DiDi Driver - Yunnan China

(DiDi bought Uber’s Service in China, and provide the same service as Uber)

I took a ride with Xiao Hou on my first day in LiJiang. We got along, so I asked him to take me around LiJiang the next day and listened to his story. After his permission, now I tell his story.

I was born in 1986 in a mountain village about 60 km from LiJiang. Our village had about 27 families. We lived apart, each with a big yard. All families raised chickens and pigs in their yard.

We had a primary school in the village from grade one to four with a dozen students and one teacher. The teacher graduated from high school. After grade four, I went to the county school about five kilometers away.

Like most other students came from villages around the county, I lived on campus for the county school. Every Monday we carried food and fire woods from home for the week. The school had about 200 students. We used our own little stove to prepare meals each day. There were more than 100 little stoves. Mealtime, the smoke was everywhere. By Tuesday, we all looked dark from making meals.

I graduated after grade nine. I did not continue to high school as my grades were poor. There was an opportunity to work in a shipyard in Anhui Wuhu, which was 2,500 kilometers away. It was the first time in our village for someone to go so away. I joined 19 others and left the village in 2001.

As an apprentice, we made about 30 Yuan per day (about four dollars) in the shipyard. The work was hard, and life was lonely. After six months, only six of us stayed. The shipyard was not doing well. After about a year, we went with our mentor to a shipyard in Shanghai. Other new jobs also took us to ZheJiang and Nanjing. We stayed in Nanjing the longest for about three years. Life was better when I made about 100 Yuan per day.

I saved about 20,000 Yuan each year. I went home each year for the Chinese New Year and spent half of the saving for transportation and gifts for everyone. Many young people returned for the new year. We organized a couple of basketball games and there were dancing parties in the evening.

I met my wife at the dancing party. She was from a neighboring village. We didn’t know each other before. She felt I was different from others who stayed in the village with my time in big cities. We kept in touch for a month after I returned to Nanjing, then I asked her to marry me on the phone. She said yes and came to Nanjing. After about a year, we decided to move back to the village. We wanted to have a baby. It was expensive to live in Nanjing and raise a child.

LiJiang was a poor place for a long time. After the earthquake in 1996, the World Bank provided a no-interest loan to develop tourism.

After returning to the village, we worked on our farm and had two boys. We came to LiJiang about a year ago. I learned driving and my wife worked in a hotel in LiJiang oldtown.

Our two boys are not 5 and 7 years old, and they live on the campus of their daycare and primary school. I go back to the village every Friday to pick them up for the weekend and drive them back on Monday. Both daycare and primary school have a cafeteria. They don’t need to prepare their own meals now.

My families have lived in our village through generations. I am the first one left the village. The time has been good for us. If my boys have good grades, I will send them to college.

头一天来丽江，坐小候师傅的车，谈得来。第二天又让他带我去丽江周围玩，听他的故事。小候师傅同意后，我来讲他的故事。

我86年出生。我们村在山里，叫大东乡东江村，有27户人家。每家都隔了几十米，有自己的院子，人畜分开。村里有个小学，一年级到四年级一共十几个学生，有一个老师，是个高中毕业生。小学五年级到初三去乡里的完小。

完小在四五公裡外，要住校。每週一從家裡背一周的糧食和柴火。每天要給自己燒飯。學校里有兩百多個學生，有一百多個小灶。煙薰火燎的，到週二衣服就全黑了。

初三毕业，我是村里第一批出去的；工业局联系，我们19个去了芜湖造船厂。学徒每天挣30元六个月月后只剩下了六个人。造船厂不景气，我们和师傅去了上海，然后又去了浙江和南京。在南京呆的最长，三年。每天能挣100元。每年攒了两万块钱，年底回家要花到一半。几个村年底要打几场篮球，晚上还有舞会。我就在舞会上认识了我老婆。她大概看我比较时尚。我回南京了，又在电话上联系了一个月，我就问她愿意吗，她就答应了， 来了南京。住了一年后我们还是回乡了。城里的房子太贵，我们也想要个孩子。

