Prayers to Earthquake-striken People in Jiuzhaigou County Posted on August 9,2017 Hi, everyone, Two powerful earthquakes have struck China, the first was in Jiuzhaigou(in the southwestern Sichuan province) hit by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake at 9:19 pm. on Tuesday, the epicenter was at a depth of 20 kilometers in Jiuzhaigou, as of Wednesday, 13:10 pm., 19 killed-including 5 tourists, 247 injured-including 40 seriously. The second took place this morning(7:27 am) in the northwestern Xinjiang province, measuring 6.6 in magnitude. Natural disasters are more terrifying than anything man can create, fires, floods, hurricans, earthquakes, tornadoes, anyone who has experienced them has a profound respect for the force of nature. They are heartbroken over it, as we are for them who suffer damage in the earthquake. And my heart aches for everyone’s losses. There will be blessings here, lives changed, good things that come after bad, which is often the way life works. No one expected a earthquake of this magnitude in Jiuzhaigou or other places it affected. And the restoration process will be long, not only structurally, but in the hearts of those who lost so much, or lost people they loved. This is a deep wound that will take a long time to heal, individually and collectively. We are so horrified, and grief striken for the people who lost homes, belongings, all their wordly possessions, or worse, loved ones. We have all seen the stories on the news, the rescue of their patients, as nurse carried babies from the Newborn ICU down many flights of stairs, operating manually operated respirators, streets and neighborhoods disappearing, car swept down flooded streets, houses disappearing, people being rescued. I am reminded of many things. I know that bad things do happen. Until tragedy stikes you personally, you/we always feel that things will turn out okay. Once you have to come face to face with tragedy, you know that that’s not always the case. Most of time, when the phone rings, my heart stops for an instant, teffified of what I might hear. Once you know the worst can happen, it changes your life forever. You no longer have that carefree confidence that nothing bad will real happen. Sometimes it does. And the knowledge of that alters our lives forevermore. The earthquake is that way too. If the worst can happen－could it happen again? We all know that it could. This reminds me too of the aftermath of the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008, when our lives were forever changed, travel is complicated and unnerving now, we will never again feel completely secure on our own turf or in the air. People who survived in the Wenchuan earthquake know now that their homes are not completely safe, and they are not entirely safe from natural disaster. The brutal effects of the earthquake are still being felt, and will be for a long time. The people in the affected areas, and victims of those catastrophes are living with the fallout of the disaster for years. Lives lost, homes destroyed, whole neighborhoods impacted, and that won’t recover for a long, long time. For them the disaster is still their main and only focus. And how to comfort them from their tragic loss? They lost their home and everything they own. The tragedy is still very much alive for those who went through it. Possessions can be replaced, but treasured sentimental objects are sad losses, and the homes are where we all like to believe that we are safe, it is terrifying to realize that we are not safe in the face of natural disasters. My heart goes out to all of those who were touched by the earthquake. Our deep sympathy and compassion to everyone affected by the earthquake. Our love and prayers are with you. Let us hope that another disaster like this doesn’t happen again. And let us hope that the wounds, both emotional and material, heal as quickly as possible. Love, Liu

