john!
Good point about Taiwan being the only democratic Chinese speaking government in East Asia. The country hasn't been democratic for very long, so there are still surviving echos of a bureaucratic society if you go outside of the big cities and or speak to people over the age of 50.
I had no idea you had a granddaughter john, no wonder you read as wise as you sound. Nothing can substitute living a long well rounded life, if only by the time I was your age I could have the same broad wisdom, I would be very satisfied with how my life went.
Anyway, looking forward to seeing you in the next post! (It might be about Turkey) :)