I have eaten dog here, in Beijing and S Korea. Not bad at all. Near Beijing, in Hebei, I came on a street of dog restaurants. Live dogs in cages and slaughtered dogs hung on racks. I think they used blow torches to burn the hair off after the dogs were killed. Most were skinned.

Donkey is excellent. For breakfast, we had donkey in buns.

@laotou You said: "Calculus is just a glorified form of addition - with really cool looking symbols and incredibly complicated looking equations."

Forgive my math degree, but where did come up with this?

800 years ago this month, King John signed the Magna Carta in England. This document provided the basis for common law, and set out the basic concepts of rights in the English speaking world. These are: uncensored newspapers, security of property, equality before the law, habeas corpus, regular elections, sanctity of contract, jury trials. Few of these rights are found in China in actual practice.

In the phrase 'Intellectual Property Rights' (IPR) the key words are 'property rights.' If your ideology precludes the notion of individual property rights then there is no discussion to be had. Marx, who expanded the early French socialist concepts felt the means of production, property, should be held in commons, the state.

Marx, clearly an intellectual, expressed high regard for the labor of men and railed against those who exploited those men that toiled with their hands and backs. Marx the Socialist, cursed the Capitalist as a thief and demanded the State replace the Capitalist. Further, Marx felt the intellectual works, inventions and writings, also be held in commons. Marx, however, never failed to copyright his work.

One of the under lying concepts of patents is the idea the inventor should be compensated for his idea. Thus, the inventor can exploit or sell his invention and this right is embodied in a patent. For a period of time, generally 20 years, the inventor is protected and can benefit from his work and idea.

In China, the Magna Carta collides with Marx. In China, Socialist theory, bolstered by what some say is a cultural respect, and acceptance, of copying, results in a low respect for IPR. This conflicts with the Magna Carta based, English biased, concept that the creator of IP 'owns' the IP.

With Chinese characteristics, China parsed this conflict. IP laws exist to protect inventors and writers but enforcement, protections, and prosecution reside in other laws, such as anti-monopoly laws. Clearly, the protections provided by a patent can be considered monopolistic as this is the intent, albeit for a limited 20 year period, of a patent law.

Add to this a culture that demands conformity and attempts to plan and control just about everything centrally, and you get an environment that does not promote innovation. Simply put, the Chinese, as a group, have no idea, nor will permit, what it takes to make use of the talent and ingenuity of her people. In a peak of absurdity, the central government once convened meetings on how to direct innovation.

Simply enforcing existing IP laws and/or modifying IP laws would produce such real innovation by Chinese the world would be astounded. This because the inventor could benefit from his innovation. Unfortunately, benefit is profit is exploitation unless the State, and its designated agents, is doing the exploiting.

@tiger - exactly! Do ya think?

@laotou: In 2006, I was collaborating with a manager in one of the Beijing tax bureaus in writing a book on China's IIT aimed at expats. We attempted to explain the law and had created multiple scenarios; two jobs, employee with contract, part time-second job, etc, etc, etc, on how to calculate and pay IIT.

I was summoned to The State Administration of Taxation (SAT) for 'Tea.'

The message was clear: Cease and desist. Our work violated China's IP law and we would be prosecuted if we attempted to publish, or even disseminate, in any way, our work product. I asked about getting permission from the SAT to use IP. I was assured I could apply but the process would be lengthy and approval unlikely. Clearly, the attitude was that a foreigner could just not understand Chinese tax law. Just as clearly, to me anyway, the officious idiot in front of me had no idea of tax law in developed countries like the US.

My collaborator also got the message as he refused to ever speak to me again.

If you want to read about China's IP law, go here:
www.chinaiplawyer.com