Halloween Ghosts

One layer of our novel deals with the supernatural. Gary experienced several supernatural experiences early in his journey.

Opening Ceremony of the Beijing Olympics!

I found this on You Tube and know you all will love to watch a tiny piece of the opening ceremony. This is very cool.

Good luck to all the athletes and we hope every country has some success!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNK6jYvUw-Q

Part ONE-- The Chinese Culture and Why They Do What They Do.

SAVING FACE, GIVING FACE AND LOSING FACE

Saving face means that you don't admit your own mistakes and you don't publicly humiliate your co-Nationals by exposing their mistakes. If a Chinese National who admits to making a mistake not only shames himself, but also brings shame to his country in front of foreign visitors. Losing your temper, confronting someone, putting someone on the spot, arrogant behavior,(like many Westerners at times present themselves when visiting China) or failing to pay the proper respect to someone or something, can cause a loss of face.


IMPORTANCE OF FAVORS, CONNECTIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS

The biggest cultural difference between Chinese and Americans relates to the role of the individual. The Chinese place great importance on the group. For example, everyone gathers around a round table and shares their food dishes. Consensus,(not making an important decision on your own but waiting for several people to help make the decision) and outward appearance of harmony are valued.

Proper etiquette = harmony and face. Believe it or not, there is an appropriate way to receive and give a business card with two hands. The true emotions of a person do not matter as long as you maintain composure/harmony. Many foreigners visiting China wonder why Chinese people don't get over excited and show emotions such as smiling and yelling and giving each other the "finger", like we do in the US.

Confucius historical rules of behavior are still deep-rooted in the Chinese Culture and apply to family, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances. Many times you will notice they do not apply to people that they do not know. For example-- if a Chinese person bumps into you or pulls their car in front of your car or pushes their way into the front of a line-- it is not considered rude to not offer an apology.

You notice this in everyday Chinese living as the majority of Chinese are not kind to strangers. They share no emotions. Which is not rude but just indifferent. Another perfect example is with my Chinese National fiancee who usually gets mad at me when I am kind to a stranger in China or will help a Chinese person financially that I do not know.

Leave at Home When Traveling to China or the Olympics

1. Hair dryer—3 star hotels and better have hair dryers as an amenity.

2. Tooth brush—all hotels and hostels offer a sealed and clean toothbrush and
toothpaste.

3. 50% of your clothes—when you are finished packing your clothes, take 50% out.
You will not need that many clothes. Hotels have inexpensive cleaning services.
Or, wash them in your room and hang dry.

4. Dress shoes—waste of space. Comfortable shoes are more important.

5. Shampoo and soap—hotels and hostels have as an amenity.

6. Large suitcases and luggage locks— buy in China if you have too many gifts and
need more room. Leave behind luggage locks, unless TSA-approved.

7. Sharp objects— security checks at the airport and elsewhere will confiscate them.
Knives are illegal to carry in China or Hong Kong.

8. Computer and money for electronic gifts—you can use a computer in your hotel’s
business center, at coffee shops or internet cafes. Electronics weigh you down.
Don’t buy electronics in China-- In contrast to Westerners’ perceptions,
computers and cameras are not cheaper to buy in China.
If you find a great deal on an electronic item, be careful—electronics may look
great on the outside but the inside will not function the same as you are
familiar with.

9. Cell phone— if it’s not enabled to operate internationally. Call your
provider to find out if your phone has this capability, and the costs associated
with that service.

10. Closed mind —keep an open mind and you will experience over 5000 years of history
and a fascinating culture.

Traveling to China for the Olympics? Top 10 Things to Take with You

1. Antibiotics/Imodium/Tylenol/Neosporin/Eye drops/ Benadryl—for emergencies, stomach virus, diarrhea, pollution that dries your eyes, or other aches and pains—Use when Chinese herbs and medicines don’t work or you are not sure about the prescribed Chinese drug. Don’t forget to have an emergency contact number and a number with address to a credible Chinese hospital.

2. Cash/ATM/credit card---hotels and some restaurants take credit cards. Most restaurants, stores and any small restaurant and shops only take cash/ RMB (Chinese currency is called Renminbi (people's money).
3. Small compact camera that takes video and photos (with several 4GB SD cards)—for those unforgettable moments. Don’t forget a strap to hang camera around your neck as the unforgettable moment usually happens before you can get the camera out of the case.

4. Money/passport pouch –comfortable pouch to wear under your shirt. Keep with you at all times. Scan copies of your credit cards, passport and important documents. Make them easily accessible on your web mail.

5. Map, backpack and walking shoes—take a backpack to keep your hands free when shopping, comfortable shoes for touring the sites and an English map of the cities you will visit. Google the city you are visiting and download a map.

6. Personal care goods---small hair gel, good shampoo/ razors-use shampoo as shaving crème (tomorrow, look for the “top 10 things to leave at home”)

7. Hand sanitizer and wet wipes---if you end up at small restaurants or eating establishments that have no soap or hand towels to dry and clean your hands. Wet Wipes for dirty messes or if you get stuck where there are no western toilets or toilet paper; wipes come in handy during these tense moments.

8. Gifts for Chinese people that help you—beef jerky, dark chocolate, herbs from the US; Chinese LOVE these as gifts. China makes everything else.

