My passion for the artistry in film making of Yimou Zhang has made me rethink China. Everything I know about China was shaped in my mind during their cultural revolution in the 1960s and 70s and Mao Zedong, and later by the incidents at Tienanmen Square. Everything I knew was colored by my awareness of their human rights violations and the perception of a primitive society. To this day, they restrict internet access and I just sort of had this mental image of a third world country. Then I see modern China in movies and all I can think is, "Wow!"

So I read up on modern China. My God, they are wealthier than we are and anything but primitive! Their GDP is exceeded only by the USA's and our government has borrowed billions from them. If they called in their loans, it would bankrupt the USA. (And Romney wants to get tougher with China? Right on, Mitt!)

The picture above is Shanghai 2011 with a population of 16.575 million. Apartments appear to average between $2k and 4k a month. (And they earn enough to keep the houses and apartments filled and continue to expand real estate.) They may not have all of our freedoms, but they are doing something right.

I question our freedoms when one man can produce a filthy, insulting film that causes thousands, possibly millions to riot and is responsible for at least a dozen deaths so far. With all of our technology, our government alleges they think they know who did it but they cannot prove it??? RIGHT!!! I believe that one too. (NOT)

Ok, so I do believe in our freedoms including the right to free speech. I just wish everyone had integrity and common sense. That would come in mighty useful when people exercised their right to free speech. Now, that is truly a fairy tale!