Word: yuan
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...seventh annual festival, to be held June 10, has its origins in the fourth century B.C. The races are held to commemorate the death of Chu Yuan, a legendary Chinese poet and patriot who cast himself into the Mi Lo River in an act of protest. The races are a re-enactment of his tragic death...
...keeps open until 8 p.m. seven days a week. He works in the darkroom until midnight, processing the negatives and retouching them to eliminate warts, wrinkles and other unflattering features. "I don't rest," Bai says. "Even during festivals, I never close." Bai usually charges less than one yuan (500) for a portrait, undercutting prices at the state-run photographic studio up the street. After paying rent, salaries and buying supplies, Bai nets between 180 and 200 yuan ($90 to $ 100) a month. While hardly a princely sum, that is three times the average urban worker's salary...
...unemployed salesclerk in Peking, nervously clutched her handbag as the crowded, dingy train lurched through the countryside. The bag contained more than 2,000 yuan (about $1,200), which she had borrowed from friends and relatives. Liu's destination: Canton, 1,400 miles and 36 hours away, China's gateway to Hong Kong and now a bustling center of free enterprise. Upon her arrival, she rushed from one street vendor to another, buying up an assortment of modern-style dresses, blue jeans, sandals and high-heeled shoes. Twelve days later, Liu was back in Peking. Within a couple...
Among China's defects, Yuan mentions its long imitation of the Soviet system, which was not relevant to local conditions. Like many other intellectuals, he also blames the country's "feudal heritage," the centuries during which China's economy remained backward and "the Emperor's word was law." Adds Yuan: "One thing that the common people get very angry about is the special privileges of high-ranking officials. There used to be a saying in the old society that once a man got promoted, even his dogs and chickens could go to heaven." This notion lingers...
...TIME editors asked Yuan whether rising expectations and greater tolerance of criticism might hold long-term dangers for China. His answer: "In the rural areas the farmers don't care about democracy. What they care about is good rulers. In the absence of democracy there are only two ways for people to show dissatisfaction - with silence or with rebellion. Now there is something in between. There is criticism, and that is healthier...