The Changing Landscape

March 25, 2010

Regardless of what Political Correctness requires most Americans to say in public about other cultures and ethnic groups, America’s national interests (meaning Americans making money and spending more) have dominated the globe for decades clearly showing a lack of respect for other cultures.

Today, the world is on the verge of a major shift away from America’s national interests as China rewrites the rules on trade, technology, currency, climate change, etc.

中国
China/Middle Kingdom

The March 22, 2010, issue of Newsweek, “It’s China’s World—We’re Just living In It“, talks about those changes. Where the American dollar once ruled supreme, the Chinese yuan is appearing around the Asia-Pacific as an alternative currency.

As I pointed out about the Chinese space race, China is now the only country making major investments in space exploration and their reasons are not to earn bragging rights by putting footsteps in moon dust but to discover fresh sources of rare minerals that are quickly being depleted on the earth.

Looking for opportunities, China has become the leader in green technology.

Meanwhile, America is missing the boat as political/religious agendas rule the behavior of the ruling class who squabble over global warming, school prayer, abortion, health care, stem cell research, evolution versus creationism, etc.

1 Comment | America, business, China, economy, environment, government, health care, politics | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Lloyd Lofthouse

Powerful Chinese Women

March 22, 2010

Empress Wu Zetian founded her own dynasty in 690 and ruled to 705 AD. During the Tang Dynasty, women had more freedom and did not bind their feet. They also contributed in the areas of culture and politics.

The Empress Dowager Tzu Hsi, Orchid, ruled China for half a century (1861 – 1908) but was never officially the emperor. She ruled through her son and then a nephew.

Today, Chinese women have assumed important positions in the government. Female deputies total about 22% of the National People’s Congress, and women make up close to 18% of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. There are more than 230 women holding ministerial or provincial positions. source

Wu Yi, known as the Iron Lady

Among these powerful women are examples such as Wu Yi, who served as vice mayor of Beijing; deputy minister in the foreign trade ministry and as the health minister, where she reshaped the nation’s image in the fight against SARS. Then there is Song Xiuyan, the governor of Qinghai Province. Song is the only female provincial governor in China. Next is Liu Liying, who, as a judge, developed a legendary reputation fighting corruption.

Discover The One-Child Tragedy

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Lloyd Lofthouse is the award-winning author of My Splendid Concubine [3rd edition]. When you love a Chinese woman, you marry her family and culture too. This is the love story Sir Robert Hart did not want the world to discover.

His latest novel is the multiple-award winning Running with the Enemy.

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China’s Holistic Historical Timeline

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Posted by Lloyd Lofthouse

An Unhealthy War of Words

March 17, 2010

Both China and America face a crises in health care, because many in both countries cannot afford it.

Emperor Wudi (Han Dynasty, 141 BCE) may have made the right choice. Wudi wanted to make sure that peasants could afford salt and iron so his government controlled the prices. The private sector that sold these commodities was upset, because they couldn’t amass the great fortunes they wanted.

Emperor Wudi - Han Dynasty

After Emperor Wudi’s death in 87 BCE, a great debate (similar to the debate over health care in America today) took place.  It was called the “Debate on Salt and Iron”.  It pitted the advocates of a strong central state against those favoring more autonomy for local elites—people who owned businesses in the private sector. In the end, the government program that controlled the prices of essential commodities was abolished.

The results—

1. The imperial court became more concerned with an extravagant social life and stopped doing their job running the country. Greed became rampant.

2. Powerful families manipulated the emperor and his ministers—like corporate and special-interest lobbyists in America today. For a few, fortunes grew while many peasants had to go without.

3. Revenues declined and military affairs were neglected.

4. The Han Dynasty collapsed.

Health is an essential commodity, and Bill Maher makes a good case for this in his piece at the Huffington Post.

To learn more, read “China’s Health Care During Mao’s Time” http://wp.me/pN4pY-br

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Posted by Lloyd Lofthouse

Chinese Herbalism

March 15, 2010

If given a choice, I will use herbal medicines when I’m sick instead of modern Western medicine, which will be my last resort.

The use of herbal medicines in China has been traced back to the Zhou Dynasty, late Bronze/early Iron Age, about 2500 to 3000 years ago. The video at the end of this post will give you a better idea how herbalism came to be.

Li Shizhen

In 1596, hundreds of years before Western modern medicine, Li Shizhen spent decades writing down the vast knowledge of herbal lore.

His book, the Ben Cao Gang Mu (1596), has been used as a pharmacopoeia, but it was also a treatise on botany, zoology, mineralogy and metallurgy.

 
Ben Cao Gang Mu

The Ben Cao Gang Mu mentions 1,892 different herbs and is divided into 6 sections, 52 scrolls and 60 different categories.

It has been reported that Darwin had a copy of the Ben Cao Gang Mu with him on his voyage of discovery in 1831.

In fact, the World Health Organization reports that about 80% of people worldwide use herbal medicines for their healthcare.

Discover more about Health Care Without Drugs

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Lloyd Lofthouse is the award-winning author of My Splendid Concubine [3rd edition]. When you love a Chinese woman, you marry her family and culture too. This is the lusty love story Sir Robert Hart did not want the world to discover.

#1 - Joanna Daneman review posted June 19 2014

Where to Buy

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China’s Holistic Historical Timeline

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Posted by Lloyd Lofthouse

Health Care Without Drugs

March 9, 2010

I had acupuncture a few times.  When I was still teaching, I saw a chiropractor once a week during the school year. Both of these techniques worked for me without the need to take dangerous drugs. Have you ever read the warnings on prescribed drugs? Those descriptions are scary and have stopped me from taking what the American doctor prescribed more than once.

acupuncture treatment

The history of acupuncture goes back over 8,000 years. One would think if it didn’t work, this medical practice would have ended long ago. Even stingy American health insurance companies pay for acupuncture treatments. Here’s a list. (http://www.msingler.com/insco.html)

The warnings on muscle relaxants scared me enough to try a chiropractor. I’m glad I did. The history of Chiropractic Care has been traced back to China (2700 BC) and Greece (1500 BC). The dates show that this practice started in China. My health insurance paid for Chiropractic and many other plans do too.

Discover Attitudes Toward Health Care in China

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Lloyd Lofthouse is the award-winning author of the concubine saga, My Splendid Concubine & Our Hart. When you love a Chinese woman, you marry her family and culture too.

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Posted by Lloyd Lofthouse

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