When I was a teen， I saw for the first time a Tang Dynasty clay figure of a person with dark skin and curly hair that was obviously not of Chinese ethnicity. Such people were referred to as Kunlun servants （as they worked as domestic help for the aristocracy）， but actually came from beyond the mountain range of the same name that traverses Xinjiang and Tibet. Scientists are divided on their origins – Africa， India， Southeast or South Asia. These early migrants traveled to China with foreign diplomats and merchants via the Silk Road， testifying to extensive people-to-people， cultural and economic exchanges between China and the rest of the world more than 1，000 years ago， facilitated by the ancient route.

Niu Fuming

Beijing， China

Last year was the 20th anniversary of my graduation from college and old classmates were popping up out of nowhere from all over the world. I was invited to join a group on WeChat. On discovering that I had not yet registered on

WeChat， their response was “this guy must be from the Stone Age！” After opening an account， I found 80 percent of people on my contact list were using it. Several socializing tools have soared into and soon fallen out of favor with Chinese users

over the past few years， first Yahoo messenger， then MSN and QQ. Now， WeChat is the fad. Many people like me join in only not to be left out. In my opinion， the slew of such social networking services and tools only exacerbates “over communication” mania.

Zhu Meizhen

Xianyang， Shaanxi Province， China

It is only in the past decade that private cars have become common among Chinese families. They are still in many ways an expression of wealth and status， those with deep pockets preferring well-known foreign brands of larger size and engines. In addition to the factor of “face，” it is generally believed that American， Japanese and German cars are of better quality than China-made ones. But today， a few domestic brands， including Geely， are changing this prejudice owing to the tried-and-tested performance of their vehicles and growing recognition in the international market. With the revival of patriotic sentiment and national pride and， nowadays， more rational and sophisticated consumers， I foresee more Chinese people driving cars made by local manufacturers.

Qian Tian

Hangzhou， Zhejiang Province， China

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