Who Killed Li Wenxing?－The World Outside Ivory Tower Is Complex Posted on August 7, 2017 Hi, everyone, I write to you in sorrow over the shocking death of Li that has struck the nation. And it has taken me some days to catch my breath and even know what to say. We are all horrified and grief stricken for his parents who lost their loved son. And it is a terrifying experience they will long remember, and it isn’t over yet. It is terrifying to realize that we are not safe in face of such scams in this peaceful world. What a terrible death to those who just graduated from universities and are struggling on the way of hunting their desirable job for a brilliant future career. Li Wengxing, at 23, graduated from Northeast University in Shenyang, Liaoning province in 2016, and was found dead from drowning on July 14 in a pool in Tianjin’s Jinghai district. Police said it’s highly possible that he was somehow connected with a pyramid scheme organization, as a notebook with pyramid scheme content was found with his body. The incident has sparked fierce online discussion. Li is a boy of peasant origin, regardless of years of hardship, finally fortune smiled at him, five years ago, he was admitted to a 985 university with an excellent academic record. He should have made some achievements and distinguished himself gloriously in his early career, but he died after reportedly lured into a scam from a rampant fake recruiter related to pyramid scheme. Nobody knows what kind of despair he had been through. We ofthen believe that there are more good sarmaritans than bad guys in this world, and feel at ease and reassured, but now I feel a little scared when rejoice at the nice, peaceful and wonderful world. Long ago, it was considered that the society(the outside world) is as good and wonderful as the college campus. Li had been looking for job for a long time but failed. Though suspicious that offer might be a scam, he still received the offer from scammers posing as recruiters for a Beijing-based company. According to his family members, Li asked his mother in his last call to her not to give money to anyone, Li himself never borrowed money, yet recently asked for money three times. Maybe long-time failure in his job-hunting had driven him crazy, so he grasped a straw as the last chance of survival. Apparently, his self-protection awareness is not enough, and to some extent, he would rather protect the money than his life, this is a tragedy of poeple from the bottom of society. We can never underestimate the violence and attack from the evil forces, who will do anything to accomplish their aims(ends justify means). The education in the ivory tower is too ‘simple’. It must be wrong that getting-education is useless, our education is just not good enough, no matter on family education or on school education. Maybe we can learn poetry and verses, lyre-playing, chess, calligraphy, painting and chemistry in school. Nevertheless, the nurturing of the analysis of human nature and crisis awareness, is ignored, while it means a lot when students leave the university and go out for society. Though Li is a 985 unversity graduate, the lack of these instructions leads to his death. The society is like a melting pot that comprises the good and the bad, the kindness and the evil, the honesty and the hypocrisy. Nobody can assure they will not come across some evil things in their life, for this is not a fairy tale world!!! So before leave the university, everyone should have prepared in advance for the possible bad and evil things in the future. There are many more attractive ‘sugar-coated-bullets’ everywhere in this society, more ornate and elaborated and decorated on the surface, while darker and gloomier inside. I think we all at times feel helpless in the face of job-hunting stress or plight. My heart goes out to you who suffered tragedies and lost loved ones. You have my love and my prayer, and my deep compassion. Let us hope that another incident like this doesn’t happen again, and let us hope that the wounds, both emotional and material, heal as quickly as possible. I send you all my love, Liu

Essay: My Baby (1) Posted on July 20, 2017 Hi, everyone: In the early morning, at just six oclock, I was awake, and the weather was somewhat hot and abnormal in the early summer, there was a hotness in the air that suggested rain. With the hot and humid air, I could not fall asleep again, rose and dressed myself, went to the bathroom and took a shower, now felt much better---fresh and ivigorating again. At the present, it was not a bad choice to kill time by reading. Recently, I have been reading the original English novel: The Good Earth (大地), written by Pearl S. Buck (赛珍珠June 26, 1892 – March 6, 1973), she is an American by born and by ancestry, but growed up in China since her age of five-months old, spent most of her life before 1934 in Zhenjiang, China, so her first language is Chinese(the local dialect by her Chinese playmates, and classical Chinese by a Chinese scholar named Mr. Kung), won the Pulitzer Prize in 1932 and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for her rich and truly epic descriptions of peasant life in China in The Good Earth, which had been forbidden to read in China during the Cultural Revolution,. Following the Comminst Revolution in 1949, Pearl was repeatedly refused all attempts to visit her beloved China, but never made it. During the Cultural Revolution, Pearl, as a preeminent American writer of Chinese village life, was denounced as an “American cultural imperialist”. And at 80, she was hearbroken when prevented from visiting China with Richard Nixon in 1972. (Afterward, I will also continue reading her translation of classic Chinese novel Dream of the Red Chamber(红楼梦). Neither have I ever read its Chinese version, and it’s time to make up a missed lesson.) Lying on the sofa, I read The Good Earth (downloaded from internet) in my Kindle, and reading filled time and distracted me and the time flied by. Now there was about 3 hours before my baby woke---he always woke about this oclock. Then I walked into the room in which my baby(Kevin) was sleeping. The curtain was drawn, and the room, in the hot light of a July morning, was not too dark. On the wall was a photo in the cupboard frame which is about 50cm across and 60cm high, and there are two wardrobs in the room, one is old and red, the other is much bigger and white. I went forwards, stood by the bed-side, bent down and kissed him on his forehead and whispered:”Are you still sleeping, darling? Wake up.” Kevin did not answer, but smiled comfortably, seem very happy in the large and warm bed next to the wall, on one side of the bed stand a bedside-table, and there is no space for the other to place. In the front of the bed and beside the smaller wardrobe, is a simple clothes-stand on which hang some Kevin’s clothing for the conveniece of use. I went to the window and opened the curtain, glanced mechanically at the window opposite, through the window, outside, I could see the great cumulus clouds that hung in the sky. Mengdong River flows through Youngshun county(seated in moutianous region), across the river are the mountains brown and bare, in the bed of the river there are pebbles, dry and white in the sun, and the water is clear, and swiftly moving and blue in the channels. To be continued Love, Liu

