The China of Chinese antiques during the time of Marco Polo holds our fascination, as it should. Explaining a Confucian mind set that exists to this day, China remained a mystery, and very inward until the west blasted their gunboats along the coast, taking control of Hong Kong and Shanghai by British, Macao by Portugese, and a difference in coastal and inland awareness of western influence. And to some extent, so this exists to now, which China is attempting to change. China studies Chicago as the major reason America became so great, and is building a network of rail and roads to connect China, as has America.

And this system shows such promise that we now watch in some amazement at a British television crew in the Africa western nation of Congo, that fabled darkest Africa in century old novels. Joseph Conrad had his ship to hell travel up the Congo River to the hellish conditions that the King of Belgium really allowed during this time of enslavement of the people of the Belgian Congo as property of the king of Belgium. A very, perhaps worst, case of shame by white over black during a long litany of such cruelty.

And in this case, golden people are going to show the world that they will bring in their own contractors and employees to avoid the local corruption, employ and buld homes for the locals, in this plan schools and hospitals will dot the nation, and road builders and trains will soon encircle Congo, also making quick export possible of the copper and cobalt left, after the Belgians and others have stripped the diamonds and gold.

The Congolese and Chinese governments, we learn, employed a Canadian lawyer as a middle man to protect the interests of each, and we see him involved in the plans with representatives of each side. This is historic, and the west should wake up to this, as China has begun in several other African nations. But never so boldly, and so complete in using the old Roman, 30's Germany, and modern American model of a complete roadway for the army through the empire, as India is trying.

This is shown to greatly expand trade and increase efficiency, standards of living improve, more schools, more hospitals possible. This, if China does not renege on the spirit of this historic new agreement between donor and recipient, with essential copper and cobalt to China. Wise use of power, and the honest meeting of a need on both sides, sharing, not enslaving. Now if that principle is shown happening in Tibet, we will feel the world is becoming a better place, and we do pray for those in suffering and need in those earthquakes areas, everywhere.