丽江一直是个很穷的地方。96年地震后，靠着世界银行的无息贷款，旅游业发展起来了。

回家后，在家种地。丽江旅游发展起来，我和老婆一起来了。她在一个客栈打工，我学会了开车。我们两个孩子一个五岁，一个七岁，都在乡里幼儿园和小学里寄宿。我每周日把他们送去，周五接回山里的家里。他们可以在学校食堂吃饭了。

我们家祖辈在山里种地，没想到在我这一代走出了山里。碰上了好时候，家里日子好了。我们的两个孩子，要是学习好，我就送他们上大学。

Mending Hearts in Yunnan

Xiao Hua (“Little Flower”) was brought in by her parents to the First Affiliated Hospital of the Kunming Medical University in Yunnan (called “Yunda Hospital”). Her parents were migrant workers from Guizhou, a neighboring province.  They came with a hope that doctors here can “fix” their little girl who is now 5-month old. 

After a pre-birth echo exam, the doctor told Xiao Hua’s parents that there was a small hole between upper two chambers (called “ASD”) and a big one between lower two chambers (called “VSD”) in Xiao Hua’s heart. With these two openings, Xiao Hua’s heart mixed oxygen-rich blood from the lung with oxygen-poor blood circulating back from the body. Without repairing, Xia Hua would not grow properly because the defects would put more burden on the heart and lung and eventually damage their functions permanently.  

Xiao Hua’s case caught the attention of a team of doctors and nurses visiting from America. They are medical volunteers for Children’s HeartLink, an international non-profit group that works on improving treatment of congenital heart diseases in underserved parts of the world. Congenital heart diseases affect one in every 120 new births, and are the most common birth defects. There is a large disparity of CHD care around the world. Newborns in western countries are routinely screened for critical CHDs, and typically treated in their first year of life. Ninety percent of children with CHD were born in places that do not have adequate care for CHD. For example, Minnesota, a state in the US with four million population, has about 65,000 new births each year. The three pediatric heart centers operate on approximately 500 CHDs each year. In the province of Yunnan China, the population is about 40 million with 500,000 babies born each year. There were two hospitals that operate on 2,000 CHD cases a year, which serve half of the babies who might need surgeries. The partnership of YunDa with Children’s HeartLink aimed to improve capacity and quality of CHD care and serve Yunnan and neighboring provinces and countries such as Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam.

The American team was led by Children’s HeartLink’s Andreas Tsakistos and Dr. St. Louis, a pediatric heart surgeon from Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. The team has been working with the Yunda Hospital in the last four years to help them improve the overall quality to treat complex heart conditions. Xiao Hua’s procedure would not be complex for older children, but her young age and 6-kg body weight would push the limit of the local team to secure a safe and successful outcome.

Dr. Lee Pyles, a pediatric cardiologist from West Virginia University, examined Xiao Hua before the surgery with Dr. Wang Yu, the local echo doctor. They gave the go-ahead of the surgery with their confirmation of the diagnosis indicating the ASD was 5 mm and VSD of 10 mm, which are big holes for a small heart. Dr. Tao Jie led the surgery with his local team of heart surgeons and OR team with assistance from Dr. St. Louis and the perfusionist, Mr. Doug Zavidil from Children’s Mercy Hospital.

Pediatric heart surgery is the ultimate team sport in modern medicine. For Xiao Hua’s surgery, an anesthesia doctor put her to a deep sleep during the procedure. A team of perfusionists took over the function of the heart and the lung using a machine to maintain blood circulation in the body, letting the heart rest for the operation (called “bypass procedure”). The smaller the body is, the harder the procedure is for perfusionists to manage the margins of errors. For example, the blood volume for a 60-kg adult (132 lbs) is around 4,500 ml; for a 6-kg baby (13 lbs) is 450 ml. A small error of the bypass machine running at a wrong speed would have a 10 times impact in a Xiao Hua than in an adult. Mr. Doug Zavidil worked with the four-member local team on how Dr. St. Louis would typically choose instruments that specialized for small babies. During the procedure, they discussed constantly how to control the blood flow, temperature and medication to maximize the condition for the surgeons to operate.

