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Forums > Study > Book Club Kunming

The book club will meet next on Tuesday, December 19, at The Park at 6:30PM, to discuss Henry Miller's TROPIC OF CANCER.

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Forums > Study > Place to study some culture/history?

Culture is always in a process of change, it's just that some changes occur more quickly or more abruptly than others and so are more 'visible', and some periods, for various historical reasons, involve more rapid change than do others. Hard to say when cultural change occurs in isolation from the influence of other cultures, but it's virtually never, and it's all a matter of degree. How does one delimit authentic from inauthentic changes? Are cinemas inauthentically Chinese? How about the development of Beijing under the Yuan (Mongol) Dynasty?

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"...Yunnan's rural areas - where health care is not as universal..."

And one looks around Kunming and sees where all the new money goes...seems to me that the economic system and administration have built in, bad priorities.

Problem is indeed massive, but ships are leaking everywhere. As for foodscams & the morality related, I don't think they will resemble civil war, nor do I think that the polluted Yangtze does either - though we're talking about 400 million people and something indeed needs to be done. I hope the central government is as serious as they say they are, but it's a big leak to plug and, yes, one has to wonder if they're up to it. Anyway, the metaphor of a leaking ship implies an absolute win/lose situation for all on board, and I don't think it's likely to turn out that way any time soon. I doubt if all the leaks will ever be completely plugged, here or anywhere - they never have - but that's no reason to stop trying.

@Pter99, I understand what you mean about 'campaigns' in China, but I think this one may well be different. I think this is necessary and I don't think it's too late for something to be done. Seems to me it's a good idea, but I hope they carry this out in a manner that involves more than just consulting with local bureaucrats and the heads of local enterprises, who are, largely, part of the problem.

You cannot 'preserve' cultures - however, you can allow authority/power/control over the changes that all cultures inevitably go through to lie in the hands of those who are affected by them, rather than in the hands of some social-engineering outside force, which will have its own agenda (for example: promotion of Chinese nationalism; tourist profits; propaganda; etc.).

Reviews

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Not quite what you'd call a jumping place, but not bad at all for rather standard US-type meals, not overly expensive, and with a really good salad bar that's cheap, or free with most dinner dishes after 5:30PM. You can get a bottle of beer or even wine if you really want to, but I've never seen anybody do it - maybe that's just to take out. Chinese Christian run, and they hire people with physical disadvantages, who are pleasant and helpful. Frequented by foreign (mostly North American) Christians and Chinese Christians - was started by a Canadian couple associated with Bless China (previously, Project Grace), who are no longer here, but no religious pressure or any of that. Steaks are nothing special, and I avoid the Korean dishes, which I've had a few times but which did not impress me.

As a shop and bakery, it's very good bread at reasonable prices, of various kinds (Y18 for a good multigrain loaf that certainly weighs well over a pound. Other stuff too, like granola and oatmeal that is local, as well as imported things, including American cornflakes and so forth, which some people seem to require.

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Large portions, seriously so with the pizza, which is Brooklyn/American style, I guess. Convivial, conversational, good place to drink with good folks on both sides of the bar, especially after about 9PM.

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Really good pizza and steaks. The wine machine fuddles me when I'm a bit fuddled, & seems unnecessary. Good folks on both sides of the bar.