I am a new reader who was attracted by your coverage of the Olympic Games. Since then I have read China Today and like it very much.

I plunged into the Olympic Games with great enthusiasm, and China Today supplied many details. Splendid? Significant? Strong? No, no, all of these words cant express my feelings! Perfect!

China Today refers to many subjects, such as economic, cultural, and tourist topics. However, articles on policy are rare. Some people hope to understand world events and the present situation. In addition, China Todays motto is the best slogan I have read!

Yang Ping

Tangshan, Hebei

China

I am a student at Dalian University. I have only been reading your magazine for half a year, but I love it very much. By reading it, a bright sight of the Chineseyesterday and today has been displayed. If we can say that history is a mirror, I like reading China Todays section on Chinese reform. Of course, the other sections are all very vivid. I put forward some suggestions to the editors. On the one hand, the magazines content is very full, but the articles referring to medicine are relatively few. On the other hand, as a university student, I focus on the problem of job hunting in the future, so I want to know more about the prospect of todays collegians.

My viewpoints only express a medical students hope. I believe China Today will be better and better.

Zhang YingDalian

China

Your articles on recollections of the past 30 years in China remind me of my childhood. I was born in the mid-1970s, before opening-up and reform started. For many years commodities were scarce, and of little variety. All families rushed to store Chinese cabbage in piles before each winter, when there were few fresh vegetables from local fields, and those from the warm south could not reach Beijing due to poor transportation. For several months we had only cabbage, radish and potatoes on the dinner table. Meat was a luxury, for it was rationed. Actually a lot of things were rationed. I remember I had to let my pet bird go after running out of sunflower seeds -- the only food it accepted -- before the next ration arrived.

But my memory of the past is not entirely bitter, for it was a time when people were simpler and more honest, and traditional values held strong. Kids faced less pressure at school, and had more time to play. Disloyalty to spouses was publicly denounced, and being an upright person was of paramount importance. For all the changes we have experienced over the decades, most are good, some are not. But today I am glad about where we have been.

Xu Ling

China

When talking about the changes in China in the past 30 years, I remember a story told by one of my American friends who played host to a Chinese student in the early 1980s. One day the lady bought a can of drink from a vending machine while the young student stood to the side. Amazed and confused, he walked around the machine, patting it up and down and peeping inside. “Is there a little guy hiding inside and selling the stuff?” he asked. The incident can be seen as a joke today. But 30 years ago few in the mainland would think it funny, as they had never seen a vending machine in their lives. In fact most of the facilities and gadgets everywhere today were fancy for Chinese in those days. In a recent TV program a man recalled his first visit to KFC in the 1980s. The waiting queue meandered almost half a mile out of the store. Everything in the store was so amazing to him, from the food to the tableware that he saved the cups and straws as souvenirs, and later showed them off to his friends. They were all fascinated as well. After laughing at such stories, we can better understand how the nation and peoples lives have changed over the years.

Mu Ming

Beijing

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