Chapter#18

            Gifford explains that while tourists are attracted to places like Dunhuang, people who are from China strive to get away and move toward a western type of lifestyle.

            He also talks about how well preserved or unchanged some of the historical sites of ancient monuments and temples are, and I found it shocking just how old some of these thing are.

            China is still angry with the British for taking important scriptures from them and still to this day not having returned them to China.

Chapter#19

            This chapter talks about the natural resources that China does have, and he mentions that they are hopeful about finding oil in a few of the desert areas as well.

            I found it really interesting and a bit like something out of 1984 that you get a text or call when you enter a new province saying welcome alongside advertisements.

            Gifford also mentioned that the government closed off a well so that it could have control of the water supply in a certain region.

Chapter#20

            The Chinese language is based on Characters not an alphabet; I have always found this to be intriguing and it makes me happy that I didn’t have to learn the language because it just seems so difficult.

            There were several words that seemed to be funny when they translated like long necked deer for example, which is what the word giraffe translates too.

            It is also important that you pronounce words in the Chinese language with the proper tone otherwise it might come across as the wrong word.

Chapter#21

            The Turpan depression seems to be a really interesting place not only because so many people live there but also because of how far below sea level it lies and how hot it can get.

            There is a fear that the Uighurs will lose their native language because they are entering Han Chinese schools that do not use or teach the language.

            China is still considered a colonial power or the last great empire.

Chapter#22

            Urumqui has become a hub for western China and is still continuing to grow and this is partially because it is so connected to Beijing through the Internet it would seem.

            Because of this the Xinjiang province is experiences economic growth as well as a change from rural areas to a bigger city in Urunqui.

            There is so much propaganda from the communist party that people from eastern china that have never been to western china do not realize that Tibet is not happy with China.

Chapter#23

            Even though the economy is growing rapidly there is still an enormous gap between the rich and pour and it doesn’t not seem to be shrinking with the growth, it actually seems to be widening.

            The phrase the Chinese are not building a country they are building a continent really seems to put into perspective just how massive China itself is and how powerful the Communist party is as well.

            A major point in this chapter that stood out to me is that change is happening all over the place in China everywhere except for within the Communist party it would seem.

Postcards

            Macau has one of the worlds largest casinos and I think it is one of the only places you can go to gamble, and they are more serious about gambling in China than we are in the us, for instance they do not drink as much and it is a quieter place.

            China is becoming a super power in the world and they want recognition and respect for it even though they are considered a fragile super power.

            It also talks about their economy and how it might affect Americans.