For a generation raised on MTV rather than Mao Zedong Thought, Buddhism, along with other traditional Chinese ideologies such as Confucianism and Taoism, offers young people a way to reconnect with their Chinese identity in the face of increasing globalization.
Walking around what looked like a more metropolitan area of Beijing one day, I came across an old man sandwiched between a Bentley showroom and a shopping center boasting two huge advertisements for Burberry. He was standing on a sidewalk outside a restaurant, weighing eggs using a simple weight attached to a stick, making a simple living in an increasingly complex, modern city.
Before coming to China, some of my biggest questions were about Chinese impressions of the U.S.
Chuck McCormick and Aaron Kowalski are two of the countless Americans looking for business deals in China today. McCormick came to China a year ago when an expat friend invited him to visit. Since he's semi-retired, he was able to extend his 10-day visit to two months. “China can be very distracting," he says. "It’s like quicksand—the more you get involved, the more it pulls you.”