Do OUR own part well, then wait... Posted on June 28,2017 We all need to remember at times that miracles DO happen, and sometimes the littlest blessing can turn out to be a big one, and just what we needed. There are always challenges we all are obliged to face—-and the things that frighten, sadden, and discourage us at times, whether the loss of a loved one, or a disappointment of some kind. We ALL always find ourselves in situations we hate, a home we don’t really like, a job we hate, a boss who makes our life a living hell—-and most of the time, those situations don’t improve by magic. Sometimes, often, we have to embrace the situation we’ve got, and work on improving it, and only then, when our attitude changes toward it, are we shifted to a much better place or situation? —but first we have to do OUR part. The bad boss doesn’t just quit and make your life easier, and no one walks up to the front door and hands you the keys to a better house, or gives you a check to improve it. But once you do your part, the miracles start to happen. we have to work on improving a situation, and not just sit and cry about it, and we can’t give up until we make situations in our lives more livable, and THEN the blessings and miracles happen. A friend may help you, or a lucky break, or some unexpected money, or someone may give you what you need—-but we have to do our part of the work too. Most of us want to write, write down our own lives, or for the people around us, but writing is not easy, as we all know, too hard to put thoughts into words as we want, from the first notes on the concept, to outline, first draft, to the many re-writes, it’s a long process of honing, cleaning, building, editing. The knowledge of how to tell and write stories is hard to obtain. Anchee Min(閔安琪) born January 14, 1957 in Shanghai, China) is a well-known Chinese-American author, she is my idol, at the age of 20, she was spotted by a team of talent scouts from the Shanghai Film Studio in a labor camp, and was selected to become an actress for her ideal “proletarian good looks” , eventaully won the leading role in a propaganda film inspired by Madame Mao(Jiang qing). Mao died before the film was complete, and Madame Mao, blamed for the disaster of the revolution, was sentenced to death. Min was labeled a political outcast by association. She was disgraced, punished,and forced to perform menial tasks in order to reform herself. In 1984, with the help of her friend, American actress Joan Chen(陈冲)， She left China for America, and spoke no English when arrived in Chicago. The story of Anchee’s eventual success, a mother and a writer, an immigrant story that illuminates so many things we take for granted. And it is an universal story, about moving forward until you find a path or find you have been blazing one all along. With all my love, Liu

My Baby’s Jelly Fell Down on the Floor (There was a simple table in the midde of our drawing room, surrounded by a green sofa, my little baby sat on it, with his barefeet hanging down naturally, on the table was a garbage-box, and there was a red strawberry-flavored jelly in it, for the jelly is dirty now.) My baby’s jelly fell down on the floor, all at once, he burst into tears. That broke his heart, and he feel very sad, crying loudly, tears hovering in his eyes, then rolling down his cheeks, with his little finger pointing to the waste jelly on the floor.It seems as if how pitful he is.This happened when he tried to eat his favorite jelly with a fork by himself. At present, he is not capable of using forks or chopsticks as he want at his age, two and a half. He wanted us to pick it up for him, so he can continue eating it as if nothing had happenned. He was too reluctant to see us throw it into the garbage-box, shooking his head violently.Looking at his serious, earnest and chidish face, I always find it funny and interesting to observe the way he(kid) eats.That’s the way he is learning.That’s the way we grow up.That’s the way belong to both of us to share time together.That the way we accompany each other into old age. I tried to quiet him and persuade him not to eat it, and said:” Anything dropped on the floor is insanitary and should not be eaten, for it’s harmful to health and for there are many a little worms on the floor which have eaten the food and contaminated it.”But no explanation works, he still insisted on eating that jelly. Now I could do nothing but take another jelly out and help him tear the plastic film off it. And finally there was a pause, at the moment, he was enjoying his jelly with a smile on his face. Sometimes I couldn’t stop thinking that it seems as if he knows that he should be dilligent and thrifty due to the poor economic condition of his family.Anyway, what a sweet and considerate little boy he is! Liu, on 5th June,2017

