I
first went to China in 1995. It was a country that was on the move.
There were some cars, but more people were riding bikes. It was so
interesting to watch what was on the back of the bikes.
I
saw everything from a dozen cages of ducks to TVs and small
refrigerators, all on the backs of people who were riding on
bicycles. I was totally amused and entertained by the variety and
amount of bikes on the road. My next trip was in 2007, and I have
been back more than a dozen times since. I watch this country change
trip after trip.
China
is a country that is working hard to grow economically. I have said
that we in America would not have the standard of living that we have
without China, and China would not have the standard of living
without producing products for the world.
China
has the largest population of any country in the world. It is a
country of great contrast. On one hand you will find the some of the
richest people in the world, but you will also find some of the
poorest.
Before
1976, China was a classical communist country. Nobody was really
rich and none really poor. After Mao died, the next leader Hua
Guofeng,
could see that the people were not prospering and growing. He told
the people that some of them would have to get rich before the rest,
and he encouraged them to learn from the western world.
The
door to the west and to capitalism was opened, and now I would say
that they are more of a capitalist country than the USA.
While
I have been here this time, one of my good friends had just bought a
small hotel. A farmer’s wife came to meet my group and told us
about her life. She lives in Moon Hill near Guilin, China. She did
not know English and had never gone to school.
She
met a lady near her home who asked her to show her the area. She was
so good that her friend suggested she become a guide. Her friend
made her a sign in English saying she was a tour guide. Her little
tour business was born.
Slowly
she began to learn words in English. With a lot of hard work and
determination she became fluent in English and has a good tourist
business. She has raised three successful children who have all gone
to college and graduated and become professionals.
The
new generation has caught the vision of Hua Guofeng and is well on
its way to success. Many of the older generation wish they could go
back to the Mao period where everything was provided for them. It
was not as stressful for them.
Dian
takes tours around the world. Come travel with her next year to
China, Peru, South Africa, and even down the Rhine River. If you
would like to know more, send her an email at info@dianthomas.com.
To share her books for holiday gifts, go to www.DianThomas.com.
Dian Thomas was blessed with the good fortune to be born near and raised in
the remote, breathtaking Manti-La Sal National Forest in southeastern Utah,
where her father was the forest ranger. She took the skills she learned in the
outdoors and turned them into a New York Times best-selling book, Roughing It
Easy. Her appearance on the NBC's "Tonight" show with Johnny Carson
boosted her into the national media scene, where she became a regular on
NBC's "Today" show for eight years and then ABC's "Home Show" for six years.
After more than 25 years of media exposure and 19 books, she now shares her
practical insights and wisdom with audiences who want to savor life.
A former Relief Society president, Dian is currently serving as a visiting
teacher. Visit her website at www.DianThomas.com