Drs. Tao and St. Louis operated as if they had been partners for years. They communicated through an interpreter, although each seemed to know exactly what would be a next step. The surgical techniques for Xia Hua’s procedure are almost identical everywhere following standardized protocols and medical guidelines of international professional societies. The exchanges between Dr. Tao and Dr. St. Louis were more on their personal experience as cardiac surgeons. Dr. St. Louis routinely operates on small babies a few months of age with complex conditions. He is also among a few pediatric surgeons in America who specialize on pediatric heart transplant. Dr. Tao operates both on adults and children. He wants to take his team to operate on smaller babies like Xia Hua, and make it a routine procedure.

Xiao Hua was on the bypass machine for nearly an hour. The two openings inside her heart were patched by the two surgeons using the sack (called pericardium) that surrounds the heart. The perfusionists slowly waned Xia Hua off the bypass machine and let her heart take over. The electricity in the heart started first, each heart beat followed by a stronger pump of blood back into her tiny body. After the confirmation of all positive indications of the heart, the surgeons closed Xia Hua’s chest.  Xiao Hua is now a zipper baby, a term pediatric doctors like to call babies with a mended but healthy heart.

The ICU team took over after the surgery. The post-surgery care for Xia Hua was as important as the surgery itself. The heart was on medication to help maintain its function. Her breathing was assisted by a ventilator while the lung regained its function. The Children’s HeartLink team included Dr. Arif Somani from University of Minnesota, ICU nurse Karin Mayo from Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Nurse Beth Lang and Respiratory Therapist Kimi Lucas from Children’s Mercy Hospital. They worked with the local team led by Dr. He and head nurse Yang from transferring Xia Hua from the OR to the ICU. The two teams had many exchanges on how to manage Xia Hua on and off the ventilator and how to manage post-op pain. There are differences in routine practices between the two healthcare systems, changing minds can be as hard as changing hearts. Children’s HeartLink has been successful in establishing partnership during its training visits between medical volunteers and local teams based on building trust, on-site collaboration and communicating on common goals on quality improvement.

During the week of Children’s HeartLink visit, the two teams operated together on five children for heart surgery. Dr. Edgard Bendaly, a pediatric interventional cardiologist from Sanford Hospital in South Dakota worked with the local interventional team on a dozen more children’s whose heart defects could be repaired through minimally invasive procedures using catheters and closing devices.

Xia Hua’s parents met Dr. St. Louis outside the ICU. They wished to get a photo of Xia Hua with the entire HeartLink team. However, many team members were gone to different places during the one-week visit. Xia Hua was safely transferred from the ICU to a regular unit and discharged from the hospital after 10 days. Perhaps her parents wish could be met when the team returns to Yunnan next year. Their wish reminded a quote from Dr. Kumar, a pediatric cardiologist who works with HeartLink in India, “Parents everywhere want the same for their children: a relief from suffering and a promise of a long and healthy life.”

Dr. Tao Jie and Dr. St. Louis operated together during the Children’s HeartLink visit in YunDa Hospital in Nov 2017

 Mr. Doug Zavadil assisted the YunDa perfusionist team operated the bypass machine during surgeries.

Dr. Pyles examined Xia Hua after her heart surgery.

My experience as a Chinese American working in the medical device industry

My friend asked me to participate in a career development panel at first annual conference of the Minnesota Chinese Association for Science and Technology (mncast.org). It’s an honor and a good opportunity for self-reflection.

I thought about lessons I learned from my mentors, colleagues and my working experience after I came to the US in 1991, and starting my first job in the medical device industry in 2000.

Thirty years ago I entered college, majoring biomedical engineering. This is a field of improving our health through medical technologies. My training in math, engineering and physiology took me to my first job with the Guidant Corporation. I worked on cardiac pacemakers and ICDs, implantable devices that mitigate health issues of the heart. I joined Inspire Medical Systems in 2008, a twin cities-based startup company. We’ve developed the first FDA approved implantable device for treating obstructive sleep apnea, a chronic condition that affects 18 million Americans. Sleep apnea has been found to cause daytime sleepiness, cardiovascular functions, and neurocognitive disorders. Now the Inspire device has been implanted in more than 2,000 patients.