What Chinese Civilization We Should Rejuvenate? Ⅰ Life is short but a span, just dozens of years, it might have been funny, but in reality, as a matter of fact, lives of a great number of people are meaningless, and there is no joy for them. As for why do I suddenly define the colorful life as an existence of boredom, more of a chore than a pleasure, that will be a long story. But thinking of that not many people actually like reading long articles nowadays, in case people can not seek any fun in your writing, nobody will show their interest and read about it. So, to facilitate reading, I can not but give a brief account to talk about my recent feelings, by the way, some boring people would be mentioned of. For thousands of years, Chinese have been oppressed, enslaved and massacred. If there were real happiness and freedom for them, that is just the ravings or visions of the historians. In ancient times, constrained by the backward production capacity, the ignorant and unenlightened ideology, freedom is merely an extravagant hope, let alone live a happy life. And we can see that Chinese people have been lingering on the edge and struggling their feeble existence from varieties of historical records which have been yet whitewashed. Even if, sometimes, they rise up and fight for the happiness and freedom of life sporadically, in the end, they would die, or become the victims of those in power again, as a result, being a slave of a new master all the same. Is there a sign that shows they have the so-called true sense of independence, freedom and democracy? Many Chinese writers and cultural historians like the most about the self-glorification in which they fabricate fairy tales and sagas with a five-thousand-year civilization. After make a general survey of the entire Chinese history, I still see this civilization is nothing but a civilization with a history full of oppression, enslavement and killings. Now, it is said that we should revitalize China and rejuvenate Chinese civilization, I just do not know what to be revitalized and what to be rejuvenated.

Think of Celebrity’s Sex Scandal Award-winning film director Wang Quan'an was detained last week on suspicion of soliciting a prostitute, Legal Evening News reported on Monday, Septempber 15, 2014. Wang, a 48-year-old Shaanxi native, was caught having sex with an alleged prostitute, a 31-year-old from Heilongjiang province, on Sept 10 in an apartment in Dongcheng district in Beijing. If you were a public figure, you should take more social responsibilities, rather than constantly challenge the law personally, in that way, you will put your image and fame at the risk of being nearly destroyed. Morality can discipline individual behavior, but not the society, however law can. Human nature has its dark side, rationality is limited when dealing with the dictates of our passions, and sexual attachment. So there is a need for law. Some netizens said of his young beautiful wife Zhang Yuqi with tongue of entertaining: “ Look, what a sexy thigh, I would fall into reverie and can not stop to think: "I like her —a lot —and I might have sex! What a wonderful thing it would be.” Of sexy appeal and beauty,etc., in one way or another, the prostitute absolutely can not compare with his wife, a popular actress. So, here comes a question which rerains largely a mystery for netizens: Since he has married such a gorgeous wife, why put extra effort to go whoring? Everyone’s marriage need tolerance, patience and support, and need to be take good care of. Let alone a celebrity, who is in the spotlight, should speak and act more cautiously, and deal it with great care. Recently, many a report on the sex and drug scandals of the celebrities have sparked heated dabate on line. A celebrity is the center of public attention, his social influence is strong, and many people will follow him as their idol. So, as a celebrity, should be a good role model for the public, a man of virtue, credible, self-discipline and law-abiding, promote virtue and social morality. Otherwise, his deeds will get himself into trouble, and bring negative effects to the public and society. Especially, it will wield adverse impacts to teenagers whose outlooks of life, value and world are not immature enough yet. Having such a young, lovely and beautiful wife, Wang likewise goes out whoring. Here, I want to say, Wang’s and other celebrities’ sex scandals prove a persuasive point: High salary for a clean government may be not reliable as we think. Corruption is bound to rise by the lack of checks and supervisions. And the high-salary system seems to have proved that: It has gone bankrupt whether on politics and economics, or love and marriage.

Talk of Suicide Ⅱ Here attached a suicide note: A Farewell to My Dear Mom ‘I think it over and over, I really do. This world is a pool of backwater of despair, no matter what I do, I can not get my dream come ture, all my efforts is always under the vested interested groups' foot, all my persistence and struggle is hard to move forward one step to achieve my dream. To those indifferent and cold people, thank you for despising me before, I finally make such a determination. The snobbishness of the cruel world, the hideous and the ugliness of the city, and the disgusting pressure, you all go to the hell, and leave me alone.’ In fact, he/her was no free from care, he/her missed and concerned something, at least he/her worried about his/her aged mother. Dissociative Disoders(解离症又称人格分裂) is not terrible, but it is hard for an ordinary people to understand that he always plays the different roles in his life. Suicide is a pure individual behaviour, and yet a social phenomenon. From childhood, we have been told by adults that if you had the thought of suicide, that proves your life is unhappy and psychology unhealthy, you are a totally loser. In my university years, two campus suicide cases took place in the name of love. During lessons, our department dean scolded the two deceased students. He said: “You do not only live for yourself, but for the others (your parents), etc. it is so stupid to die that way just for love.” As a matter of fact, I really disapprove of suicide, but it does not mean I hate those who commit suicide. And I won’t take them as a topic at my leisure as the dean who condemned them for their foolish behaviour, in the meanwhile he talk it loudly and spread it happily. In my mind, an average person or a primary school teacher talk it in that way, it could be understandable, while as an university professor, does the same, that is somewhat unexpected. It is known that it is not wise to clarify the point prematurely in the teaching method. It seems as if he intends to instill us a value: Better a live coward than a dead hero. As an university teacher, it is important to impart knowledge and spread virtues to students, so is to inspire wisdom and guide life. It is not great to commit suicide on the battlefield, nor is it deplorable to in life.I want to say, whatever, we should respect other people’s choice when it is done, like Leslie Cheung(张国荣), we should respect him as a dream chaser. To me, I will do what I can to help those who want to commit suicide, persuade them not to, though I can not keep them under control. It is what the government should do to prevent such suicide behavior from happening. And remember: Life is beautiful. Do not believe this until the moment you die, let’s start from now on, do appreciate and enjoy the joys that life gives us.

