The currency name, although also written as “元”, is actually “圆” with the same pronunciation in Mandarin. This character means “circular/round”, and was an explicit mentioning about shape of Spanish dollars—they were the same rounded shape and weight, reducing the need of weighing silvers in transaction…

It doesn’t feel bad at all. The shopping malls are full. You have help wanted ads. Things feel normal. Companies are chugging along. I have been in periods when the economy was bad. This isn’t one of them. Also if you want to see a terrible economy in early 2019, travel to Taiwan. It’s a […]

First, whether you like China or hate it, China has become the second largest economy in the world. In a sense, this is an intuitive reason why some of us in the West are nervous and afraid that China will replace our dominant position…