My reflection today is more related to being a Chinese American working in the Medical Device Industry

Think Independently (独立思考)

To solve a new medical problem is like coming to a new country, we encounter challenges that we have never faced in our lives before. We try to follow paths that have been shown to be successful. There are times, however, we need to make decisions on our own. The ability, skill, and recognition to think independently helped me to make the decision to leave a multi-national corporation for a small start-up of three people at the time. It has been a rewarding journey in the last 9 years.

Take Initiatives (迈一步)

It is hard to take initiatives when we worry about others may not understand you. It is easier and safer to stay in our comfort zone. Take initiatives helped me to expand my career path from being a good scientist to leading a team for bigger challenges. It’s a step I am glad that I took early in my career.

Pursue Your Passions (追求梦想)

I want to share two personal passions today. I play table tennis at the Shoreview Table Tennis Club (see svtt.info, we need new members) every Wednesday. Every Tuesday night, I dreamed about beating my friend FL the next day. FL just retired this year. He has been mercilessly beating me for the last 13 years. This reminds me a definition for passion, which is the pursuit of happiness through suffering. I think this year may be the year, as FL is slowing down in his forehand attack.

The second passion for me these days is to improve early diagnosis of congenital heart diseases in rural China. When diagnosed early, kids with a congenital heart defect can live a normal life after a surgery. Late diagnosis can miss the treatment window or leave poor outcome even with the best surgeon. Delayed diagnosis of congenital heart disease is still common in rural China and other parts of the world that lack of access to good healthcare. We have started a nonprofit organization this year that dedicate to this cause. Our name is One Heart Health (onehearthealth.org). I hope you will go to our website and support us when you can. 

A Pediatric Cardiologist from West Virginia Practices Rural Medicine in China

I first met Dr. Lee Pyles on the airplane on our trip from Minneapolis to Lanzhou, China in 2008. Lee carried a giant suitcase, a roller bag and a big backpack. Lee grew up in West Virginia, and just moved back there recently after 15 years working with the University of Minnesota. In the nine years after that initial trip, Lee and I have traveled together to Lanzhou, Huining and Linxie in Gansu, Kunming and Xixuanbanna China.

Dr. Pyles is a pediatric cardiologist. During the training visits, Dr. Pyles performed echocardiograms (or “echo” for short) to verify diagnostics and confirm the plan for each surgery that the Children’s HeartLink team would work on with the local team. These patient exams were like a live classroom. Lee loved to teach. No detail was too small where it was critical.

It is a constant challenge for an echo doctor in China to see up to 100 patients a day, which is easily five times the volume in the US. It is a balance of serving a high volume of patients and maintaining the quality of diagnosis for each. Lee taught from his experience of understanding physiology to help the local team improve efficiency and quality.

On the first day of each training visit, members of both teams gather for a case conference to review all candidates for surgeries during the visit. Lee and I noticed the high percentage of pulmonary hypertension among children that were initially selected by the local team. Pulmonary hypertension in children with congenital heart disease (CHD) is caused by the high-pressured blood from the left ventricle of the heart that flows through an opening that called ventricular septal defect, to the right ventricle then into the lung. A prolonged high pressure can cause irreversible damage to the lung and the heart. When diagnosed early, closing the ventricular septal defect can avoid the permanent damage to the heart and lung with a curable outcome. When not diagnosed in time, pulmonary hypertension associated with the damaged heart and lung function increases the risk during surgery and recovery and may mean the patient has missed the window for treatment altogether.

It is rare to see pulmonary hypertension among children with CHD in the U.S. and other developed countries these days. The murmurs generated by the heart defect are recognized by trained pediatricians during early childhood checkups. In a place like Gansu and Yunnan province in China, however, many children from rural areas may not see a doctor for years after birth. Lee and I have visited several rural counties in Gansu and Yunnan working with local doctors to find these children and help improve the diagnosis of CHD in rural communities. We have developed a telemedicine system for a health workers to record and transmit heart murmurs via smartphone for review and consultation by a heart specialist in another location.

Many of the children Lee and I met in China had not seen a U.S. doctor before in their lives. Doing echo exams with their cooperation was no small feat. The young ones might bite their tongue, staring at Lee’s big nose. The infants and toddlers could cause riots. Lee could always see the trouble ahead and went to his big suitcases to fetch a toy. These made-in-China toys were big hits with the babies. Their moms were also impressed when they heard the toys were all the way from America.  Lee still travels with all his suitcases whenever we go to China.

