It's 8:08pm on August 8th, 2008. Beijing's Olympic opening ceremony caught the attention of the world. People are equating the opening ceremony to China's debutante. China is indeed showing herself to the world but at the same time, she's also showing her people their own country.

The opening ceremony unfolds as the audience's eyes are fixated on the cinematic wonders delivered to them in a massive dose with minute precision. Director Zhang Yimou boldly introduces China's five thousand years' worth of history and culture. He shows the world the sheer power of people who deliver amazing visual effects in unison. He also shows the world China's awareness of environmental issues.

But what does all this mean to the people of China? Watching the ceremony with their own eyes, and hearing or reading the rave reviews from the world's media made everyone very proud. Bloggers vividly expressed their pride in real time saying they were touched by the ceremony which reminded ...

Fielding projects during the holidays is not something we do very frequently but this year, I had the honor to conduct a series of ethnographies in Shanghai and Beijing during the last week of December. Even though Christmas is not an official holiday in China, it has successfully became one of the most celebrated western holidays in China in recent years.

Christmas in China is getting as festive as it can get compared to earlier years. I am constantly being greeted face to face by Santa (or his paper cut-out counterparts) around town. Shopping malls are elaborately decorated by Christmas trees and sparkling lights, and Christmas music completes the package.

Of course, numerous promotions and tempting sales added finishing touches to the already heated atmosphere. The Nanjing Road pedestrian district was lined by young couples on Christmas Eve, with street hawkers selling roses, reindeer head gear, fireworks, etc. Young people celebrated the holiday in a social ...