Integrity

    Integrity is the quality of being honest and strong about what you believe to be right. The concept of integrity has played a key role in moral philosophy throughout history and is promoted in all societies because of its importance to social relations. Individual integrity is vital to society, one that enables people to make use of their capacity for critical reflection, does not force people to take up particular roles and does not encourage individuals to betray each other. Besides, societies can be favorable to the development of individual integrity.

    Individual integrity can lift up the spirits of the entire society. It can shape the lives of people living in a particular society, the lives of all fellow people and, in its broadest sense, even the destiny(命运) of a nation. By contrast, if those living in the society are corrupt, it could have bad effects, jeopardizing the healthy morality of the society.

    On the other hand, a society can be favorable to the development of individual integrity. Society expects and requires integrity. A society consisting of people of integrity, and people who never compromise on their principles, could have a positive mark on the personal development of its members. Being a part of such a morally lively community could serve as a basis for absorbing traits of good character. This could be of a distinct advantage to any individuals in the society.

    However, some social structures are of the wrong sort for some individuals to pursue(追求) integrity. If that is the case, we have to ask questions about the moral nature of society first before raising questions about individual integrity. Questions about integrity may turn out to be about what kind of society it is, rather than about the relationship between individual interests and characteristics of a society. The pursuit of adequate individual integrity often depends, not so much on understanding who one is and what one believes and is committed to, but rather understanding what one's society is and imagining what it could be.

    Under no circumstances can we underestimate the importance of human integrity in a society. People, who are honest, trustworthy, compassionate and caring, are the factors decisive in the growth of individuals as well as the development of a society.

    LIANG TAO sold 80 pink Givenchy bags in 12 minutes. Becky Fang sold 100 Mini Cooper cars in just five. Both are wanghong, literally “red-hot on the web”. Every day millions of Chinese search social media for wanghong posts or tune in to live-streams for wanghong's opinions on everything. The fans are helping this new Chinese Internet star to make money out of their popularity—and to shake up the country's e-commerce industry in the process.

    A few of wanghong have been hired by luxury brands. Jaeger-LeCoultre, a Swiss watchmaker, hired Papi Jiang for a video ad targeting young urbanites (都市人), including her 27m fans on Sina Weibo, a Twitter-like microblog. Zhang Yi of iiMedia Research, a consulting firm, estimates that up to 15% of sales on shopping sites like Taobao or social-media apps such as WeChat are influenced by wanghong's public support. The length of a dress might be decided by a survey of a wanghong's fans; its launch date might be based on the number of hits, shares or comments it collects, some of which can cause last-minute design changes.

    This poses a new challenge for retailers(零售商), whose supply chains must respond ever more quickly to wanghong's opinions. Whereas previously a company would look for a celebrity to match its image, wanghong and their admirers are shaping goods.

    Another challenge comes directly from wanghong themselves. They increasingly make money not merely from online support or advice but by launching their own e-commerce stores. Sales of goods accounted for just under half of wanghong earnings of 53bn yuan ($8bn) in 2016, estimates Analysys, a Chinese market-research firm (the rest came mostly from live-show tips and adverts).

    Some wanghong are going a step further. In November Becky Fang launched her own clothing line. Part of her motivation, she says, was that the brands she supported did not always match the trends she was sharing with her followers. By creating her own brand, Becky's Fantasy, she have full control of the quality. She also gains a new income. For the time being only 3-5% of wanghong follow Becky Fang's example, iiMedia Research estimates. But it expects the model to become an industry in its own right, including entertainment and e-commerce, and driven by online data.

    Last year, around Labor Day, I read a “Happy Ad” in our local newspaper. There was a lady in a local nursing home for the aged, who was celebrating her 90th birthday and her family wanted everyone to know about it. It said that if you wanted to drop her a line, here was her address. So I did. I found a birthday card and dropped her a short note, wishing her a happy birthday.

    A week or so later, someone knocked at my front door. I opened the door and found a middle-aged man standing on my doorstep. He introduced himself as the son of this woman to whom I had sent the card. He explained that he just wanted to drop by in person and thank me for sending such a nice card to his mom. Apparently, like many older folks, she did not receive much mail and was quite excited to receive mine. I just didn't know what to say. I told him it was my pleasure and that I hoped his mom had enjoyed her birthday.

    That year, I did not send out any Christmas cards, except to this lovely old lady in the nursing home. I just told her that I was thinking about her and hoped that she had a nice holiday. I sent her a holiday card and also a couple of notes in between. I just thought she might like to have someone write to her, to get some mails.

    She passed away a couple of months ago. I never met this lady, but I did keep her and her family in my thoughts. I dropped them a line of sympathy. I hope that my few little notes were enough to brighten a couple of her days here on earth.

    Attractions in New York

    Empire State Building

    Towering over 444 meters into the sky, the building has an indoor and outdoor observation deck on the 86th and 102nd floor, where you can see the overall view of the New York City. The building houses more than 1000 businesses. You can buy your ticket online in advance to avoid waiting .Telephone ： 212-736-3100 Location ： 350 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10118.

