. It shows an older, rural China that still exists as the recent Earthquake has shown. With villages that have no road to them. The book is the Colors of China by Shannon Zemlicka and it's a nice book that uses colors to show the flavor of an older, rural China.

I also have a series of Chinese Culture DVD's that are very good about Ping Wei, and you can see the changes that are occurring in China in a typical village. A documentary system that is well done.

				One Day in Ping Wei - A Documentary of China - DVD
				Our Price: $24.95
				What is life like…in China? China is changing at a remarkable rate but the countryside, where the majority of China’s 1.3 billion citizens live, remains much the same as it has for centuries. This documentary, shot entirely on location in China, offers a window on life in rural village, capturing in compelling detail the daily life of a Chinese family.
				New Year in Ping Wei - A Documentary of China - DVD
				Our Price: $24.95
				How is Chinese New Year celebrated in rural China? Follow Liu Yen Twin and her family and find out!. From preparation of the family reunion dinner and the symbolic burning of paper money to firecrackers and fireworks.
				Land of the Dragon - A Documentary of China - DVD
				Our Price: $24.95
				Travel through China, learning as you go about history, customs, culture and language. Narrated in both English and Mandarin (with subtitles), this documentary takes you from Beijing to the Yangtze River and beyond - offering a rare glimpse at life inside the Land of the Dragon.

				Return to Ping Wei- A Documentary of China - DVD
				Our Price: $24.95
				It's been two years since we visited Liu Yen Twin and her family, and the fields of Ping Wei are alive with the spring harvest. Liu Yen Twin is a teenager now, and school is taking on a whole new importance.

Labels: china's future