9. Small bags of to-go snacks—when traveling you will rarely have the convenience of convenience stores and fast food to pick up a quick snack. If you are nervous about eating at the small Chinese restaurants—pick up some peanuts and energy bars.

10. Book, (White Ghost in China) and Mini-MP3 player with loads of music and family photos---you will be traveling by bus, train, plane, taxis waiting in traffic and standing in long lines. Purchase your book at: www.whiteghostinchina.com

Floods in China

Local media reports called the gale forced rains and winds on Friday "the worst in 100 years in our city of Shenzhen."

I have never experienced this type of non-stop rain for hours. Usually the mid-western thunderstorms will last for up to an hour. And it is convenient to stay out of the rain as we all have cars to hide in.

Our candy-purple electric motor scooter was not working because Kendy used it early that morning. Water soaked the battery, disabling the scooter until drier days.

I was outside for 10 minutes trying to find a taxi, with my oversized golf umbrella and gale forced winds and rain blowing sideways. The wind collapsed my umbrella.

I found a taxi but it was no use as my clothes and shoes were soaked, along with my back pack with my computer inside. I had to keep going as I had a meeting in our office 30 minutes away and decided to dry off when I got to work.

That night my friend tried to take me home in his car. We were not prepared for what was to come. All three roads leading to my home were lakes, at least two feet deep, and the bridges had large holes which many drivers did not dare to cross. When the waves hit our car it would lift it up and spin us sideways. Luckily we didn't float to long--- as the water would retreat low enough to allow our car to touch the pavement. I jumped out of the car and decided to try walking home through the lakes and across the unstable bridge with large horizontal holes where you could see the road below.

After an hour of walking I made it home, drenched, smelly from the dirty water, and ready for a shower. But I had made it to home sweet home with another experience in China that I probably would not have in the US.

See my 25 second video on you tube:
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Xinhua News Service --the main news agency for China reported this bad news during the weekend which I am not happy to think about more rain drenched clothing and walking home. I am sure this will also effect consumer goods being manufactured and shipped around the world as the big trucks were delayed when the roads were turned into lakes. If the drivers attempted to cross their car was disabled after water got in the engine or the electrical system got wet.

BEIJING, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Heavy rains were forecast for most parts of already-drenched southern China over the next 10 days, and some areas could experience torrential rains, strong gales and thunderstorms, the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) said on Sunday.

Floods had forced more than 1.27 million people to evacuate, with 55 dead and seven missing in nine provinces as of 9 p.m. Saturday.Vegetable prices soared amid tight supplies in some flooded regions. In the worst-hit Guangdong Province, vegetable prices jumped 30 percent to 70 percent on Saturday alone in the cities of Guangzhou, Shantou, Chaozhou and Shaoguan.


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It Ain't Easy Being Green

I personally felt the effect of the No Plastic Bags in China rule this last weekend while shopping at the local Walmart. When the checkout lady did not load my groceries into plastic bags I didn't know what to do. How I was going to take all these goods home?

I was getting upset thinking about what to do and the cashier asked me if I wanted to buy a reusable "green" cloth bag to carry my groceries. I remember to carry my reusable cloth bag with me wherever I go shopping.

I did NOT think this rule would be enforced or followed by the Chinese store owners but many stores like Walmart, CarreFour and many smaller Chinese shops are complying. When I have forgotten to bring a bag I had to pay money to buy the bag.

What a great step for China to lead in the green movement.

What about the World Leader ---USA? Shouldn't we lead by example and do something extraordinary towards the Green Movement?

China Oil Subsidies: Are they affecting our prices?

Lately, I've found myself surfing the web for articles on China gas prices. I wondered, "What do they pay at the pump? Are they squeezed, too?"

One article, from the L.A. Times, suggests China's oil subsidies, which keep prices around $2.69 a gallon (jeez, remember when gas was THAT cheap?) might end after the Olympics are over. China doesn't want to rile up the population with higher gas prices, especially after the recent earthquake disaster:

"Before the Olympics, stability is paramount," said He Jun, an oil analyst at Beijing Anbound Consulting Co. He added that last month's earthquake in Sichuan province drove that point home for Chinese leaders and noted that large supplies of fuel are being diverted for reconstruction work in that area.

Other countries that subsidize fuel costs have boosted prices recently, in some cases stirring unrest. Protests flared late last week in India, where the government upped prices by about 10%, and there were calls for mass rallies in Malaysia after gasoline prices jumped 41% overnight.

Barrel prices are expected to hit $200 by next year, and with China's increasing energy consumption, I wonder if I'll be paying $5.00 + at the pump.

I've been pricing scooters recently, and I'll likely purchase one this month. I won't commute daily on it, but I'll try to intersperse my regular driving with it, and the 90 mpg I get on the scooter will balance out the 26 mpg my car returns.

Obama and China

OBAMA on FRONT cover of Chinese Newspapers

Yesterday as I looked at my colleagues' Chinese written newspapers. I said "looked" not "read" as it is all in Chinese and I am still learning the language, not memorizing how to read the thousands of characters. I was amazed to see Obama's large photo on the front page of most of the papers. The second and third pages of the papers analyzed McCain vs. Obama, according to my friends who translated the sections for me.

I was amazed by the details that they provided the reader for both of the candidates. It appears the papers are biased towards Obama as they see McCain just as another Republican that will follow Bush and promote war.

In the next month I will survey the Chinese; I'll ask who they would like to see as president, Obama or McCain. I will give them time to read more about the candidates, so this should take another week before I conduct another poll.