Note: Thank you, Ryn W, for helping with the editing. 

A Perfusionist Who Cannot Carry His Bag

"Passion is a Pursuit of Happiness through Suffering". When I read this interpretation of passion as a pursuit of happiness through suffering, I remembered a few medical volunteers of Children’s HeartLink during our trips to China over the past 13 years.

A Perfusionist Who Cannot Carry His Bag

Kris Nielsen is a perfusionist from the Twin Cities. His job in the OR is to keep the patient alive on a heart-and-lung machine while the surgeon operates on the stopped heart. His work is nothing short of magic.

During our first trip together to Lanzhou, China in 2010, Kris explained that the protocol for heart-and-lung bypass was largely standardized, so he was pleased to see a familiar set up in the OR where we would work the next day at the First Affiliate Hospital of Lanzhou University. The first day of surgery was a success. The medical team from the University of Minnesota and the local team bonded quickly. Kris observed closely, kept his surgeon informed, and shared his observations with his counterpart from Lanzhou. After discussing some ideas with his new partner, Kris helped implement a few changes during the next day of surgeries. It was amazing to see them chit-chat with only one or two words in English and a lot of nodding.

At first, Kris dealt with his jet-leg with an early morning run to the Yellow River. He was full of energy. Kris and Raj, the anesthesiologist on the team, spent a lot of time together. Naturally, they joked with each other inside and outside the OR all the time. Kris teased Raj mercilessly after Raj had been schooled on how to gracefully put a needle in the tiny vein of a Chinese baby by the local staff on the first day.

But on the third day of the trip, Kris became quiet in the OR. He asked for a blanket and wrapped it around himself. His responses to the surgeon were down to one or two words. By the late afternoon, I found him lying down to rest in the break room. It looked like the jet-leg had finally taken a toll. Kris missed our group dinner, and then he missed our breakfast, too.

It was the Montezuma’s revenge that punishes travelers in the middle kingdom just as in the Aztec empire, regardless of the purpose of the mission. Kris had struggled for two days without telling most of the team. It pained Kris so immensely that Raj had to carry Kris’ backpack as they walked together from the hotel to the hospital the next morning. Raj had his revenge as well.

I shared Kris’ story a few times with other volunteers on their first trips to China, and I no longer laugh some of them favor KFC over the handmade noodles or other street food that I couldn’t resist on the streets of Lanzhou.  

Kris Nielsen and his fellow perfusionist from Lanzhou First Affiliate Hospital, 2010.

Note: Thank you Ryn W for the editing. 

"You are not perfect, you have flaws."

I found out from Gale today that my first dental cleaning from her was 16 years ago. 

I marveled, "Your kids were babies then". Gale became a grandma last year. 

"They are still babies."

I chuckled after a few seconds. Gale was not happy with my response. 

"It took you that long!"

Gale and I have bonded over the last 16 years in keeping my teeth. I have a unique set of teeth from the overuse of tetracycline and the lack of dental care growing up. Back in the 70s’ China, tetracycline was a go-to antibiotic for every bacterial infection including common cold, gonorrhea, which I had plenty. The “tetracycline teeth” kids, as many of us being called while growing up, would not like to show the jarring teeth in dark and brown color when take selfies today.

Gale was protective of the bond, after my initial dental exam. She always apologized after the first exam of each new dentist in the office we broke in together over the years.

“I am sorry you have to go through that, Quan, but you are unique.”

After examining the dental x-rays today, Gale was seemly satisfied. Then she added,

"But you are not perfect, you have flaws,".

Feeling my dental homework un-appreciated, I responded, 

"I do floss." 

Indian Leadership in American Business

A friend shared several articles on the rise of Indian in large US companies on Wechat, a popular social media in China. Sundar Pichai at Google and Satya Nadella at Microsoft are impressive successes of Indian immigrants in America. The rising wave also includes the recent appointed dean of Harvard Business School (Nitin Nohria), University of Chicago Booth School of Business (Sunil Kumar), and several other large US corporations and institution.

