First day of classes and I still have time to post... I'll see what happens once lab rotation start rolling.
Chapter 6 touches on many subjects. There some time spent on how Chinese view America. Some regard them as foreign devils while others completely invest their energies in the hope and promise of fortune in America (there's no middle-ground between these extremes). There are many schools in remotes provinces set up for the sole purpose to teach enough English to function in restaurants in American chinatowns.
The rise of China's economy puts a strain on Polat's middleman business in the black market (there's not much demand for the USD any more to support illegal currency trading). This dovetails into his account of illegally obtaining paperwork to go to America.
Speaking of legality in China, the Falun Gong spiritual movement is covered. During the Reform and Opening, China only officially recognized five religions Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Christianity and Protestantism (its dealing with Islam is especially troubling). However, Falun Gong, which started as simple mediations, started to pickup religious overtones and their members started to mobilize and protest in the face of criticism. The government officially labeled it as a subversive cult and a crackdown on demonstrations soon followed. Hessler comments on the general populations indifference, whose roots can be base largely one irrational laws of China that have isolated people from each other beyond core family units.
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