I believe the poll will be 90% to 99% Chinese people in favor of Obama as they see him as a better leader. His youth appeals to the Chinese as well. These are words I am hearing from people interested in the U.S. presidential race.

The China Vote: Going to the Dogs

China Votes: Obama or Clinton PART THREE:



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The China Vote: Part 2

China Votes: Obama or Clinton Part TWO:



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The China Vote: Obama or Clinton?

Results of China ( Obama or Clinton) Poll:

80 Chinese polled---

40 people polled--Ages 20 to 35 male and female, working class, from most rural areas of mainland China, some higher education ---40 % picked Clinton as the nominee. 40% didn't know and didn't care. 20% Obama.

20 people polled--Ages 20 to 35 male and female, educated, well read and middle class and higher, owns companies or in upper management, 80% picked Obama. 10% didn't know and didn't care and 10% for Clinton.

10 people polled-- Ages 35 to 55 male and female, working class,

60% not sure and 30% Clinton and 10% Obama.

10 people polled----Ages 35 to 55 male and female, educated, well read, owns companies or in upper management with their employer. 80% not sure because they say it is hard to get unbiased information from the Chinese TV and other media sources. 10% for Obama 10% for Clinton.

In summary, most Chinese think either nominee will show a "good face" to America! It is amazing when you compare these results to the demographics of the person who votes for Obama and the voter picking Clinton.


The information below is taken from the National Journal.com on February 6, 2008, which is an example of how key demographics were split in the Super Tuesday primaries, notice education, age and income compared to the Chinese poll:

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By Ronald Brownstein, NationalJournal.com
© National Journal Group Inc.
Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2008

"...in nearly two-thirds of the states, voters who said their primary concern was the economy preferred Clinton over Obama...voters who cited Iraq as their top concern picked Obama over Clinton."



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Torch Runner in China

I was fortunate enough last month to share a remarkable Olympic experience with my Chinese colleagues and about 100,000 other Chinese. The Nationalism and the excitement over the Olympic Torch, which was supposed to go by our office building was an unprecedented event.

We waited and watched from 19 stories high, for over four hours for the Olympic Torch Relay to pass through. We saw police and military and tow trucks and buses and motorcycles trying to keep people off of the streets which formed a path for the Torch runner to go by. As you can see from the video, the path kept closing in. The Chinese people were so excited to see the torch and be as close as possible to view the torch that the planned path kept closing in and the security could not control the crowd.

After about four hours there was an announcement that the Torch runner would not go down our street because, the announcement in the media stated, "they ran out of time". Sending approx. 100,000 Chinese back to their homes or offices disappointed and frustrated.

After you review the video let us know your thoughts. Were the organizers telling us the truth that they really did not have time or were they worried about the safety of the runner on this route.
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ONE CHILD POLICY---CHINA EARTHQUAKE

I wrote yesterday on how many Chinese families have lost their ONLY child and are upset with this unfair system.

What happens now that these families have lost their only child? Can they have another child?

From my experience from living in China the past four years-----The people that have suffered the most are the peasants.

I have met many families that have two and three and four children. I did not understand how this was true. Before I came I thought one family one child was mandatory but soon found out that those with money can pay a penalty for having more than one child.

It is hard to agree with this policy as it is unfair BUT, China does have a huge growing population problem. How else can they quickly fix this problem? Educating the masses as to why having less children is better for their country takes decades or more to instill in the culture.

The two biggest reasons why the ONE child policy hurts Chinese peasants and the lower middle class is this: 1) these large demographics of Chinas population want to have more than one child or have as many boys as possible for help farming the land and animals to make money and survive. 2) their is little to no social security system with this demographic and the Chinese have a great system set up that has been working well for decades. The children go to work and send back money to the retired parents. As long as the parents are living, the children will take care of them even when they are sick and in the hospital. This also says a lot about the respect Chinese give to the elderly.


I recently had a personal experience of running into the one child policy when I enrolled my step daughter into a local Shenzhen government school and they made me and my fiancee sign a contract stating that we would NOT have another child or we do NOT have another child in our family. I was taken back by this contract as I told her I was an American and why do I have to sign this. She said, "because you are in China now". My past frustrations with living in this complex culture, have taught me to accept "what is" and move on. So I signed the contract and we finished the enrollment successfully with only a few other minor problems that were later fixed.

Westerners have a tough time understanding the complex policies and Chinese culture. However, until you fully experience and live in this culture can you understand why the Government has set up the One Child Policy rule. (remember there are many families that have more than one child--generally families that are in upper middle class and above)
Even if westerners do not understand the policy. We should respect these policies (whether unfair or not) for the good that they were intended to accomplish and know that they will change based on the needs of the country. And I see them rapidly changing. The Earthquake has brought this issue with the poor peasants and "one child" to the fore-front of the problems Beijing must solve in the near future. Will the Government allow these families of recent deceased children have more children? Without fines? We will find out very soon.

Crushed Classrooms

After the three days of morning was completed yesterday in most of China, with most entertainment venues closed and Newspapers reporting in Black and White and TV only reporting 24 hours a day on the earthquake and fund raising drives. Other problems hidden in the devastation are starting to raise to the top like boiling water in a coffee pot.

Parents seething over the earthquake-triggered collapse of school buildings that killed their children are starting to take action.
There have been reports of petitions floating around the devastated areas and people talking about lawsuits.