These articles from the Chinese media consider the following factors:

1. Strong network within the community: many Indians help each other in the workplace, such as job interviews, promotions etc.
2. Focused on relationship in leadership: the tradition of apprenticeship makes Indian leaders more likely to participate and build strong relationship and loyalty with subordinates.
   
3. Others: IIT as the ultimate elite school has produced half of the top Indian leadership; strong language skills; and early exposure to the American culture.

Some of these summaries came from the vantage point of comparing with the experience with recent Chinese immigrants in America. Indeed, the background of these Indian leaders are very similar to mine, and many of the technical immigrants from China in their mid-career. We grew up in places were poorly developed, went to good universities, came to the US to pursue postgraduate education, and stayed.

The focus on relationship in their leadership was an interesting observation, but makes sense after thinking about my own experience with friends and coworkers from India. My own observation to add:

1. Continue to pursue the next career goal: I know more Indian co workers than Chinese who completed an MBA in early career. I attribute this to the Chinese philosophy of “Zhi Zhu Chang Lie”, knowing having enough makes one happy. Many Chinese become technical expert and stop. My Indian friends more often have eyes on the top spot of the company
   
2. Strong family and community: this observation is very superficial, but it is often breathtaking to participate in the Indian family and friend gathering, weddings and other ceremonies. Community is a salient part of the Indian culture. My most awe experience is the best table tennis club in the US is not by Chinese, who dominate the sport, but hosted by the Indian Community Center in the bay area (http://www.indiacc.org/tabletennis). These communities can often serve as the backbone for strong leadership. The individual pursuit of excellence or happiness is different from taking everyone with you to pursue a common goal.
   

Alas, I congratulate my Indian friends for their rise in American Businesses, the diversity will be good for all.

Future of China, Part III

I just spent two weeks in China visiting with families and friends. Mom and Dad took a trip with us to Hangzhou, Shaoxing and Thousand Islands. They are going strong.

The country is going strong as well. In Suzhou, the new subway connects east and west from the Industrial Park to the New Park through the heart of the old city. For a city with more than 2,500 years of recorded history, this sure is a milestone. Shanghai remains as one of the best connected cities I have visited. The transit at Hongchao connects airline, high speed train and subways, running as efficient as Amsterdam, Frankfurt or any other global hubs today. In Nanjing, construction cranes have disappeared from the skyline, and replaced are blue sky which were invisible in the last twenty years.

I also had opportunities to meet several friends who have returned from America to pursue their China Dream. Everyone of them were upbeat, and excited about new opportunities in the marketplace and in their careers. In healthcare, “the needs are so vast, you could almost work on anything and be successful!”, marveled by one, who is in venture investing. What most needed are talents. What a contrast with the medical device field in the US today.

The dissatisfactions were from friends never left the country. It is very difficult to conduct business without falling into the “gray zone”, where rules of law may not apply. The recent GSK scandal illustrated exactly the dilemma faced by virtually every business in China, multinational or local. This seems to me a classic example of the Game Theory. In a very competitive environment, if you follow the rules when your competitors do not, you are guaranteed to lose. When the law is not strictly enforced, everyone will be cheating. In China today, law enforcement is where power, interests and corruption convolute. The entire country seems to be screaming for the rules of law.

The future of China, a bright future of China, will come from institutions that can establish,  monitor and enforce the rules of law, which is the fundamental pillar of a democratic society. An early and an easy step is to establish the freedom of press. Microblogs and WeChat are making a difference already today. This will be a small step that will not destroy the stability of the country today, but free press will be a big step towards reducing corruption, a focal point for future concern. A next step is to seek independence of the judiciary system. The rules of law must be above anyone and any party. There is no replacement for the Chinese Community Party today. Many one party systems and countries have done well in the eastern culture. Having an independent judiciary system will help maintain the stability of the country, and lead to a better transition from an authoritarian state to a democratic state.

Future of China, Part II

We are near the 24th anniversary of June 4th student movement in 1989, and I almost feels that it happened yesterday.

It is the event defines my generation for our youth. When thinking about the future of China today, I still have a lot of reflections from thinking about June 4th.

