Hi, Max.

Yes, this is very helpful. I will rework the intro for clarity and add the observations you've made about the flowers. I had mentioned them in an earlier draft before deleting while trying to tighten, but I realise now that they bring the place to life.

Shrinking the controversies as advised, but the geopolitics is what distinguishes this from a more colourful part two, where I now focus on social comparisons and tourism. Including similar photo requests from the locals; a blonde girl in our group was popular with them but she had a different interpretation of events. She pointed out that even in all the billboards she was seeing, they had images of Western models instead of Chinese. Like they have some kind of inferiority complex.

America is still popular as a study destination, but there was debate over the teaching of English, a couple of universities had already dropped it, I donno if because of the politics. But it's self-defeating when most of the world speaks English and hardly anyone outside of greater China speaks Chinese. I donno about translations, but we went shopping later to a market so popular with Russians, it's nicknamed Russian market.

Guilty as charged on not being critical enough. I left it to the reader's imagination why the officialdom would be cagey about letting foreign journalists into Tiananmen, rather than pointing out the obvious. It's one thing to go as a tourist, another to be an invited guest whom they hope will see and report the positive side of things. Hence my restraint.

Nice talking to you about not just the substance but your own impressions of China. Thank you for indulging me despite it being nonfiction. And apologies for the late reply, I've been swamped this week at work.

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Put it before them briefly so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely so they will remember it and, above all, accurately so they will be guided by its light.

Joseph Pulitzer