Senior officials in Beijing have been reported as saying they will take action against those that built the list of at least 175 schools that collapsed.

My take---I believe they will take action. However, the first and most important to the Government is taking care of the sick and injured and finding homes for all the reported "millions of homeless people". And secondly, continue to raise money and supplies and medical support to assist those masses of people in need.

As of today the hospitals and make shift tent hospitals are sending severely injured to our city in Shenzhen. And many cities around the country. 67 injured people landed last night in our city of Shenzhen-- reported by Shenzhen Daily.

In closing, while the media and those that have lost their ONLY child , (I have unconfirmed reports of some Sichuan local township government officials have also lost children in the tragedy) will continue to stir this pot until it is the main issue and a problem that Beijing will have to deal with immediately. Especially with the Olympics coming soon. There have been no reports yet on how many children have been killed.

Earthquake in China - Survivor

China Earthquake Survivor-- a blessed baby

Today I was greatly touched by a picture showing a PLA soldier holding an infant and the powerful story behind it.
The surreal photo shows a young fully camouflaged military man carrying a 3 month old baby wrapped in pure white cloth along with a white hat to keep his head warm. The baby is sleeping in the soldiers arms as he is carrying the baby through the woods to safety---the baby not knowing the tragedy that has taken place in her Sichuan Province town of Dujiangyan.

The story says on May 13th, the second day of the quake, rescuers in Dujiangyan found a woman beneath the debris of a building. She was kneeling, her body bent, supported by her hands. She was dead. Then the rescue members found a baby under her. The baby was still alive!

Evidently, the dead mother was protecting the baby by using her own body. When rescuers unwrapped the blanket from around the 3-month-old baby, they read a test message on the phone screen. " My dear baby, if you live, you must remember that I love you."

Earthquake Affects Exports

NEWS-----The China earthquake started to directly effect my business----today as we were preparing a quote for an order for one of our US customers in Missouri, our factory called and informed us that the China Government has STOPPED, until future notice, all exports of raw materials and finished goods related to TARPS. And any materials like Tarps that can be used in their earthquake emergency relief efforts in Sichuan Province.

This decision could affect the US supply chain and prices will double or triple in the next few weeks. Especially if there are any emergencies in developed countries like the US.

We have heard there may be more industries soon that will be effected-- related to the Earthquake emergency relief efforts

Even though this will hurt our export business of tarps to the US we agree with Chinas decision as human safety and life is more important than making a dollar.

Mourning

I experienced a remarkable feeling today on how this culture is mourning the Earthquake victims.

Starting at 2:28 today all of China stopped.
It was an eerie halt of the masses of people, traffic jams and industry. Air horns and sirens and automobile horns blasted for three minutes. I was on the 19th story of my skyscraper office looking down at the masses of people that stood outside and payed their respect. The madness of everyday traffic stopped and at that moment blared their horns for three minutes while the horns echoed, bouncing off of the large skyscrapers like an echo bouncing through a valley in the farmlands of the Midwest. As the horns screamed I viewed the faces of my Chinese friends, our neighbors and their friends. I could see the deep thoughts and prayers they were sending to the victims and workers in the devastated areas of their Sichuan Province. It was a sobering moment for myself as well. I didn't think I would be touched by this planned moment of mourning but, in that very moment at 2:28 I felt connected to all of China and the Nationalism and the hurt that the victims were going through. What a powerful experience to be with people of a different culture and feel what they were feeling.

Also heard and read in local papers---the Government has called THREE DAYS OF NATIONAL MOURNING and for a halt to all entertainment for three days. Including sports, Theme parks, Karaoke Bars, all TV programming--except for stories (good and bad) being aired on all the China TV channels. What I see when I turn on the TV is blank screens and live video of Fundraising and positive stories of finding survivors. What a great idea to give their people time to reflect and mourn. (Why didn't the US do this while we were mourning during our tragedies? Were we too busy to mourn?

It is also reported that over 130,000 military and police are helping find buried people and helping aid the injured and another 70,000 civilian workers. I was very disappointed that the China Government has not invited American Emergency workers (only the US relief supplies) but instead invited four other countries(Japan, Taiwan, Singapore and S. Korea). I am sure it is a political issue and they don't want to "give face" to the US. As the US has not tried to "give face" to the Chinese (make them look good).


Nearly 7,000 schools have been destroyed (some of the buildings as new as two years) and the Government is going after these construction companies and corrupted officials. Shenzhen Daily even reported three emergency managers being "sacked" because of mishandling relief efforts during the days after the earthquake happened.

Newspapers in China reported today that up to 10 billion Yuan have been raised from Chinese people and support from other countries. The city I live in has raised over 120 million Yuan. This shows the power of Nationalism and the power of the Chinese economy. People have money and want to give their support.

Companies and individuals alike are quickly joining adoption programs and adopting children that have lost parents. They are supporting them through school scholarships and actually bringing them to our city in Shenzhen to take care of them.

This has been both an amazing and a sad experience. I get to see how other cultures react in times of crises. The Chinese seem organized, willing to give and they care about their people. They have come together stronger than what I expected which is wonderful to see.

Gary reports on the China earthquake:

First---we are very lucky that the earthquake did not happen in our large city of 10 million people. Our 33 story buildings are not built for large catastrophes like a large earthquake and with the many 100s of skyscrapers in our city, we all have agreed this would be even more devastating.

