Hardship comes first.

China is a large country with a huge population. There were more adults than children wherever I visited. Simply due to the effect of one child per family enforced by law many years ago. The rich would definitely pamper their little dots. They were given the best and attention. However I also saw the dark side of the poor. This was what happened. While buying our underground train tickets, we saw an eleven years old boy, requesting to assist in purchasing passenger tickets from the station vendor machines for a tiny fee. Those passengers from the rural were unfamiliar with the ticketing, would not mind for this simple service rendered. What surprised me was the enterprising courage of this young boy. Non of us would allow our children to expose such envirolment. Not far, there was another five years old cute girl who approached us. She asked us to buy some plastic flowers from her. She was begging, telling us if she failed to sell her flowers, her mother would scold her. Whether it was true! The fact was, she had the guts to sell to strangers. I remembered my cold calls selling's days, when I first started to sell, I was twenty one then but she was only five. Her braveness was greatly admired by all of us.

Next is something interesting. Do you know most poor Chinese babies don't wear daipers? They just wear pants with a little opening at the back. The purpose is for easy discharge without changing of baby pampers. Baby pampers cost money. Without wearing them, they save money for their parents.

The Chinese in China lives a tough life. They make do with whatever they have. As adolescence, they have to face hardship. Eventually they are molded to be stronger in later part of their lives. As an oversea Chinese myself, I am proud to be one of them.

There is a saying; "A teacher teaches lesson first and then takes the exam. Life takes the exam first and then takes a lesson."