And so my five weeks in China 2018 have come to an end. A quite substantial amount of time! Was it time well spent? Absolutely.My wish to connect to Chinese students as a teacher, frustrated during my year in Shanghai, came true. And, as in every teaching experience, I learned a lot from it. Why did I think the Book of Job would be immediately accessible, even in a non- or post-religious (better: non- or post-theistic) context? Discussing students' takes on Job with a friend from Hong Kong, whom we were able to see in Shanghai, we concluded "there's an article there." Read all about it here!
Living in an apartment on the Renmin U campus, and then traveling for a week in Hebei, Henan and Shanxi, put me in touch again with life in China. Interesting for so many reasons: China is the major global alternative to the liberal western order, but also an ancient civilization in mid-reinvention, with a huge population of people making lives and seeking meaning in dramatically changing environments. (Much is still up in the air; a sustainable way forward hasn't yet been found, culturally, politically, perhaps spiritually...) It's vital to understand from the human perspective. I'm fortunate to have the chance to get to know it, and lucky to have connections in Chinese universities to continue engaging it. Look forward to further exchanges!