My two partners who are from Sichuan (see the latest map on our blog for the relation to their cities and the epicenter) said today that they have had several phone calls from their friends but several they cannot connect with because the phones are down. They both have heard from their families but they all have several friends that are missing or have not been heard from. Within the past two days we have had several phone calls to our office from their friends and family that are in one of the hardest hit areas ( Wen Chuan city) they have talked about how bad the destruction is and how much help they need to quickly get more food and water and medical help there. And they continue to keep looking for survivors.

This is why we are so emotionally connected and have set up fundraising efforts with people in our city---people that we are connected to personally, like friends and family.

Two days ago the reports from the ground were that 20,000 people were dead and now today they have raised the estimates up to 50K because of so many people trapped or buried that the military and volunteers cannot get to.

There are many small towns in the area (about 60 cities) within 50km to 200km of the epicenter-- to gather all the information of people buried and dead is tough to manage the correct information. For example, there were 12 Americans out of contact or missing and today they were found. Also, the worst hit cities have 80% of the buildings destroyed. It looks like several Midwestern tornado ripped through the towns.

There has been a report of a group of Americans living in the area that have volunteered to help the victims. One was a doctor and he had given the media only his Chinese name. This tells me he has been in China for some time and knows the area well. Maybe he was in the area observing the Giant Pandas.

The most shocking thing to me is the graphic photos in the local newspapers. One photo shows the school kids that were crushed while taking an afternoon nap at school. There are many more schools that have fallen and volunteers and Military are trying diligently to get to the buried kids.
I can now understand why so many Chinese Nationals and westerners are coming together and donating time and money to the victims.


More tomorrow.

Gary on KTRS 550

Gary will on KTRS 50 AM this afternoon, discussing the recent earthquake.

Red Cross China and Earthquake Relief

Here is a map showing where my partners grew up and where their families are currently living.

You can see how I am effected by the earthquake 1,000 miles away from where I live.

My office has been raising money the last two days for the earthquake victims and then we will give the donation to the China Red Cross Division.

I will tell you tonight how much we have raised. It is amazing how many people here are giving money (and the amount of money) to the victims.

Hong Kong alone is giving 45 million USD to earthquake victims.

My step-daughter's school is also raising money today to give to the Red Cross.

Gasoline, Gas, Oil, Fuel, Cars: a quick email from Gary

Mike,

This all is taken from Shenzhen Daily on Tuesday May 13, 2008.

Vehicle sales in China rose 14% in April , the slowest pace in almost two years as a combination of inflationand a slumping stock market curbed demand for passenger cars.

Sales of passenger cars and commercial vehicles rose to 922,600 in April, reported by the China Assoc. of Automobiles Manufacturers. The growth rate was 21% the first three months.

At least 3/5ths of domestic stock market investors used their profits to buy new cars, the automakers group said. last year.

Vehicle production rose 20% to 981,300 units last month . In the first Four months, production rose 16% to 3.5 million vehicles while sales increased 19% to 3.5 million vehicles. (does this make sense?) I typed exactly how it read in the Shenzhen Daily.


more later.


gk

Gas Prices

There's a great deal of online discussion involving gas prices and oil companies' profits. China is often figured into the equation of elevated gas prices, and I've asked my co-author, Gary Kellmann, to investigate how locals are using gas, the growth of auto ownership, and how much the Chinese pay for gas.

Earthquake in China

Hello,

Thanks to all of you who were thinking of me while I am in China.

The Earthquake epicenter was approximately 1000 miles away from where I live. My friends and family are thankful that it did not happen in our large city of 10 million people. With everyone living in skyscrapers it would be devastating.

The earthquake took place outside of Chengdu, China a city of over 11 million people. I have several colleagues and friends from Sichuan province and cities close to the epicenter. We were even more fortunate as I was invited to travel with one of these friends to this province last weekend and come back on this Monday (the day of the earthquake) Because I was to travel by car for 10 hours and didn't feel like going we escaped from any harm again.

The earthquake was felt in Shanghai and Beijing and Vietnam and some say here in Shenzhen. I did not feel it as I was traveling to factories or in factories with big machinery that shake the buildings and could not distinguish between the earthquake and a big machine stamping out metal parts.

I will update you more on the earthquake and other stories from China soon.

On a more positive note. I was invited to my step daughters school last week by her teachers. What a wonderful experience. I took some video from her Chinese grade school. It shows how Chinese students learn and interact with their Teacher.

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China and Tibet - Lessons

Today I had some important history lessons from my Chinese Mentor regarding China and Tibet. After listening to the THREE PART raw video series of his important fact filled conversations you might change your thinking on the westerners perception of how China has treated Tibet.

After my long three hours of history lessons from Mr. Johnson (my Chinese Mentor) I have a different perspective on the history of Tibet, China and Buddhism. Which is refreshing as we only get filtered information on what the western media wants us to hear.

Take a look and hope you learn something too.

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PART ONE ON CHINA AND TIBET



PART TWO ON CHINA AND TIBET





PART THREE ON CHINA AND TIBET

Learning Chinese

Tonight as I was teaching English to Wei Wei (my 7 year old step daughter) she was trying to tell me to write my name in Chinese characters just like she writes her name. I tried to tell her that USA kids and adults do not know how to write our names or any words in Chinese. She couldn't believe this so she ran to her mother to ask her if this was true. That kids in USA don't have to learn all the Chinese letters and write in Chinese. After her mother confirmed that this is true--- she still could not believe it. I guess she will have to wait when she arrives in the US to learn what the American school kids learn.

