The Yangtse River (1) This is a preparation for a topic of the IELTS speaking test: The question: Describe a river, lake or sea which you like. You should say what the river, lake or sea is called where it is what the land near it is like and explain why you like this river, lake or sea. The river I like best is the Yangtse River, the Chinese name of which means "long river". I guess you can tell by the name that it is a very long river. It flows through Southern China, and it goes winding through a lot of iconic, famous tourist attractions. The Yangtse River Delta has been the richest area in China for a thousand years. Travel along the river, you can visit many beautiful cities and amazing historic sites, such as elegant SuZhou Gardens which are architectural beauties, or the magnificent West Lake in Hang Zhou city. When I was a child, I grew up by a big river which is a branch of a branch of the Yangtse River. I was always wondering how big can it be since a branch of a branch is so wide. I remember visiting Nanjing City, where the Yangtse River passes by and seeing it with my own eyes for the first time. (I split this essay into two because it is a little too long. Please go to the part 2 of this essay: https://www.italki.com/entry/868933)

The Wind of May (2) The first part of this essay: https://www.italki.com/entry/867360 Students in Beijing went to streets to protest on 4 May 1919. It sparked a national protest. From then on, political mobilizations replaced cultural activities in China, because people realized that only a reform of Chinese culture was not enough to save China from poverty and colonialism, a political change was also needed. Many famous political figures emerged from the Fourth May movement, including the founders of the Chinese Communist Party.   Every time I saw this statue, the wind of May, I remember what China had been through a hundred years ago when it was weak, defeated, and taken over by western countries; when Chinese people were the second class citizens in their own country. Now it is a different era of China, and we should forgive but never forget, and make sure the history won’t repeat itself again.

Cellphone-- An Important Innovation of Modern Life (Part 2) Before the cellphones—especially smartphones were introduced into our lives, we used to buy newspapers or magazines to get access to information-- usually, wait at least a day—before we find a place to sit down and read them. But now we can read news everywhere—on the subway, on the bus, even when you are walking. Information is spreading the world at a speed that no one has ever imagined. More importantly, it gives us a chance to express our opinions. Now the voice of normal people can be heard. You can use a cellphone to take a picture or record a video and upload it to the internet, and everybody can watch it. You can write your opinion on Facebook or Twitter, and your opinions will be seen. There used to be only one voice—the voice of media. Now it is hard to control the public opinions because everybody can be a reporter. Everybody can be a commentator. It is the true democracy.

Cellphone-- An Important Innovation of Modern Life It is a preparation for an IELTS speaking topic: Talk about the most important innovation of modern life. Please say – What is it? – Why is it so important? – How does this innovation help people? Cellphone, a small and delicate piece of equipment which is well designed—both on hardware and software. You can see it every day, at everywhere, in everyone. I bet you have one, and I have one too. I cannot imagine going out without my cellphone—how can I get in touch with my family, my friends whenever I need? These days, public phones are hard to find. But it is not the convenience it brings I am going to talk about. Cellphones have changed our lives deeply and remarkably by providing a huge platform for us to get information more quickly, more easily and more cheaply. (I split this essay into two because it is a bit long. Please go to the part 2 of this essay)

My Experience of Practicing Qi Gong 1 In the 1980s and 1990s, the “Qi Gong” fever swept the entire country. Suddenly, there were a lot of “Qi Gong” masters appeared allegedly from deep mountains and remote areas, and intended to teach Chinese the mysterious, ancient and powerful practice which they learned from their parents who learned it from their parents who learned it from their parents… You can go on and on and on. Everybody was talking about it, or practicing it, even in my hometown, a small and remote city in China. In 1988, a man called Tian Ruisheng(田瑞生) claimed he was the only successor who learned the secret of Fragrant Qi Gong (香功), which had been practiced in his family for 2000 years. According to him, Fragrant Qi Gong was based on Buddhism—although it had been only 2000 years since Buddhism was first introduced to China. Back then the Fragrant Qi Gong was one of the most popular Qi Gong in China. When I was just a kid, my parents would take me to practice it with the entire neighborhood every night, which was supposed to make me healthier and stronger. It was said that if one practiced it to a high level, he/she could smell rich odors of different flowers. It might be different odors to different people. Being able to smell something out from nowhere was really appealing to me. Every time the leader—a very nice lady which would make delicious meat sauces for me—would ask us, “I have smelled it! Today it is Jasmine! Have you smelled it? Have you?” And people would answer her, “Yes! Yes! It’s rose!” “Yes, it is so sweet!” And I never smelled anything. NEVER! Not a single time. Every time there were some adults claiming they smelled different kinds of fragrances, but no matter how hard I tried, there was never anything for me.

Should We Pay Ransom to Kidnappers? (1) Amanda Lindhout loved to travel around the world, especially to those dangerous places. She chose to go to Pakistan when she was 19. When she was at her early 20s, she took some freelancer job as a journalist, which gave her opportunities to war zones like Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2008, she got a freelance assignment to go to Somalia, where her luck was finally run out. She was kidnapped by a group of Islamist insurgents in southern Somalia on August 23rd, 2008. When a man who called himself Adam asked her for ransom, she knew immediately what would happen. Her family was poor, and there was a “no concessions” policy in Canada (also in the UK and the USA), which means that the governments of these countries do not pay ransom to terrorists, and neither can the victims’ families. In fact, even raising money for ransom is against the law. People who broke the law could get a 10-year sentence. She started to cry and said, “You might just kill me now, because there will be no money.” Adam replied coldly, “Are you ready to die?” The “no concessions” policy seems heartless, but it actually makes sense. If you pay ransom to kidnappers, the money will be used to fund criminal activities. Furthermore, it will also incentivize the kidnap market. In the end, it is possible that more people will be hurt. When Amanda’s mother, Lorenda, got the news, she went to the government immediately, where she was made clear of the fact that because of the “no concession” policy, the government wouldn’t pay ransom to get her daughter back. Instead, a command center was set up in the local town, and a negotiator lived with her 24 hours and trained her to say how to respond to kidnappers, such as “we won’t pay your money, but we can build a school in your country.” The negotiation lasted for a few months. In the meantime, Amanda was transferred to different houses, and was beaten and raped. All of these was supposed to make Lorenda pay. The whole thing was excruciating. Finally, the government decided to drop the case. Lorenda was told by a government staff explicitly that it was still illegal to pay ransom, but no one was ever prosecuted for doing so.

The Power of Words (2) I remember that afternoon. It was the deadline that my teacher gave me. I was so scared that I dragged my father with me. Knowing my father was just 10 meters away made me feel a little safer. I could hear the voice of a television show coming out from his house. He was still lingering in the television show when he opened the door. The moment he saw me, his happy face turned pale, like all the blood in his body was drained. His eyes suddenly filled with terror and desperation. He looked at me like he was threatening me and begging me at the same time. “I was here to deliver your test paper. “I said. His skinny hands started to shake. -------------------- TO BE CONTINUED