The next seven days are special for two reasons: 1) the Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节) is next Sunday, October 3rd and 2) China’s 60th Anniversary Celebration is October 1st. China, as a country, is over 5-millennia-old, but, as the modern People’s Republic of China (PRC), they’ll be 60. The sixtieth birthday in China is highly significant, as about.com explains. There is much preparation around the country for these two events, but nothing compares to “the show” that will be Beijing this week. But let me digress…

The real issue at hand is the H1N1 virus. Apparently, there is a lot of fear out there…and the government is addressing it. Not only the Chinese government but my little university is addressing it. Basically, gates to my campus have been “closed” with increased security as to who gets through them. In years past, the October Holiday (often referred to as a “Golden Week” in China) may not be a holiday, if the rumors are true. I’ve heard through the “student grapevine” that they have been told that they cannot go home during the holiday week, and, if they do, they won’t be allowed back on campus. Larger cities to the north of Siping, in such places as Changchun and Jilin City, have had reported H1N1 cases. And we’ve heard that some of their campus are on lockdown. Ours has not yet reached this stage, but rumors have it that it could. I’m not sure what to think of all this, but I find myself wondering how I should respond in this crisis. WWJD?