There were many social drivers for the event in 1989. The country just begun a trajectory for dramatic improvement of living standard and productivity at the time; there were a lot of hope for better life in the future. What also begun at the time was the recognition of the unfair system associated with the one party system and the authoritarian state. Government corruption became a big concern, especially among students who began to compare China with other democratic societies that seemed to promote fairness and freedom for basic rights.

China has changed much since 1989. The Economist this morning reported that the country pulled 680 million people out of extreme poverty, and reduced its rate from 84% in 1980 to 10% now, accounted for three quarters of the world wide achievement over the period. Obviously a proud accomplishment for the Chinese people and the government.

Government corruption is still the focus of the Chinese microblogs today. The new Chinese government led by Xi also identified corruption control as the key for its long-term party’s ruling. The only difference on corruption from 1989 is that now it is everywhere. China’s last premier was reported with family wealth exceeded billion dollars. Environment pollution has reached the hazardous level that people dare the government officials to drink the water they regulate. Inequality has created new poverty issue that was different from when 80% people were poor versus many felt being leave behind by the system today.

Is this the time for Asian Spring?

In 1989, as a student, freedom and democracy were something to die for. 

Today, I think democracy is a tool for better society. Democracy, by itself, is not a goal for a revolution to throw a government away.

The recent changes in Egypt, Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria all told a lesson that the most important government function is to establish order. There could be far more damage come from lack of governance than from government corruption. Not having drinking water is very difference from having corrupted officials take money from water distribution, as untolerable as it sounds.

We all have experience when strong leaders are need to set direction and make decision for everyone to follow. That actually happens in businesses everywhere. Very few companies run on a democratic system, even though many employee may feel unfair treatment. We work in these entities because we agree that they align with our best interests. 

There are also decisions and choices should only be made through a democratic process. We don't want any one individual to decide on gun rights or gay rights. 

Comparing all government systems we have experienced collectively as a specie, democratic systems seem to yield the better outcome to minimize corruption, which is an inevitable byproduct from every power structure.

Is China ready for a democratic system today?

Future of China, Part I

Future of China, Part I

Witnessing changes over the Arab Spring and current affairs in Syria, I wonder what will be in the future of China.

In 1989, I was a college student in Shanghai. What happened during the student movement in China and what followed in Eastern Europe had many assemblance with the student protest in Tunisia, the transformation in Egypt, the collapse of the Gaddafi government in Libya, and the ongoing civil war in Syria.

It has been a wonder in the past 25 years in China for the unprecedented growth and the dramatic improvement in people’s life. Many wonder how could this happen in an authoritarian state. There have been suggestions that maybe an authoritarian state could be more efficient than a democratic one, maybe the state owned enterprises could be better aligned with long-term strategy than the short-term focus of western multinationals. Look at the chaos in the Middle East today, maybe the authoritarian state is better for today and tomorrow’s China.

I certainly hope tomorrow’s China is not the one governed by a party which does not recognize freedom for individual and democracy for all.

The recent reform in China began in 1978 with farmers wanted ownership of their land and reward based on their work. As a kid in the early 70’s, I remember almost everything was on a quota system due to short of supply. Our family of 6 had a monthly quota for 3 pounds of meat (I later heard it was good for the environment, which is fine, but it also explains why it is so hard to turn a middle aged Chinese into a vegetarian today no matter what the health benefit there is). By the middle 80s, the farmers markets were full of vegetables, chickens (without H5N1 or H1N7) and produces --- this came from the hard work of hundreds of millions of farmers simply making an honest living and a reasonable leader (Deng) who recognized that the government just needed to stay out of the way and gave back farmers their freedom to be owners of their land.

The Made in China status of manufacturer of the world started in regions that countless entrepreneurs took risks of leaving their jobs and put everything they had in new ventures that addressed every opportunity and need in the market --- every success story in Shenzhen, Suzhou, and Dongguan came from millions of migrant workers’ willingness to put in so much to improve their lives and a government willing to let market force to drive growth and development.

Aspiration for freedom and democracy has proven to be fundamental needs for every modern society, and it will be the future in China.

How will China transform from an authoritarian state to a democratic society without falling into the chaos in Syria today?

I want to imagine that in Part II of future of China.