Talk of Suicide Ⅰ September, 10th, is World Suicide Prevention Day, and 10th, September, 2003 was named the first WSPD by the World Health Organizaiton. Suicide is the product of human development. Suicidal behavior is an exclusive strange manner of death for human beings. It is an act to end one’s life by the dead himself/herself, who know the consequence that this negative behavior will bring. So it is a conscious behavior. Since the dawn of Mankind, they saw the giant animals hunted their preys, and natural disaster wrecked and ruined the plants and animals, this is an instantaneous death process. Mankind first learned to hunt. When they began to kill themselves intentionally, that is to say, they had the sense of self-awareness already, a sense of self-existence, they have seen themselves as an objective object. A decision can be made by breaking through or conquering the instinct of fearing death, in this respect, suicide marks that the evolution of human brain has reached a certain degree, so as to that they have an outlining understanding about the human physical structure, function and operation to some extent. No matter what purpose suicide is, death is an unavoidable corollary. One philosopher said: 'From the moment we were born, every day, we are on the way to the death, always and all the time. Death is ubiquitous, and He hides himself in every corner and every detail around us. The dead leaves scattered in the garden and along the road, the crumbling wall, the cell phone battery running out of power and the animals( chicken, duck, fish) with which we cook dishes, these are something we all take for granted. Death is everywhere, it is not a big deal, so there is no need to be surprised at suicide. ' Our human beings live in a world of death, mankind conquer the instinct of death(id 本我), the superego(超我) is gained, then the ego(自我) is developed, now he learns to end his own life by the means what he want. So suicide is the manifestation of human wisdom. Life is the most valuable weath. Suicide is the most powerful and silent accusation, a psalm of life. It is to make life bloom like a fireworks display.

Why a Chinese Donates $350 million to Harvard? The latest news says: Hong Kong tycoon Ronnie Chan and his brother Gerald Chan, have donated $350 million to Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH). It is the largest single donation the American university has ever received since founded in 1636 Harvard University renamed the school the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. T. H. Chan, Ronnie Chan’s father, the late founder of Hang Lung Group, who established The Morningside Foundation. So far, there are only two Harvard schools named after an individual, one is the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, the other Harvard Kennedy School of Government. In July, 2014, the billionaire couple Pan Shiyi and Zhang Xin donated $15 million to Harvard to establish a Soho China Scholarship. At these news, as a Chinese, my first response is: Why not invest in China's education? Chinese colleges, universities and government should think about it profoundly. As a matter of fact, this phenomenon is worth a careful study and weighing. To creat a good fame, reputation and promote its brand and image abroad. To develop a new way out for the future business. To pave a path to the world elite school for his posterity. These are all probably understandable. Most Chinese commentators would have little problem with that, as caring for one's family and friends is traditional in Chinese society. In fact, most critics would do the same if they had the financial means. Is there other deeper reasons behind their decisions? Or because these billionaires lose confidence in Chinese Charitable donations system. Or because they lose confidence when do business with Chinese government, in which they have faced too many Chinese government officials being guilty of malpractice and corruption. And they know too much as an insider. They can not speak it out, or reluctant to, or dare not. For there are too many unspoken rules when doing business in China. America's top colleges are mainly private universities, which are founded and developed mostly on individual donation, Regarding to the management aspects, the education donation is operated by a special Foundation, respecting the wishes of the donators with an open accounting. For there is a transparent mechanism, the American colleges gain the public’s trust and attract large mounts of donation from individuals. In contrast, Chinese philanthropy is less open and transparent, void of a reliable public supervision mechanism. There is little transparency and accountability in the operation and use of the donation. And this leads to the lack of the public’s trust on the management of the donation runned by Chinese universities and government. As an old saying goes: Better return home and make a net than long for fish by the waterside. So it is better to reflect on where it all goes wrong rather than to envy that the international famous colleges frequently win the favor of Chinese tycoons.