Mail Call: The Rising Dragon.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)

Readers of the China cover articles in our year-end double issue were delighted with the reportage. "Melinda Liu's presentation of China's recent history was fascinating," wrote one who "could not put it down." Another agreed, "it was excellent." A third faulted us for quoting Confucius out of context.

A New Superpower Rises

Congratulations on your very interesting "China Now" cover package (Dec. 31, 2007/Jan. 7, 2008). I think it remains to be seen whether events after the Olympics will remain as peaceful and constructive as they are now. Especially excellent was the article "Mao to Now" by Melinda Liu with her personal views and experiences. It was very well done, indeed.

Claus Mueller

Marbella-Elviria, Spain

Melinda Liu's presentation of China's recent history was so fascinating, so candidly personal and insightful that I could not stop reading it. I would like to add a personal footnote from my travels through China. As a European, I was routinely taken for an American and, I realized that for people on the street, everything American is the essence of cool. There was not a day when there were not dozens of children, teens and sometimes even adults trying out their "Hello, how are you?" or "Where are you from?" on me. I was always the center of friendly attention. Those who could speak English proudly demonstrated it, and I saw little children learning English as a matter of course. There is no denying the intense pride that many Chinese feel toward their nation, but the openness to Western thought and culture on the one hand and a proud feeling of national identity on the other hand are two ideas that can coexist quite peacefully in real life. This is capital that the West should be very careful not to squander.

Stefan Koehler, M.D.