See attached video of Wei Wei's entrance to her school.
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White Ghost in China Dinner

This Sunday evening on one of my few days off since I have been back to China. We went to a traditional Chinese dinner and had several styles of food prepared by a factory owner friend of mine. The styles of dishes you see in the video are: Cantonese Style, SiChuan, and Hunan food.

As usual after four years of living in China, I dont know what half of the food is that I eat and go by smell and how it looks (like most Americans). If it doesn't look good my mind tells me it will not taste good. If I could only get out of this thinking I would enjoy more Chinese styles of food!

White Ghost in China Quoted in St. Louis Business Journal

This week we had a mention in our local business paper. See the link below for the St.Louis Business Journal.

White Ghost in China Quoted in St. Louis Business Journal


I am busy traveling back and forth to Hong Kong and Guangzhou since I have arrived back to my second home in China.

This is the time of the year that many of my customers are visiting and I must show them around to factories and work on our new solar/lawn and garden product lines.


My family also got an update for paper work on the Visa process. We are working on another form for the National Visa Center in the USA to hopefully get all the paperwork transfered over to the Guangzhou, China Embassy, then they will start the paperwork process to prepare Hong and Wei Wei for the interviews. Hopefully we will have three months more to wait and then get a visa for them to experience a new way of life. Are they ready? The are holding back their excitement and fears as I doubt they are ready for the American way of life.

China Olympics and Wal-Mart

Below are TWO video clips on my weekly adventure to a Chinese Walmart Supercenter. Because of the Olympics, there was security protecting the premises outside of Walmart along with its competitor Carre Four ( a large French grocery store chain). Why? Because there are a lot of protesters in the USA and France trying to push their government to boycott the Chinese Olympic opening ceremonies. The protesters are also trying to stop the Olympic torch by trying to tackle the athlete carrying the torch. All because these protesters are making a point of China's poor record on human rights violations. This has sparked the Chinese National population, who are very proud of their country, to also protest and boycott American and French owned companies. There have been reported incidents but no injuries.

VIDEO ONE--





VIDEO TWO---

The Asian Diet Blog

If you'd like to read about Mike's diet program and fitness progress, read his blog here:

http://whiteghostinchinadiet.blogspot.com/

Back to China

I just returned to China after five months away from my fiancee and step daughter. It took a while Xiao and I to get our chemistry back after me being gone for so long. To break the ice we all went to get our hair cut, shampooed and styled. I have always thought my Chinese hair cuts were the best hair cuts in the world. There are mostly guys that cut and style your hair. I always wondered why so I asked several of my female friends. They told me they feel that the Chinese guy is more detailed and creative at styling hair.

See my Chinese hair cut video below in the one out of three salons that are located in a one block area close to my apartment.

Fat Ghost, Thin Ghost

Results of Week 1 of the White Ghost Diet:

I've been eating steamed rice and light proteins for every meal, and I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything...no Big Mac attacks, no Crave Cases dancing through my head-- I've never been a big fast food guy.

I tried out the bike path that snakes around the perimeter of my subdivision, and got in a 45 min. ride Saturday. I was winded after the first two miles, but I pulled off 8 miles and felt great after. No soreness. Guess my legs remember when I used to put in 20-30 mile rides just over two years ago.

On Sunday, I goaded my wife into riding with me. Got the kid cart attached to my bike, and then lubed and aired up my wife's bicycle. We rode for forty minutes, and Nora complained the entire time, but she was glad to get back in the saddle. The little guy howled when I would stop, but as long as we were moving, he just looked at his board books and played with his Mozart cube. The toy makes electronic sounds, jingles of famous classical music. Some little kids playing in the street heard me ride by, Beethoven's Fifth blasting out, and they thought the ice cream man was coming.

MMmmm. Ice cream. Or, maybe sorbet is a better choice.

FOX 2 NEWS White Ghost interview

Mike and I were both fortunate to have Tim Ezell at Fox 2 News interview us about our book and one of my past inventions that I launched in 2001 before 9.11 happened. We had a great response to the lost my cup magnet in 2001. However, after 9.11.01 this inventions hype lost its appeal to the media and retailers.

Tim helped us launch this invention in 2001 and loved the "lost my cup magnet" and wanted to play some April fools jokes on drivers while talking about our book.

The interview is a good laugh and gave us some White Ghost book awareness and more book sales at the Sunset Hills Borders Book Stores.


Check out our Fox 2 segment One interview on You Tube:



Segement TWO on You Tube:


Segment THREE on You Tube:

White Ghost Diet

So I'm watching myself on TV, and I'm thinking, "How in the heck did I get so fat?!" I look like a human a balloon! I'm swollen!

And then it dawned on me: over the past 2 1/2 years, since my wife and I conceived our first child, I've been on a food binge freefall. The old Me went to the gym three times a week. He biked 10 or more miles each day three or four times, weekly. The old Me ate healthy foods and rejected high-carb, refined sugar-loaded foods.

In a nutshell, the old Me was lean and healthy.

The current Me has gained fifty pounds and has the activity level of a garden slug. Time to get back on board the health train, I thought, as I watched a very bloated Me on replay.