    Open Hours： 08:00-02:00

    Central Park

    For more than 150 years, visitors have come to Central Park's 843 green acres in the heart of Manhattan. Since 1980, the Park has been managed by the Central Park Conservancy, in partnership with the public. You can visit the official website of Central Park to learn more about Park happenings and activities and to learn how to help Central Park Telephone： 212-310-6600

    Location: 59th to 110th Street, Manhattan Borough from Central Park West to 5th Avenue, New York

    City NY 10022

    Open Hours： 06:00-23:00

    The National 9/11 Memorial & Museum

    The National 9/11 Memorial & Museum is a place of remembrance honoring those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The 9/11 Memorial Museum displays Monumental artifacts linked to the events of 9/11, while presenting stories of loss, sympathy and recovery that are central to telling the story of the 2001 attacks and the consequence. It also explores the global impact of 9/11 and its continuing significance.

    Telephone： 212-312-8800

    Location: 180 Greenwich St. World Trade Center New York City, NY 10007

    Open Hours： 09:00-20:00

    The Metropolitan Museum of Art

    At New York City's most visited museum and attraction, you will experience over 5,000 years of art from around the world. The Met is for anyone as a source of inspiration, and understanding. You can learn, escape, play, dream, discover and connect.

    Telephone： 212-535-7710

    Location ： 1000 5th Avenue, New York City, NY 10028-0198 Open Hours： 10:00-17:30

Confidence Comes From Treating Others As Equals

    There's been recent discussion over Chinese attitudes toward foreigners, caused by another quarrel between a foreigner and a taxi driver. According to the studies described in the Oxford Handbook of Chinese Psychology, Chinese have lower self﹣confidence compared to Westerners. Yet does the result still apply to the Chinese people today？

    Yes and no. For the moment, different attitudes toward foreigners can still be found in China's society, with some displaying low self﹣confidence like "Foreigners are awesome （令人敬畏的）, and Western countries are awesome. We should respect them and be as polite as possible, and shouldn't let them look down on us, " and a few unfriendly opinions such as "Some foreigners are rude and disrespectful, and their level of civility （礼貌） is far behind China."

    Chinese used to be lacking in self﹣confidence. It might start from the modern history, after the failure in the Opium wars, and the following humiliation （耻辱） of being bullied （被欺负） and brought to their knees by Western guns. And the dark history is still to some extent affecting our mentality （心态） today.

    For some time, the Western world represents the best of everything in some Chinese eyes. But our state of mind is gradually changing. When asked "What makes you feel proud of your country？" in school classes in China, answers vary from the World Expo to the Olympic Games, from athletes to astronauts, from the mushrooming skyscrapers to busy metropolises, which have all filled us with growing self﹣confidence.

    While answering the question "Since China is so good today and Chinese people are more confident, why are an increasing number of Chinese emigrating abroad？" Zhang Weiwei, a professor at Fudan University, replied that at least 70 percent of Chinese migrants （移民） become more patriotic （爱国的） after leaving their home country, no matter whether they have become a naturalized citizen of another nation or not. Such result and experiences are much more convincing and have better effect than dozens of "patriotic education" classes.

    There is no reason for us not to be self﹣confident. We live in the world's second﹣largest economy. Chinese net financial assets per capita （人均纯金融资产） and the purchasing power of people have seen a sharp rise, with more and more people starting to purchase works of art, instead of only necessities. These all indicate a rising standard of life and self﹣confidence.

    Nevertheless, the point of the changing attitudes toward ourselves or other countries is not realizing other nations are better or worse than China, but treating them like how we treat our fellow Chinese. That is what confidence means, not being condescending （屈尊）, not worshiping, but looking each other in the eye with trust and respect.

There are various ways in which to read body language so that you can understand how someone is feeling.

Reading emotional clues (线索)is one of them.

Crying is considered to be caused by an explosion of emotion in most cultures.Often times crying is considered a sign of sadness,but crying can also be an expression of happiness.Crying can also come about through laughter and humor.Thus,when judging crying,you'll need to look for other signs to determine the meaning of the crying.Crying can also be forced in order to gain sympathy or to cheat others.This practice is known as "crocodile tears",an expression that draws on the wrong idea that crocodiles"cry" when catching prey(猎物).

Signs of threat include v-shaped eye brows, wide eyes, and an open or down-turned mouth.In a similar way, arm tightly crossed over the other is a common sign that the person is angry and is closing himself off to you.

When people show anxiety, they display increased facial movements, and their mouth made into a thin line.

Individuals who are anxious may also play with their hands, unable keep them in one spot.Anxiety can also or have nervous legs.It can be conveyed when people seemingly unconsciously(无意识地)tap their feet or have nervous legs.

Embarrassment can be expressed by turning the eyes or shifting them away.If someone looks down at the floor a lot,they are probably shy,afraid,or embarrassed.People also tend to look down when they are upset,or trying to hide something emotional.People are often thinking and feeling unpleasant emotions when they are in the process of staring at the ground.

There are also some signs of pride.People show pride by displaying a small smile,holding their head backward,and putting their hands on their hips.