Idema, a Dutch Sinologist（汉学家）, has served as the director of the Chinese Languages and Cultures Department at Leiden University of the Netherlands and was also director of Harvard's Fairbank Center for East Asian Research.He has studied ancient Chinese plays, novels and literature, and has authored or translated a number of influential books published in English and other languages.

    The 70-year-old Dutch Sinologist recalled his half-century-long romance with Chinese culture during a recent visit to Beijing.As a child,the vivid descriptions of China in Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winner Pearl S.Buck's books sparked Idema's interest in the country.He later read classic Chinese literature and spent whole days pouring through works at the National Library of China.

    While many other experts on China focused on the country's economic transformation, Idema continued to study traditional Chinese literature."There were scholars studying law, religion and society, but not traditional Chinese literature,which was my personal interest," Idema explains.

    Finding reference books for his research,especially regional publications,used to be a huge challenge,and Idema used to spend a lot of time collecting books and other materials during visits to China.Now it is much more convenient with the Internet.

    Idema usually chooses less-known subjects for his research and tries to get firsthand materials.In recent years, he has devoted himself to translating Chinese folk tales and writing about Chinese folk society and folk culture.

    "Traditional Chinese culture is a passion.I have been studying it for 50 years and will continue to do so,"says the retired professor.

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    Global warming threatens to hold back human progress, and make unachievable all UN targets to reduce poverty, according to some of the world's leading international and development groups.

    In a report published today, Oxfam, Greenpeace and other groups say rich governments must immediately address climate change to avoid even “unbearable levels” of worldwide poverty.

     “Food production, water supplies, public health and people's livelihoods are already being damaged and weakened,” the report says. “There is no approach possible. The world must meet its commitments to achieve poverty reduction and also deal with climate change, which are closely linked.”

    The report, which draws on UN predictions of the effects of climate change in poor countries over the next 50 years, says poor countries will experience more flooding, declining food production, more disease and the extinction of entire eco-systems on which many of the world's poorest people depend.

     “Climate change needs to be addressed now. The poor will bear the great consequence of it. The frontline experience of many of us working in international development indicates that communities are having to fight more extreme weather conditions.”

    Climate change will cause great damage to agriculture and water supplies and will increase diseases. “By 2025 the number of the world's population living in countries of significant water stress will almost double, to 6 billion people. Tropical (热带的) and sub-tropical areas will be hardest hit — those countries already suffering from food shortage”.

    Poor countries mostly do not need hi-tech solutions, but would most benefit from education, research and being shown how to farm better. The report says unchecked global warming, more than wars or political upheaval (政变), will displace millions of people and unsettle many countries.

    I recently posted a picture on Facebook from the movie Mad Max, a film where two groups race through the desert in steam punk vehicles, and wrote, “Actual picture of my way to work today.” It was meant to be a joke because of the sandstorms in Beijing, but one of my friends from back home thought it was real.

    I couldn't imagine how they could think that is actually what China is like. China has so many more conveniences and advantages than the West, and many of my friends agree. “I don't know how I will be able to deal when I go back home,” said a friend who is about to end her gap year in Beijing. “I've become so spoiled in China.

    China seems to be leading the way in innovation and convenience for daily life. Back home I could never shop, pull out my phone and scan a QR code to pay.

    There have been rumors of starting bike sharing in my hometown for years with little success while bike sharing suddenly appeared in Beijing overnight. I just step outside and scan a code, and I am on my way.

    Going out to eat with a group of friends back home was troublesome for both the group and the servers. Splitting checks and swiping (刷) 10 different cards or making change for each person in the group can be a pain. But with China's WeChat, you can quickly send your friends your part of the bill.

The list goes on...

    When I first arrived in Beijing, I was dead set on leaving in a month. That month has come and gone. Now, when someone asks me when I'm coming back, I think to myself, “Who knows?”

    While my friends think I'm riding through the desert on a motorbike, I am actually taking a “Didi” for what is the equivalent of $5 in the US.

    With all the conveniences and technology here, I may never want too go back.

    Explore the possibility of using the iPad App Store in the classroom.

    App Name: Bridge Constructor/Cost: $1.99

    Bridge Constructor lets players build increasingly challenging bridges over deep valleys, canals and rivers. Stress tests reveal whether the bridge kids build can withstand continual use from cars, trucks, and more recently, super-heavy tank trucks. Players can choose from among a range of bridge-building materials such as wood, steel, cables and concrete pillars (混凝土柱). Each bridge also has a budget, and there are numerous ways to successfully complete each challenge.

App Name: Pyramid Adventure 3-D/Cost: $13.99

    The interface allows users to fly around the plateau where the pyramids and the Sphinx are located at Giza near Cairo. Interactive, three-dimensional maps let students wander around the labyrinthine tombs and passageways. Uses can examine wall paintings in detail, or view royal statues and objects with a 360-degree feature. To help explain the world of ancient Egyptians, the app offers an accompanying interactive book, specially written by world-famous Egyptologist Zahi Hawass.

    App Name: Grammar Up/Cost: $4.99

    Grammar Up is a multiple-choice quiz system for English grammar. Kids and adults can learn most quickly when playing learning games with real-time error feedback, which Grammar Up provides. The app also offers students practice tests so they can see how much they've learned. A summary is presented at the end of each test, showing the time spent, a score, and the questions answered correctly and incorrectly. The results are also e-mailable.

    A new family moved in next door and I got to meet the mother of the family, Lydia. Lydia is Korean, and her family moved to our city so her husband could go to graduate school. We started talking, and she was apologetic about how bad her English was, but I didn't care. I knew how hard it was to learn a second language. I enjoyed chatting with Lydia as we watched our kids play.

    It was what came next that challenged me: Lydia asked if I'd be willing to help her with her English. Now, I am not a teacher. I admire teachers, and I'm grateful for teachers, and it's because I admire what they do so much that I was very very sure that I couldn't do it myself.

    But Lydia was sure that she wanted my help. I was doubtful. I wasn't sure my "help" was even worth being called by that name. But because she asked me, I said "yes." And that was the beginning of a friendship. Lydia and I spent afternoons sitting together and reading the newspaper, and as we did, she asked me questions when she had them questions about language, yes, but also questions about the new culture she found herself in. In turn, I asked my own questions, growing curious about her home country and culture. We bonded over our shared faith and our struggles as mothers of kids with special needs, When I complimented（恭维） her cooking, she began to teach me about Korean food, eventually leading to a shared trip to explore the Korean grocery stores in our city. Because of Lydia, 1 learned more about my own hometown than I ever could have learned by myself. I'm still not sure that I'm any good as a teacher. But I'm grateful I said "yes" when my neighbor asked me to help her with her English. That meant spending extra time with my neighbor, and that extra time meant she didn't remain just my neighbor. She became my friend.

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