So here's the White Ghost Diet Plan:

1. Hit the gym 3X each week, working out with weights for 30 min.
2. Biking 5-10 miles 3X each week.
3. Walk as much as possible, especially since the weather's turning to spring.
4. Follow Xiao's Cantonese nutrition plan: slow-cooked rice with each meal, with steamed vegetables and lean meats.
5. No eating after 7:00 p.m.

My goal is to lose 30 pounds in sixty days. I will be blogging my progress and taking pictures along the way. Right now, I wouldn't go out in public without my shirt on. By May, I plan on being ready for the pool.

To make the nutrition side easy to follow, I bought an electric rice steamer (which also doubles as a vegetable/meat steamer), frozen chicken breasts and tilapia filets, and a dozen bags of frozen vegetables.

Look for weekly updates as I transform my flabby shape. If you want to follow my plan and see how it works for you, subscribe to the RSS feed for this blog. The more, the merrier.

Gasconade Newspaper Article

Kellmann, co-author to sign 'White Ghost' books Sunday at Cafe' Co.
Written by Dave Marner
Wednesday, 12 March 2008
He’s an inventor and now a published author. Raised in Owensville, Gary Kellmann returns to town for a book signing scheduled Sunday for the novel “White Ghost in China” which he’s co-authored with college friend and business partner Mike Kuhn, of St. Louis. Kellmann and Kuhn will sign copies of the book from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 16 at The Cafe´ Company.
The Owensville High School graduate’s inventions include the blinking belly-botton lights which were all the rage several years ago. Since then, Kellmann has relocated to China where his experiences in the sometimes seedy businessworld of a heavily populated Asian nation provide much of the background for the book’s main character — Ben Stillwater. Kellmann said he was inspired to keep a journal while living and working in China. He told The Republican he was at first sensitive to the Chinese diet and its pollution but overcame both.

“I was also one of the few white ghosts, a term that Chinese Nationals call Westerners, living in my city, located in the factory districts of Shenzhen, China,” wrote Kellmann recently. “I learned how to deal with thugs, business sharks and was fortunate to find a friend who became my mentor. He taught me about China’s ancient history, tutored me in Mandarin, and helped me assimilate into modern Chinese culture. China has proven to be a wonderful puzzle of ancient civilization colliding with the modern world.”

Noise, from non-stop construction in a city of 7 million people where he was living, 20 million if you include the surrounding region, is a constant. Looking out his window gave him a view of 27 construction cranes in action around the clock. The pounding is constant as equipment jackhammers into the bedrock to secure footings for new skyscrapers.

“I really appreciate Owensville more and more now that I’m gone,” said Kellmann this week from Wildwood, Mo., where he’s working on getting their book shipped out. “I never thought I’d ever say that. I couldn’t wait to get out of here after high school.”

The book has real life romance, said Kellmann.

“Ben Stillwater went to China to make his fortune, buying into the country’s manufacturing millenial gold rush, but what began as a quest for successful business became a personal search for his own soul,” notes the “White Ghost in China” web site (www.whiteghostinchina.com) which includes ordering information. “With the mafia hot on his heels, a million-dollar business deal hanging in the balance after a lead paint scare, and the appearance of a compelling ghost, Ben also finds himself in love with a mysterious Xiao who teaches him Mandarin, Mah Jong and the traditions of a vast country.”

Kellmann notes his journey to China, after selling his U.S. businesses in 2004, eventually led to his “sharing my life with a special Chinese National.”

He met and fell in love with his fiancee, Ting, while working in Shenzhen. With assistance from U.S. Congressman Kenny Hulshof and his staff, Kellmann is working on obtaining visas for Ting and her daughter, Wei Wei, 9, (pronounced Way Way) in hopes they will join him permanently in Missouri this summer. He expects that to be quiet the shock for them as they do not see stars in the sky where they live.

The sounds of night in the large cities of China consist mostly of construction and traffic. Kellmann said he can’t wait to see Ting’s and Wei Wei’s reactions the first time they hear insect and animal noises at night from the woods of his family’s farm.

Kuhn joined Kellmann in writing the book because its based-on-true-events aspect is inspiring and offers a glimpse of the Chinese culture and the country’s magnitude. “I knew this book was to be a part of my life’s destiny,” Kuhn said, “and after traveling to China and visiting with my good friend Gary, I was smitten by the history and culture.”

Kuhn and his wife, Nora, live in the St. Louis community of Wildwood. They are scheduled to appear at the book signing with Kellmann. White Ghost in China sells for $13.88 and available on-line or at fine bookstores. Kellmann said Farmers Merchant in Owensville is planning to stock the book following the release party.

Like his experiences in China, the book examines Ben Stillwater’s search for his own destiny.

“With a foot planted firmly in two different cultures, would Ben rally to save someone’s life as well as his own?” asks the promotional material for the book.

“Ben’s journey inspires readers to find their destiny within, and challenges them to face their doubts, fears and actions that ultimately become their own life stories.”

Kellmann and Kuhn meet in 1988 while both attended Southeast Missouri State University. Kuhn, an elementary school teacher, also had interest in the publishing business along with creative writing. Together they formed White Ghost Global, LLC, and co-authored the novel based on Kellmann’s experiences in China.

“With a firm belief in the do-it-yourself business philosophy, and the ambition to spread their message of ‘love and destiny’ they created a small publishing company, using their strong supply side, marketing and distribution contacts in America and China,” notes their web site. “Although the authors have compressed time and created amalgams of several real-life characters, many of the adventures of White Ghost in China are based on actual events.”

FOX 2 News this Tuesday morning!

Great news! Gary and I will be featured on Fox 2 News this Tuesday morning, on April 1. Yes, it's April Fool's Day and I'm sure Tim Ezell will be roping is into some pranks. More importantly, it's a chance to showcase our novel, "White Ghost in China". We will on during three segments, from 6:30 until 9:30.

Tim will mention that our book will be available at Borders, so please call your local Borders bookstore and request a copy of our novel.

Book Release Party

Gary and I were overwhelmed by the support of our friends and family Sunday evening. We delivered our novel into the hands of those who have waited patiently for their copy and even had a chance to sell a few dozen copies to passers-by.

We encourage everyone to send us feedback and look forward to our next book signing in Owensville, MO, on Sunday, March 16.

White Ghost in China Author Discovers the Joy of Reading

The razor knife bit into the packing tape, and the box revealed neat stacks of our new book. Gary gingerly cradled a copy of White Ghost in China, and grinned. "I can't believe it's really done," I said. He nodded.

Book Party & Chinese Market

White Ghost Baby

Chinese New Year - Red Envelope Activity

Chinese New Year Envelopes


This activity was created by my good friend, Katie Goedde, art teacher at Truman Elementary School.

First, fold a red square paper in half, two times. Unfold the paper, and fold each corner toward the center. Using a sticker or piece of tape, adhere three of the inset edges, leaving one flap free. Children with experience making "fortune-teller" origami games will have no trouble with this!

On the face of the red envelope, using a gold-colored marker, draw your zodiac sign. This envelope shows the symbol for "lamb". Since this is the year of the rat, you may choose to draw that particular symbol.

Write a positive message to a friend or relative, and seal it in the envelope for Chinese New Year gifting!

Tea

Chinese Emperor Shen Nung would only drink boiled water. Traveling with his miltary, in a far-away region, they stopped and rested. Servants boiled his water, as usual, and some dried leaves from nearby bush floated into the steamy liquid. The emporer drank and was quite refreshed. The brownish water, tea, was born.

Although many varieties exist, it is the polyphenols that provide health benefits.

Many celebrations in China require it:

· Family gatherings
· Wedding day - the happy couple serve the elders, and red envelopes are exchanged, in a gesture of goodwill.
· Apology accepted - during an apology, tea is served by the apologist, a sign of respect.
· Respect - employees serve bosses, children serve parents, etc.

You do not refuse tea in China. Like me, you might toss it out a window if it comes from questionable water sources (out of the host's view), but you do not decline.

During the New Year, people give red envelopes to family members. A small (or large) amount of money is inside. This gift is intended to bring good luck for the coming year.

The red envelopes are also given when visiting a friend's or family's newborn. One is expected to include enough money for the parents to purchase two chickens.

Many months ago, I place a red envelope under the delicate bedclothes of a baby in Yiang Jiang. The sight of his beautiful round face pulled me back in time, twelve months prior, when I was staring into the smiling face of my little boy, tucked inside his swaddle blanket.

I hadn't slipped a red envelope under his head; instead, I'd placed a single, tiny sunflower in the middle of a dozen long-stem red roses. The roses enveloped the brighter flower, and seemingly protected it from the outside world. Still, the roses allowed admirers a glimpse of the baby sunflower.

"I don't understand," said my mother-in-law, a transplant from Egypt. "Why do you put the one flower in the the pretty roses? It doesn't look right."

"Because," I replied, "My little Adam is the bright, shining star, surrounded by the people who love him."

She frowned, and looked at my little boy, gingerly held to his mother's breast, and then to me. "Oh!" she yelped, and held her mouth, afraid to wake the child. "Oh-- the sunflower is Adam, and we are the roses."

I smiled and nodded. She hugged me and said it was the most beautiful bouquet she had ever seen.

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Immigration Frustrations

Gary called.

"Been working with the National Visa Center. They've been trying to snail mail the form I need for the next step. In the visa process. To get Hong over here."

"So how long's it going to take?"

"I've been waiting since November for the first form, and they've mailed it twice, but it's been returned to sender. Twice."

"Why's that?"

"I don't live at that old address. The post office won't forward it."

"Well then just give them your new address."

"Well yeah, I did all the changes at the post office, so I can get the paperwork."

"Mm-hm."

"And it's put everything back two months. It might not be until July 'til I get my girls here."

"What does the Autumn Moon Festival mean, anyway?" I asked Mr. Johnson.

"Do you want to know the story behind it, is that it?" he smiled.

"Exactly. People eat moon cakes, have parties, burn incense, what's it all about?"

"The moon is a beautiful woman." Mr. Johnson stood and stretched, and then continued painting glyphs on the coarse, beige stencil paper. "And the earth, that is the boy. He loves the girl, but she is always circling, just out of reach."

I frowned. "That's it? It's just a moon and earth thing?"

"You are missing the point. It's the balance between them that allows space for love. It's like yin and yang. People focus on the black and the white, and miss the point. Yin-yang is about balance and harmony. The line between is the ultimate meaning of the symbol."

"So the meaning of the Moon Festival is balance and harmony?" I asked.

"Exactly."